MUST READS

A July 24, 2017 The Sacramento Bee article by retired journalist, Kent Pollock, recounted some of the memories he is losing due to his cognitive dementia. Encouraging others, he writes, “Awareness is a beginning. Diagnosis and medical assistance are logical next steps. And, finally, acknowledging you have the problem is downright liberating.”

A July 24, 2017 Arizona State University article featured a new study which finds that activation of the necroptosis biological pathway, which causes neuronal loss, is closely linked with Alzheimer’s severity, cognitive decline, and extreme loss of tissue and brain weight. Necroptosis causes cells to burst from the inside out and die. According to lead study author, Salvatore Oddo, “There is no doubt that the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease have fewer neurons. The brain is much smaller and weighs less; it shrinks because neurons are dying. That has been known for 100 years, but until now, the mechanism wasn’t understood.”

A July 24, 2017 Medscape article looked at a study which finds that depression that starts early in life increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease. The study used data from the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg Sweden, which began almost 50 years ago. In addition to neuropsychiatric examinations, information came from interviews, medical records and the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register.

A July 24, 2017 Columbus CEO article looked at the stresses both at work and home for family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Connie Gallaher, whose father had AD, is President of OhioHealth Home Care. “As both a family caregiver and a healthcare executive, Gallaher recognizes the critical need for workplace support, particularly among the “sandwich generation” that has both parents and children who need their help."

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A July 24, 2017 UTSA article spotlighted a new online course on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease from molecular and genetic perspectives, created by George Perry, Semmes Foundation University Chair in Neurobiology, and Dean of the College of Sciences, at The University of Texas at San Antonio. “This is a great opportunity for an undergraduate or graduate student to gain a baseline knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease,” Perry said.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Register for the 4th annual Mobile in Clinical Trials conference on September 6, 2017 in Boston. The program agenda presents not only the latest progress in applying mobile/digital tools to clinical trials, but also how and when to do this and for what benefit.