MUST READS

According to an August 4, 2017 Medscape article, a new study showed that the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE), which is linked to Alzheimer's disease, also increases risk for late-life depression. According to lead study author, Roseanna G. Scott, of the University of Central Florida, Orlando, “We found that vascular burden ― things like hypertension, diabetes, or other heart problems ― and having an APOE4 allele were both risk factors for developing depression as the cohort aged, but they were completely independent of one another in our sample."

An August 4, 2017 AlzForum article focused on the continued search through the human genome for clues about Alzheimer’s disease risk. Scientists are utilizing exome genotyping to find rare variants associated with late-onset AD. “In an ideal world, one would sequence the complete genomes of maybe hundreds of thousands of individuals,” said Julie Williams from Cardiff University in Wales. 

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

An August 4, 2017 Capital Public Radio segment and article focused on a new five-year study from UC Davis which will investigate why so many Latinos are developing Alzheimer’s disease. Latinos have about a 1.5 times higher chance of having dementia than whites. The study will use 16,000 Latino patients from multiple cities, and include a survey about cognitive function and comparative brain scans.

An August 2, 2017 Huffington Post article by Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez recounted the story of her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s disease. As a black woman, her grandmother was twice as likely to suffer from AD than whites based on a host of factors including poverty, lack of access to education and health care, and heightened physical and mental stress. According to the author, “But among the lessons she taught me, I take with me the importance of fighting to reduce the stigma related to health problems like hers. If we talk about them, we can find a way to fight them.”

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES

An August 4, 2017 USC News article focused on four “Alzheimer’s disease rock stars” - USC’s Paul Aisen, Laura Mosqueda, Arthur Toga and Berislav Zlokovic - at the fifth annual “Deal With It” conference hosted by the Motion Picture & Television Fund. According to Scott Kaiser, the Fund’s Chief Innovation Officer, “For me, it was kind of like doing a panel with The Beatles. I mean, I was really up there with legends, with the rock stars of the field.”

VETERANS SPOTLIGHT

An August 4, 2017 Medical News Today article reported that researchers found a molecular link between neuropsychiatric conditions in childhood, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and developing Alzheimer's disease later in life. Soldiers who had PTSD in their youth are twice as likely to develop AD disease by the age of 65.