MUST READS

An August 29, 2017 Medical Xpress article spotlighted the computer game, Sea Quest Hero, which is now available in virtual-reality version. Researchers are using it as a tool to study Alzheimer’s disease by data tracking navigational skills and comparing cognitive response across a broad spectrum of ages. Playing the game for two minutes generates the same amount of data it would take five hours to collect in lab-based research, and has already generated 9,500 years worth of dementia research.

According to an August 28, 2017 Forbes article, it’s time to scrutinize the words we use to describe aging. The issue is on the front burner after Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona described the President as possibly “psychotically demented and ill of the mind.” America is obsessed with youth and more age-related words are becoming taboo. Cardona’s use of the word “demented” in particular is under fire because so many Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and it fails to account for the human behind the description.

An August 28, 2017 Web MD article reported that the window between the ages 65 to 75 are critical for women with a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's disease. During this time, they have far greater chances of developing AD than men with similar genetic risks. According to Arthur Toga, Director of USC’S Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, "Our discovery is important because it highlights how clinical trials could be weighted toward women -- a susceptible part of the population -- to help scientists more rapidly identify effective drug interventions to slow or cure Alzheimer’s.”

An August 28, 2017 Arizona Daily Sun article focused on POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), a new medical form being implemented nationwide to bring clarity about the wishes of a patient with chronic disease, and ensure consistency of treatment. The form includes diagnosis, prognosis and patient desires regarding medical and life-sustaining treatments and interventions. All healthcare professionals must adhere to the physician-signed medical order regardless of where the patient is receiving care or who is providing the care.

YOUTH FOCUS

An August 29, 2017 News Medical Life Sciences article reported on a team from the University of Maryland who earned the top prize in NIH’s Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge for developing a portable electroencephalogram (EEG) utilizing a headset and software analysis tool to detect Alzheimer's before patients show symptoms. The device exploits brainwave changes in response to special auditory tones. According to team captain Dhruv Patel, “Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, costing the nation close to $259 billion this year. Diagnosing the disease early on allows patients to open up treatment options, manage the disease properly, and slow its progression."   

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

An August 28, 2017 Alzheimer’s News Today article focused on a new study looking at the link between brain inflammation, cell growth and division, and neuronal death in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. With AD, apoptosis, or programmed neuronal death, strongly contributes to memory impairment. The study provides additional clues into neuronal death and offers a potential therapeutic target.