MUST READS

An October 31, 2017 BBC News article spotlighted Souvenaid, a nutrient drink sold in the UK to people with early Alzheimer’s. Latest phase two trial results did not find it preserves memory and thinking. According to Professor Tara Spires-Jones at the University of Edinburgh, “There is strong evidence that a healthy lifestyle including exercise and a healthy diet can help reduce risk for developing dementia, but once the brain damage starts, a dietary intervention is unlikely to stop the disease."
 

An October 30, 2017 NBC News article looked at the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at the University of Bari in Italy, and McGill University in Canada, have separately created AI algorithms to access brain scans of people with memory loss, and tell who will develop full-blown Alzheimer's disease and who won't. AI can help identify participants for drug or lifestyle interventions at the earliest stages of dementia.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

According to an October 30, 2017 Business Wire release, Biogen will present data from its ongoing Phase 1b study of aducanumab at the 10th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease Conference meeting in Boston. Webcasts will be live on November 2, 2017 at approximately 3:30pm (EST), and November 4, 2017 at approximately 11:15am (EST). Click here to to access the live webcasts.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An October 27, 2017 Being Patient article reported that the difficult decision to place a loved one in a care home is compounded by a lack of choices. According to Dominic Carter of the Alzheimer’s Society, “The only way to give people with dementia the care, security and reassurance they deserve is for the government to inject more money into social care.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

An October 30, 2017 Forbes article looked at a new caregiver-focused study, “November 2017 Report: Dementia Caregivers - Juggling, Delaying, and Looking Forward,” finding that caregivers need and want to access support resources. The poll focused on unpaid dementia caregivers, family, and friends who help people with memory problems. According to Associate Poll Director and University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) Senior Project Manager Erica Solway, PhD, “The rise in the number of people with dementia has led to the creation of many resources for caregivers that can provide vital support.”