MUST READS

A February 27, 2018 Huffington Post UK article reported that a new study shows that people with long-term depression (over a decade) may be experiencing the same cerebral deterioration as people with Alzheimer’s disease, including increased brain inflammation. According to lead study author Dr. Jeff Meyer, “Greater inflammation in the brain is a common response with degenerative brain diseases as they progress, such as with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.” The study marks the first time that depression has been classed as a degenerative brain disease.

A February 26, 2018 Mail Online article reported that researchers are looking beyond amyloid to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. At the University of Oxford’s Deep and Frequent Phenotyping study, researchers will rely on tests ranging from blood and DNA analyses, to high-tech brain scans and memory assessments. Meanwhile, an Australian study showed that people with prolonged high levels of cortisol, a hormone produced in response to stress, were more likely to develop AD than those with low levels. Furthermore, many researchers are also studying lifestyle changes.

MUST LISTEN

A February 23, 2018 Mayo Clinic post promotes Mayo’s Dr. Ronald Petersen talking about some causes of dementia and how Alzheimer's disease fits into the spectrum. Click here to listen to “Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute.” 

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

According to a February 24, 2018 Philanthropy News Digest article, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its Program to Accelerate Clinical Trials. The goal is to increase the number of innovative treatments tested in humans for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Up to $3 million will be awarded to researchers, clinicians and postdoctoral fellows working in an academic medical center, university, non-profit, or biotechnology company who are able to demonstrate a clear need for nonprofit funding. Letters of Intent are due April 13, 2018, and full proposals are due on May 11, 2018.

LIFESTYLE

A February 23, 2018 Newsweek article looked to a first-of-its-kind study from Edith Cowan University in Australia which finds that a high-protein diet may help stave-off Alzheimer's disease later in life. The study linked high protein intake with lower levels of amyloid beta, a hallmark of AD. The reasons are unknown and require further research, but may be tied to the ability of a high protein diet to lower high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for AD.

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

In a February 23, 2018 The Morning Call article, reporter Milton Carrero Galarza went to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to check in on Luz Maria Martinez Galvan and William Ramos Gomez, who have not received any government aid since the hurricane hit five months ago. Luz Maria has Alzheimer’s disease and Galarza was frustrated that he was unable to communicate with her. According to Galarza, “I have seen reports about the impact that music can have on people suffering from dementia. It appears that the areas of the brain that process music are often not affected by Alzheimer’s… I had the movie [“Alive Inside”] in mind when I returned to the room with the guitar and began singing. Luz Maria lit up! She started to sing her own lyrics, she looked at my eyes. We communicated. How? I smiled and she smiled.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 

A February 22, 2018 CBS SF Bay Area video and article spotlighted Braden Bishop, preparing for his first spring training with the Seattle Mariners baseball team. Bishop’s mom, a former VP of Production at NBC, has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. His “4MOM” charitable foundation supports Alzheimer’s patients and their caretakers. For every hit Bishop gets in spring training, he will donate his own money to the cause. 

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Join the Clinical Research as a Care Option conference in Boston on April 11, 2018. Higher rates of clinical trial participation inside of a health system produces better patient outcomes, lower cost of care and happier patients. Health systems and patients get access to the latest research, and pharma gets access to more patients in need of clinical research options. The value of integrating clinical research into the overall continuum of care is often lost on health care organizations, and the meeting will address how to bridge the gap and overcome obstacles. Register here.