USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A May 15, 2018 Military Network Radio segment featured Shawn Taylor, Founding Board Member of VeteransAgainstAlzheimer’s, a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Shawn, who has Alzheimer’s disease in her family, speaks and advocates from personal experience. Veterans who have experienced traumatic brain injury and/or post traumatic stress disorder are at heightened risk for developing dementia. 

MUST READS

A May 16, 2018 Kevin MD article by Ron Louie, MD looked at the reality of speeding effective Alzheimer’s disease drugs to market, considering current FDA guidelines. No new drugs have been approved recently and drugmakers are now looking to asymptomatic subjects or those with early stage AD to enroll in clinical trials. According to Louie, “Interpreting those statements, the FDA is not yet satisfied with the current documentation of progression in early AD. If progression is not well defined, how does one know if a drug is effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease?”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A May 16, 2018 EurekAlert! release focused on research results from Queen's University which could lead to new therapies to preserve brain health. Studies show that AD is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and vice-versa. According to Dr. Fernanda De Felice, "We know that the Alzheimer brain responds less to insulin, which is also indicative of some form of cross-talk in the pathways of these diseases. By looking at non memory-related symptoms of Alzheimer's disease we are getting a better understanding of the complex nature of this disease and of the different pathways it affects.”

A May 14, 2018 Berkeley News article focused on the work of Berkeley researchers to determine the detailed structure of tau protein, a major Alzheimer’s disease hallmark, when bound to microtubules, components of the cytoskeleton of neurons. They used cryo-electron microscopy to gain insight into why microtubules dissociate from tau to form tau tangles, or “tauopathies.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A May 17, 2018 Hartford Courant video and article featured the work of Poet Margaret Gibson, who wrote about her experience with her husband David McKain’s 11-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She will read from her 2014 collection, “Broken Cup,” on June 20, 2018 at the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. According to the article, “In one poem, Gibson compared McKain’s plight with that of Sisyphus, the mythological man who pushed a boulder up a hill, only to have it creep downward each day. “It was incredible metaphor for what David went through,” she says. “He was condemned to accomplish nothing, a life sentence.” ”

FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE DAY

A May 16, 2018 The Sun video and article featured the wedding renewal vows of Shelley and Paul Sheppard, part of The Sun’s “Putting It Right” campaign. Shelley, 44, has Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “Even if Shelley can’t remember them, she’ll be able to cherish photographs, videos and the personal messages written by wedding guests in a special book. “One of the main reasons I wanted us to renew our vows is because I wanted Paul to see me in a wedding dress,” says Shelley, who wore a suit for their registry office wedding in 2002. “I remember he had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen then he burst into tears!” ”