MUST READS

A March 21, 2016 The Wall Street Journal article profiled the three caregivers and how their lives were changed by Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “Mr. Iero, Mr. Clinton and Ms. Sylvia all attend an Alzheimer’s-caregivers-support group at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Memory Center. A year ago they allowed us to get a glimpse into their daily lives caring for a loved one with the disease. One year later, they shared their stories again.” [behind paywall] 

A March 21, 2016 Scientific American article reported on a controversial theory that says herpes virus and Lyme disease bacteria are behind Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “Scientists have long puzzled over the root causes of Alzheimer's disease, a devastating and typically fatal condition that currently denies more than five million Americans their cognition and memory. But in a provocative editorial soon to be published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, a cadre of scientists argue that the complex disease may have a surprisingly simple trigger: tiny brain-infecting microbes. This controversial view, which is not new, has long been dismissed as outlandish, but a growing body of work suggests it may be worth considering and further studying. If researchers can prove the theory and iron out the many argued-over details—both formidable tasks, as brain infections are difficult to study—Alzheimer's could become a preventable illness.”

A March 21, 2016 Science article reported “Why the big change to Lilly’s Alzheimer’s trial is not evidence its drug has failed again.” According to the article, “Largely lost in the online “chatter,” however, was that Lilly’s move reflects a growing scientific consensus about how the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease progress, says Dennis Selkoe, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who is not involved in the Lilly trial. ‘From the point of view of a neurologist who’s seen hundreds of patients, [Lilly’s decision] makes clinical sense,’ he says.”

A March 21, 2016 Neurology Advisor article reported that “The NIH, along with researchers from several national institutions, have come together to launch M²OVE-AD, a 5-year, $30 million program meant to seek out a better understanding of vascular contributions to Alzheimer's disease.”

INTERESTING READS FROM AROUND THE WEB

PBS Newshour: In this poem, Beth Copeland shows what it’s like to have Alzheimer’s

The Washington Post: Beyond the catchphrase.

Bloomberg Businessweek: Europe Bets on Robots to Help Care for Seniors 

USA Today: Electronic records and end-of-life plans