MUST READS

A March 27, 2016 The New York Times article reported that “Some researchers worry that the rising drumbeat of C.T.E. diagnoses is far outpacing scientific progress in pinpointing the symptoms, risks and prevalence of the disease.” According to the article, “The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, an organization of brain injury specialists, is preparing a public statement to point out that much of the science of C.T.E. is still unsettled and to contend that the evidence to date should not be interpreted to mean that parents must keep their children off sports teams, officials of the group say.”

A March 26, 2016 Health Canal article reported that “Antipsychotic medications are prescribed to Hispanics with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites, for dementia-related mental-health symptoms such as depression, anxiety and aggression, a UC Davis study conducted using data from a large and diverse population of elderly dementia patients has found.” 

A March 25, 2016 Harvard Health Blog article reported on the genetic link between Alzheimer’s and heart disease. According to the article, “Many people don’t realize that Alzheimer’s and heart disease share a genetic link: the apolipoprotein E gene, also known as ApoE. Genetic testing for ApoE — which is done mainly in research settings and isn’t yet widely available — cannot predict whether a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease, only whether they may be more likely than others to do so. The results of ApoE testing can be distressing for people who discover they carry a potentially a worrisome variant of the gene, but a recent Harvard study revealed a surprising silver lining.”

A March 25, 2016 Huffpost Women article by Ross DeVol underscored the price that women pay for dementia. According to the article, “Dementia is among the most onerous gender-based health disparities in the United States, inflicting a disproportionate burden on women as both patients and caregivers. Of the 6.4 million Americans with dementia, most of whom are undiagnosed, women account for 4.2 million of them—or two-thirds of the patient population.”

A March 25, 2016 National Post article reported on the state of private sector investment in the Alzheimer’s pipeline. According to the article, “Government and independent groups in Britain and Europe have issued calls to action in recent months, noting that Alzheimer’s remains the sole major cause of death in industrialized countries that lacks a disease-modifying treatment — despite billions invested in trying to find one…Experts say it’s important to remove obstacles and allow scientists to learn from each other’s work. Yet this country, for one, still has no national plan to co-ordinate dementia research among academia, government and industry, says Dr. Larry Chambers, scientific advisor for the Alzheimer Society of Canada.”