Angels in Arms

Greg O’Brien is living with early onset Alzheimer’s. He recently spoke at a provider conference, and recounted the story of his travel home…

Yesterday's Dream is Today's Reality

Trish and I were married for 49 years. April 17 marked the second anniversary of her passing -- from a heart attack. I know, in her unique humor that animated our lives and in her writing for "Designing Women", "Family Ties" and "Kate and Allie", she is probably saying, "George, we picked the wrong disease." In truth, curing Alzheimer's was always her passion. Her fight -- our shared fight -- was for her mother. We decided not to stand aside and leave this to somebody else but rather to challenge this disease ourselves. So, in 2010, we founded UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (with

Opinion: We can accelerate a cure for Alzheimer's

Reposted from The Hill. By George Vradenburg Since the first cases were diagnosed in 1981, 1.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. A positive diagnosis was once thought to be a death sentence and the disease was considered one of the greatest public health crises ever. In response, the federal government poured massive resources into developing treatments and now, thanks to pharmacological and other research, HIV/AIDS is considered a chronic but no longer life-threatening condition. By comparison, 5.8 million Americans today are battling Alzheimer’s disease, with a new case being diagnosed every 65 seconds. By 2050, the number of

Behind Every Great Woman is a Great Brain

For the past 30 years, Americans have gathered around the month of March to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of women in this country. On March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day to recognize the powerful and uniting force of women across the globe. Unfortunately, a crisis is looming. The very women we’re celebrating this month and everyday are facing a public health crisis – and we have the power to make sure it’s not ignored. We bet you didn’t know that a full two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women, and that one in six women aged 65 or

Brain Health Equity Insights - March 2019

A Note from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s We are thrilled to introduce Equity Insights, a newsletter that will deliver the latest news, opinions, tools and practical insights from the fields of health disparities research, Alzheimer’s disparities research and prevention, and health equity policy. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the challenges we face as our population ages and communities of color face increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Our aim is to provide our growing network of partners the insights needed to build a community of practice in brain health focused on equity and access for women and people of color. We encourage you

New Study Finds Deep Sleep is Best for Brain ‘Cleaning,’ Shows Connection Between Sleep and Alzheimer’s

A new study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center has found that brain activity during deep, non-REM sleep is ideal for the brain’s glymphatic system to “clean” itself of toxins. Some of these include the toxic proteins beta amyloid and tau, the buildup of which has been linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Beta amyloid and tau are thought to harm and inhibit communication between neurons. “Sleep is critical to the function of the brain’s waste removal system and this study shows that the deeper the sleep the better,” said Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the] Center for Translational Neuromedicine

What’s Good for Our Hearts is Good for Our Brains

As you’re probably aware, February marks the celebration of Black History Month. But did you know that it’s also Heart Health Month? You might be surprised that both have a deep connection to the brain, and the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s team is celebrating this February by bringing awareness to the links between brain health, heart health, and health disparities. The brain controls all of our bodily functions, breathing, thinking, feeling, even the number of times our heart beats per minute. The heart on the other hand supplies blood and other nutrients our body needs to stay healthy and alive. From a young

A First Look at the Upcoming Film “Remembering Gene Wilder”

The upcoming film “Remembering Gene Wilder” will give a rare glimpse into Gene Wilder’s personal life and battle with Alzheimer’s. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is proud to be an official community partner of this incredibly important project. Gene Wilder’s wife Karen says of the film that: “Our goal for telling Gene’s story is to create awareness and attention for Alzheimer’s disease. So many people in this country have the disease but sadly, have never been diagnosed. We hope that by watching his story, people will be encouraged to see their family physician if they suspect or start showing symptoms similar to Gene’s.” Click

Opinion: Like Nixon’s ‘war on cancer,’ President Trump should open a war on Alzheimer’s

Re-Posted from STAT News By George Vradenburg and Howard M. Fillit “The time has come in America when the same kind of concerted effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease.” That was President Nixon in his State of the Union address 48 years ago. The dread disease he was talking about was cancer, the second leading cause of death in the country, and he used the address to open his “war on cancer.” Since then, we have made major strides against that disease. Death rates have been declining

Opinion: The Importance of Productive ‘Failure’ on the Path to Curing Alzheimer’s

Re-Posted from Modern Consult The path to success is paved with failure. Some of the world’s most successful enterprises have achieved breakthrough accomplishments by promoting creativity and risk in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Those searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease — researchers, companies, patients, caregivers, regulators, government, and private funders of research — have experienced several high-profile recent setbacks. However, finding a cure for Alzheimer’s will require more frequent and bold “failure” of this kind. More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, putting a crushing burden on more than 16 million family caregivers. As 74 million