June 22, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A June 22, 2017 The Hechinger Report opinion piece by Latino Network leader, Jason Resendez, underscored the importance of brain health education for at risk communities. According to Resendez, “Alarmingly, our public health community hasn’t rallied around brain health in the same way it has around heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. We have yet to see a robust national brain health effort with the same energy and star power as former First Lady Michelle Obama’s, “Let’s Move” campaign, or the rapid response that accompanied the Zika and Ebola scares of recent memory.” The piece calls on policymakers to “engage in response efforts that match the scale of the Alzheimer’s challenge.”

MUST READS

A June 21, 2017 Forbes article profiled Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, one of the most important and influential figures in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. “I can tell you right now… the opportunity has never been greater to stop this disease in this generation, in our lifetime, maybe even by 2025,” Tanzi said. His current research is focused on “Alzheimer’s-in-a-Dish,” utilizing stem cells to create human nerve cells, simulate the human brain and create full blown Alzheimer’s pathology. Tanzi is also a musician/ songwriter and public speaker.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

A June 21, 2017 MedCity News article interviewed David Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly. He is optimistic about innovation in Alzheimer’s treatment. “The problem is that Alzheimer’s trials are large and the outcomes measured remain pretty crude, Ricks said. So to operate more efficiently, Lilly has an initiative underway to enroll a pre-screened pool of potential study participants — before the trial(s) even gets off the ground. The population can be stratified by factors such as amyloid status, to fast-track the enrollment process and ultimately, the length of the trial.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A June 19, 2017 USA Today article looked at research about the effects of moderate drinking (8 to 12 small glasses of wine, bottles of beer, or shots of liquor each week) on an aging brain. According to Dr. David Knopman, a clinical neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, “There is not much evidence [light to moderate] alcohol use damages the brain directly,” he said. “Alcohol may cause brain shrinkage because of shifts in fluids, which in the case of hippocampus shrinking, it would be a temporary effect that would go away if people stopped drinking alcohol."

CAREGIVER CORNER

According to a June 21, 2017 Forbes Next Avenue opinion piece by Richard Eisenberg, and based on a new “Daughters in the Workplace” survey from Home Instead Senior Care, women have it especially tough when it comes to holding down a job and being a caregiver to a parent. They spend an average of 13.8 hours a week caregiving, and have been caregivers on average for six years.

POLITICS

A June 21, 2017 WAMU 88.5 radio segment and article highlighted Rushern Baker III’s run for Maryland governor. Baker is caretaker for his wife, Christa Beverly, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia in 2012.