May 22, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS AND WATCH

A May 22, 2015 Mirror UK article reported that Google searches for dementia and diabetes doubled in the past five years. According to the article, “The study, conducted by private healthcare company Bupa, found that four in five people turn to the internet for advice but often find they are confronted with conflicting information leaving them confused and sometimes even more anxious.” 

Must WatchA May 21, 2015 NBC News broadcast segment highlighted the use of virtual dementia tours to help caregivers and loved ones better relate to individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia. 

A May 21, 2015 Nature article explored the origins of human intelligence and Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “Alzheimer’s disease may have evolved alongside human intelligence, researchers report in a paper posted this month on BioRxiv1. The study finds evidence that 50,000 to 200,000 years ago, natural selection drove changes in six genes involved in brain development. This may have helped to increase the connectivity of neurons, making modern humans smarter as they evolved from their hominin ancestors. But that new intellectual capacity was not without cost: the same genes are implicated in Alzheimer's disease.”


REGIONAL  

A May 21, 2015 The Sacramento Bee article reported that “Covered California board members voted Thursday to become the first state health care exchange in the nation to impose price caps on high-cost specialty drugs to treat conditions such as hepatitis C and HIV.” According to the article, “The four board members unanimously agreed to impose $250 monthly limits on out-of-pocket prescription costs for most patients, creating a precedent that other government health exchanges could follow…Medical advances are expected to produce a series of blockbuster prescription treatments in coming years to treat cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other severe and commonplace afflictions, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. Patient advocates worry that pharmaceutical firms will charge high prices for each new drug while their patents on a product exclude competitors.”