This article by the University of Utah talks about a badly needed change in the way Alzheimer’s is diagnosed. The author points out that current guidelines are quite out of date:
In a commentary on proposed new diagnostic criteria published in the same issue, Foster writes that advances in imaging technology and genetics, combined with greater understanding of the disease, now make it possible to identify Alzheimer’s even before dementia develops. Dementia is a symptom, and Alzheimer’s disease is only one of the many causes of dementia.
Science Daily has published an article linking glaucoma and Alzheimer’s:
UK scientists have shown for the first time that key proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease are also implicated in glaucoma, the major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
One good thing about this? Drugs that have been developed to treat Alzheimer’s are also proving to work on glaucoma.
According to Diabetes Health:
Diabetes and pre-diabetes are associated with a seventy-five percent increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
…brain scans of insulin-resistant adults reveal reduced glucose metabolism in certain brain regions; the pattern is identical to that seen in people who get Alzheimer’s years down the road.
What does this mean? If you have diabetes, make sure you work hard to manage it properly. Also, there will probably be more work on making people less resistant to insulin, since the study showed that diabetics who received treatment to make them sensitive to insulin were able to improve their memories.
I don’t know if you recall the initial Ampakine trials, which were halted because the government didn’t like the looks of some of the data relating to animal research. Well, the drug seemed promising, so I guess it is good news that the trials are starting again, although I’d like to hear a bit more about why the government stopped the trial in the first place and why they then decided to go ahead with it.
I may just have to rethink my dislike of curry dishes with this new research on the benefits of turmeric for Alzheimer’s patients. Maybe eating more curry makes the taste buds fonder?
US researchers have isolated a compound in turmeric - commonly used in the UK’s national dish chicken tikka masala and other more deadly curry concoctions - which “may help stimulate immune system cells that gobble up the brain-clogging proteins that mark Alzheimer’s disease”, Reuters reports.
I know my friend from India cooks a lot of curry dishes and she says what we call Indian food is just awful. Maybe I can get some recipe suggestions from her. If you have a favorite recipe that uses turmeric, I’d love to hear about it!
If you have an American Express card, you can really help make a difference for researchers. There is a new program by American Express that gives money to disease research and the Alzheimer’s Association is asking us to help make sure it gets a big chunk of the money. How awesome is it that we can help such an important cause raise so much money by just giving up a few minutes of our time? Here are the details:
Thanks to hundreds of American Express cardholders who are champions for our cause, the Alzheimer’s Association has been chosen as one of the top 50 projects in The Members ProjectSM, a new initiative from American Express that will award up to $5 million to a project selected by American Express cardholders.
Now is your chance to put your VOICE into action again: Vote from now until July 15 to make sure the Cure for Alzheimer’s Project is selected as one of the top 25 projects!
To cast your vote visit www.membersproject.com/. Users who have already registered can search for CURE for ALZHEIMERS or Project ID 01909. You’ll be directed to the project details page, where you can click “Vote For This Project” at the top of the page. That’s all there is to it!
If you haven’t already registered, have your American Express card number ready and go to www.membersproject.com/ . From there, you’ll be asked a series of questions, and after completing them you’ll be able to vote for CURE for ALZHEIMERS.
Spread the word to make sure we advance to the next round: Forward this e-mail to your family, friends and colleagues and ask them to help move the cause forward today by registering and voting for our project.
Someone new develops this disease every 72 seconds in the United States alone. A few clicks of your mouse can help us move closer to a world without Alzheimer’s - vote today!
In a study guaranteed to make worriers even more worried, a Chicago research team has discovered that if you worry all the time you are more prone to develop cognitive problems that could lead to Alzheimer’s disease…
WebMD.com says:
People who often feel negative emotions may be more likely to develop memory problems as they age, according to a new study.
As a caregiver, you know how important getting a bit of support can be. This is a chance to support the National Family Cargiver Association simply be stopping by their online booth:
Dear Alzheimer Caregiver,
I’m writing today with some important news for all caregivers, information that we hope you will pass along to your readers. The NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVER ASSOCIATION has joined the Revolution Health Fair, (http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthfair) an online event launched in partnership with 10 national nonprofit organizations who each host a virtual “booth.” Until the end of June, for every visitor to a partner organization’s booth Revolution Health will make a donation to that partner for a total of up to $10,000.
We hope you’ll let your readers know about this. They’ll get valuable information and help the groups who advocate for them to prosper.
- Greg Cooper, on behalf on Revolution Health
ABOUT REVOLUTION HEALTH:
Revolution Health (http://www.revolutionhealth.com) is the new health resource website founded by Steve Case, partly because of the difficulties he and his family faced during his brother’s battle with brain cancer. He wants to make it a bit easier for those who follow by providing tools to support both patient and family. I’m working with Revolution to support the work of bloggers who follow health issues. One way we’re doing that is by conducting these topical briefings, just for the blogger universe. Revolution wants to highlight its ability to aggregate and share critical information on health issues by providing new information and contact with health leaders in relevant disease communities.
One great asset of the site is its population of experts, including those on nutrition, diet and weight loss, drawn from major academic institutions across the country, including Columbia, Harvard, Cleveland Clinic, the University of California at San Francisco, the University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, and more.
If you love a glass of wine with dinner, you’ll be happy to know that you may actually be helping your brain as you are treating your taste buds to a good time. Tammy from Celebrate Wine pointed out this new study that was reported in Wine Spectator:
A new study, conducted by scientists from the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Bari, in Bari, Italy, found that a drink or two per day may help slow the development of dementia. The research, published in the May 22 issue of the journal Neurology, may provide hope for those at risk of dementia and diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the transitional stage between normal brain function and full-blown, irreversible cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s.
However, this doesn’t mean you should run out and develop a two glass a day habit. The researcher also mentions that the study may be flawed by the fact that most people who drink a glass or two of wine a day are also usually active and involved in new things. The benefits of drinking wine in the study may actually be because the study participants were not couch potatoes. So, if you do drink those two glasses, make sure you are stretching your mind and getting exercise, too.
Photo source
According to Press TV:
Scientists have found that stimulating the brain with a magnet boosts the growth of brain cells and may work as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.
Although the findings for mice don’t always work as expected on humans, this research looks promising, especially since magnetic therapy has already been successfully used with stroke victims.
