Carmel, CA Alzheimer’s Risk Lower With Aerobics, Stretching

caregiver buttoning seniors - Pebble Beach home personal care

If you are a senior citizen at risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you should do more aerobics and stretching, according to a new study from Wake Forest School of Medicine.  “There’s just more understanding of the underlying biology and what potential treatments can impact the disease, which actually includes exercise,” Maria Carillo, Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, told USA Today.  For the study, researchers recruited those with a sedentary lifestyle and assigned them to two groups.  One group regularly engaged in moderate to high intensity aerobics while the other group did less rigorous exercise.  All participants had mild cognitive impairment, but not enough to be diagnosed with dementia.  This is great news for a disease which researchers have had little success in finding drug treatments for.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a wonderful group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you just need some support at 800-272-3900.

Monterey, CA New Biotech Partnership To Fight Alzheimer’s

Biotech startup Cervance Inc. could earn more than $1 billion via a collaboration with drugmaker Merck & Company to research potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. This a fledgling sector.  Although victims of the disease are growing quickly, there have been no effective new treatments that have come to market in more than a decade.  “Hopefully the tide is turning,” Cerevance CEO Craig Thompson, told the Wall Street Journal.  Cerevance gathers brain tissue from brain banks, or centers that obtain brains from organ donors.  It then examines brain tissue to identify brain diseases and metrics such as what genes are over- or under-active.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this debilitating disease when they passed away.  There are some great people at the Monterey Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch, or you can call their 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Monterey, CA Seniors Need To Stick To A Healthy Diet Or Risk Alzheimer’s, Dementia

Elderly lady holding caregivers hand - In home dementia care Pebble Beach

We all know that processed foods aren’t good for you.  More proof of this come from the Alzheimer’s Association, which did a presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego to show the audience proof from various studies which showed that food like instant noodles, sugary drinks and frozen meals all play a role in cognitive decline.  “It’s no secret that physical and mental cognitive health are intimately involved with each other, so it’s no surprise that this latest research suggests brain impairment too,” Rafael Perez-Escamilla, a professor of public health at Yale University, told the audience.  “Just 100 calories of processed foods can affect your physical health.  So, that’s two cookies,” he continued.  Other research has linked ultra-processed food consumption to health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers.  Try the Mediterranean Diet, it’s great for your health and delicious.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  If you need information or just someone to talk to, there are some wonderful people at the Monterey branch of the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Carmel, CA Alzheimer’s Research Called Into Question

Doctor Robert Califf in white color coat and colorful tie

A report in Science Magazine stated that an influential 2006 study relied on fabricated images to support its conclusion, which resulted in misdirected Alzheimer’s research for the past 16 years.  Dr. Karen Ashe, a senior University of Minnesota scientist, has admitted that a junior colleague appears to have manipulated two images.  However, she claims those actions did not affect the study’s wording and conclusion.  And the first researcher to state that Alzheimer’s disease is triggered by amyloid beta plaques in the brain now concedes that after years of developing amyloid-targeting drugs that have failed, a new approach must begin.  He says a multi-drug approach will likely be more affected.  I’m confident we will gradually push back on Alzheimer’s disease in the same way that we’ve pushed back on cancer and so on,” Dr. John Hardy told USA Today.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  If you need information or just someone to talk to, there are some wonderful people at the Monterey branch of the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

 

Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s Breakthrough With The Christchurch Variant APOE Gene

Doctor Robert Califf in white color coat and colorful tie

Researchers have been studying a group of families in Columbia for years due to the fact that they carry a variant of the gene PSEN-1 which pretty much guarantees they will get Alzheimer’s.  Many get it at an early age, with a sad story being told by a mother who had to take care of her son who had Alzheimer’s disease.  There has been a recent breakthrough, with Aliria Rosa Piedrahita de Villegas, a woman in her 70’s with the gene who did not get Alzheimer’s disease until the age of 72, three decades after most others with the gene get the disease.  Further study found that Aliria also had two copies of another rare variant of the APOE gene, also known as the Christchurch variant, which helped protect her brain and drastically slowed the progression of the disease.  “This opens a new door for Alzheimer’s research,” said Yakeel Quiroz, an associate professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.  “And through that door are new opportunities for treatments,” he said.  Quiroz and other researchers are now working on developing an Alzheimer’s treatment that can replicate the protective actions and effects of the Christchurch variant.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they died.  There is a great group of people at the Monterey branch of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch or you can also call their 24-hour hotline for support at 1-800-272-3900.

MRI Can Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease With 98% Accuracy : By Derek Baine

A doctor showing the report to the senior female patient

Science is taking a giant leap forward as machine-learning, artificial intelligence and other types of computer-generated intelligence are contributing a great deal to our knowledge of various diseases.  Finally, there is good news on the Alzheimer’s front.  A study which was published in the journal Nature found that a machine-learning MRI algorithm can predict whether a person has Alzheimer’s disease or not with a whopping 98% accuracy.  It can also differentiate between an early and late-staged Alzheimer’s patient with an accuracy of 79%.  The modeling was achieved on an MRI found in most hospitals.

 

Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Can Help You And Others

A doctor showing the report to the senior female patient

There can be great self-gratification that comes from participating in a clinical trial in the hopes of coming up with a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.  Unfortunately, there has been very little good news on the clinical trial front, with a new study showing that the most recent drug released to the market, Roche’s crenezumab did not slow or prevent cognitive decline.

There was a recent story in The Future of Personal Health about Donald Macintosh, a smart attorney with a good memory who had a 25-year career but now can’t make a cup of coffee or remember what he ate for lunch.  He was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, an affliction that impacts 6 million Americans.  He is now excited to be participating in a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug which could slow the progress of the disease.  “It’s a privilege,” he says.  “Not everyone is in such a trial because either they don’t know about it or they don’t meet the requirements,” he added.  Although Donald had to drop out of the most recent trial due to side effects, he is looking forward to joining others.  He has no regrets about participating.  “Even if it doesn’t benefit me personally, it will benefit other people in the future,” he said.

Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother died of this terrible disease.  There are some great people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey at Ryan’s Ranch that can help you if you are dealing with a family member with dementia.  They also have a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Carmel, CA Promising New Alzheimer’s Drug Crenezumab Takes Another Hit

An old woman with an injured face

A new study is out on the controversial drug that recently hit the market to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Roche’s crenezumab, and the results are not good.  The study showed that it did not slow or prevent cognitive decline in a long-running study of Colombian families who carried a genetic mutation that put them at a very high risk of developing the disease.  The drug did not demonstrate a significant benefit in tests measuring cognitive abilities or memory function among study participants.  ‘We’re disappointed that crenezumab did not show a significant clinical benefit,” Eric Reiman, the executive director at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, told USA Today.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother died of this terrible disease.  There are some great people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey at Ryan’s Ranch that can help you if you are dealing with a family member with dementia.  They also have a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/06/16/closely-watched-alzheimers-study-fails-prevent-advance-disease/7639930001/

Carmel, CA Ward Off Alzheimer’s And Dementia By Going To Bed Early

One of the easiest ways to try and ward off Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia is by going to bed early, according to Sara Mednick, professor of cognitive science at the University of California Irvine.  She tells AARP The Magazine (April/May 2022, page 38) that we should all be in bed by 10:00 p.m.  “The earlier you get to sleep, the more slow-wave sleep you’ll get,” says professor Mednick, the author of The Power of the Down State.  Slow-wave Sleep connections between areas of the brain to create stronger memories.  However, SWS goes by the circadian clock and peters out at about 1:00 a.m.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a great group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch who are there to help you.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

 

Monterey, CA An Interesting New Twist On Alzheimer’s & Dementia Testing

A happy old woman

A new training tool dubbed the Interview For Decisional Abilities, or IDA, helps to assess whether some seniors can make informed choices about their own care and well being.  Although not specifically a test for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it was developed by two geriatricians to help Adult Protective Services (APS) workers decide if seniors have the cognitive ability to make financial and other decisions, even if those fly in the face of what family members want.  It’s also used by hospital discharge planners to assess whether a patient has the capacity to assist on going home instead of going into rehab.  Assisted living facilities may also start using IDA to see if new residents understood the contracts that they were signing.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a great group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch who are there to help you.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.