USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

ICYMI: Alzheimer's Talks -  Research shows there is a strong connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, and understanding that connection has the potential to lead to major advances in preventing or treating Alzheimer’s in everyone. People with Down syndrome often experience Alzheimer’s earlier and at a much higher incidence, and they could provide key information about Alzheimer’s. In fact, a groundbreaking new clinical trial of Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome is about to begin to test an anti-Abeta vaccine, which has overcome characteristic neurodegeneration and restored memory deficits in a mouse model. Click here to read a full recap of our conversation with Dr. Michael Harpold, Chief Scientific Officer at the LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation, in this month’s cutting-edge Alzheimer’s Talks.

MUST READS

An October 29, 2015 Neurology Advisor article reported that new research finds that “Women aged 65 and older who complain of poor memory may be at a greater risk for cognitive impairment nearly two decades later.” According to the article, “Also, women who reported memory problems 10 years before the end of the study were 90% more likely to be diagnosed with a cognitive impairment, compared with those who reported no memory problems.”

An October 29, 2015 NBCSanDiego.com article reported that Mayor Kevin Faulconer launched a program called Collaboration4Cure to combat Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The innovative local grant program funds eight researchers to pursue global breakthroughs, treatments and cures to Alzheimer’s.”

An October 28, 2015 Buzzfeed.com article highlighted a transgender woman coming out to her mother with dementia and documents her mother’s “beautiful response.” According to the article, “I go and see Mum every few weeks and she’s forgotten each time, and every time I tell her again, she gives me just the same beautiful reaction that she did exactly the same, almost word for word every time. I’m kind of the luckiest one of all because I get to come out to Mum 100 times a year, and every time, she’s beautiful.”

An October 28, 2015 USA Today editorial underscored the need to “preserve fetal tissue research” to tackle diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to the editorial, “What began as an uproar over undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials callously discussing how to collect fetal tissue is now threatening research vital to finding treatments for devastating conditions from Alzheimer's to blindness…Biologist Larry Goldstein, of the University of California-San Diego, is using fetal cells in research for treating  Alzheimer's disease and to determine whether fetal cells can be implanted in spinal cords to enable paralyzed people to walk again. Goldstein and other researchers also use reprogrammed adult cells, which opponents argue could easily replace fetal cells. But science has not reached that point. To determine whether the reprogrammed cells act like fetal cells, scientists need to compare them. Until they're certain both types act identically, researchers need both.”

An October 28, 2015 Forbes.com article highlighted the most influential people in aging, including Alzheimer’s advocates Glen Campbell and Maria Shriver. Read the full list here. 

POLITICS

An October 29, 2015 The Hill article opinion piece by Jim Patterson highlighted the GOP’s focus on improving the lives of Americans, including Mike Huckabee’s plan to cure chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to Patterson, “Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wants to improve American lives by tackling the health crisis in our country. He is absolutely right that if our nation could wage a successful war on chronic health problems including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, the economic impact would be phenomenal. Healthcare costs could be vastly reduced, economic growth could rise and Americans could work longer and enjoy better standards of living.” Patterson is a longtime Washington diplomat and a Bay Area contributor.

An October 28, 2015 Vox.com recap of the third Republican presidential debate highlighted former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s focus on cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, in a rather different direction, repeatedly argued that it was pointless to talk about federal retirement spending outside of the context of curing all disease. His plan to fix Medicare is to ‘focus on the diseases that are costing us the trillions of dollars — diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.’”

GLOBAL PERSPERCTIVE 

An October 29, 2015 Financial Times opinion piece by Professor Graham Stokes called on Latin America to take the lead on creating a dementia inclusive world. According to Stokes, “Within a decade, countries in Latin America could be the dementia leaders of the future, but only if they do the opposite of what we’ve been doing for years, and really think smart and differently, helping to create a world where millions more people can live well with dementia.” Professor Graham Stokes is global director of dementia care at Bupa. [Behind paywall]