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USA2 SPOTLIGHT
The February 2016 edition of Neurology Now profiled the role of advocacy in advancing neurological research. The article profiled UsA2 Chairman George Vradenburg. According to the article, “As Ellenbogen says, anyone can be an advocate. ‘If you write a letter to Congress once in a while or reach out to people in some small way to change attitudes, you're still being an advocate,’ he says. Vradenburg agrees. Just the act of acknowledging the disease, which isn't always easy given the stigma associated with some neurologic conditions, is a big and brave first step, he says. ‘Telling your story has an effect on the person hearing that story.’”
MUST READS
A February 4, 2016 The New York Times article highlighted the story of former professional football player Willie Wood and his battle with dementia. According to the article, “He does not even recollect playing in the first Super Bowl, on Jan. 15, 1967, or ever being on an N.F.L. roster. Wood, who spends most of his time in a wheelchair, has been at an assisted living center in his hometown, Washington, for the last nine years, first for physical woes — debilitating neck, hip and knee operations — and later because dementia robbed him of many cognitive functions. Nonetheless, Wood, 79, likes to wear a green Packers cap most days now as he sits in his sunny room listening to jazz and 1950s doo-wop. Wordlessly and impassively, he will point to the logo on the cap as if he knows it has some shadowy meaning in his life. But specifics elude him.”
A February 4, 2016 Medical News Today article reported that “A new study, published in Neurology, finds plaques in the brains of middle-aged people who have experienced head injuries. These amyloid plaques match those found in Alzheimer's, but their spatial distribution differs.”
A February 3, 2016 Harvard Gazette article reported that “Building on research reported last year, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have succeeded in identifying the neurons that secrete the substance responsible for the plaques that build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.”
INTERESTING READS FROM THE WEB
Forbes: Aging in Place
The Straits Times: Efforts towards building a dementia-friendly society
The Washington Post: At Super Bowl, ghost of Ken Stabler lingers with Peyton Manning, Cam Newton