F.D.A. Sees Promise in Alzheimer’s Imaging Drug

By GINA KOLATA, Published: January 20, 2011
An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration recommended unanimously Thursday that the agency approve the first test — a brain scan — that can show the characteristic plaques of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of a living person. The approval was contingent on radiologists agreeing on what the scans say and doctors being trained in how to read the scans.

The F.D.A. usually follows advice from its advisory committees, and Alzheimer’s experts anticipated that the scans would be approved. The additional requirement would not be a big hurdle, said Dr. Daniel M. Skovronsky, chief executive of the company, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, that applied to market the scans.

“We don’t know exactly what F.D.A. will want,” Dr. Skovronsky said. “But it should take months to generate this type of data, not years.”

The committee vote is “a very positive thing,” said Maria Carrillo, senior director of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. “This is nothing but a positive for our families.”

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.

Plaques are part of the criteria for having Alzheimer’s — if a person with memory problems does not have plaques, that person does not have Alzheimer’s. But without the scan, the only way to know if plaques were present is to do an autopsy.

Alzheimer’s specialists said they expected that if the scan were approved it would come into widespread use.

“This is a big deal,” said Dr. Pierre N. Tariot, director of the memory disorders center at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix. Asked if he would be using the scans, Dr. Tariot replied, “Absolutely.” Read more at the NY Times Read More...

Tags: Food and Drug Administration, Gina Kolata, Daniel M. Skovronsky, Maria Corrillo, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Dr. Pierre N. Tariot, Alzheimer's Associaton

Under the Affordable Care Act (the health care reform law), Medicare will now pay for an annual wellness visit, which will include the creation of a personalized prevention plan and detection of possible
cognitive impairment. This new benefit began on January 1, 2011. Detection of cognitive impairment is included in the annual wellness visit. What does that mean? During the exam, the doctor will assess an individual’s cognitive function by direct observation, with due consideration of information obtained by way of patient report, concerns raised by family members, friends, caretakers or others.

SEE the Alzheimer’s Association Fact Sheet for more information on this important enhancement to preventative healthcare. Call the USF-Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute for more information on scheduling a wellness visit and assessment of cognitive function.
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Tags: Medicare, Annual Wellness Visit

5 Daily Brain Exercises

By Dr. Bernard Croisile - Published January 19, 2011- Askmen.com
(Fox - January 19, 2011) “Our minds consist of five main cognitive functions: * memory * attention * language * visual-spatial skills * and executive function.
It’s important to challenge, stimulate and effectively exercise all five areas to stay mentally sharp as our brains age. Here are 5 daily brain exercises that can help you do this.
1. Memory
Memory plays a crucial role in all cognitive activities, including reading, reasoning and mental calculation. There are several types of memory at work in the brain. Taken together, these are the cognitive skills we may notice most when they begin to fail. To maintain a good memory, you need to train for it, which can be easier than you think. Listening to music is not only enjoyable, but by choosing a song you don’t know and memorizing the lyrics, you boost the level of acetylcholine, the chemical that helps build your brain, and improve your memory skills. Challenge yourself even more by showering or getting dressed in the dark or using your opposite hand to brush your teeth. These challenges help build new associations between different neural connections of the brain. ...” Read more at Fox Read More...

Tags: Memory Activities, Memory

Top Ten Myths about Alzheimer’s disease

Healthzone.ca January 7, 2011
“Over the years, many myths have evolved about what Alzheimer’s disease is, who gets it and how it affects people who have it. These myths can add to the stigma attached to the disease and stand in the way of our ability to understand and help people with it.

Myth 1: Because someone in my family has Alzheimer’s disease, I’m going to get it. Reality: Although genetics play a role in the disease, only about 7 per cent of cases are associated with genes that cause the early-onset, inherited familial form of the disease. The majority of cases are of the late onset “sporadic Alzheimer’s disease” form, in which genes may also play a role. A person who has a parent or a sibling who has or had sporadic Alzheimer’s disease has a very slightly increased risk of getting it.

Myth 2: Alzheimer’s disease is only an old person’s disease. Reality: Although age is the most significant known risk factor for Alzheimer’s, most people do not develop the disease as they age. Moreover, even with the late-onset form of the disease, people have been diagnosed with it in their 40s and 50s.What’s most important to understand is that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.

Myth 3: There is a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Reality: At present there is ...” READ MORE at Healthzone.ca Read More...

Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Screening

By PAM BELLUCK NYTimes Published: December 31, 2010
“PHOENIX — Margaret Nance was, to put it mildly, a difficult case. Agitated, combative, often reluctant to eat, she would hit staff members and fellow residents at nursing homes, several of which kicked her out. But when Beatitudes nursing home agreed to an urgent plea to accept her, all that changed.

Disregarding typical nursing-home rules, Beatitudes allowed Ms. Nance, 96 and afflicted with Alzheimer’s, to sleep, be bathed and dine whenever she wanted, even at 2 a.m. She could eat anything, too, no matter how unhealthy, including unlimited chocolate.

And she was given a baby doll, a move that seemed so jarring that a supervisor initially objected until she saw how calm Ms. Nance became when she rocked, caressed and fed her “baby,” often agreeing to eat herself after the doll “ate” several spoonfuls.

Dementia patients at Beatitudes are allowed practically anything that brings comfort, even an alcoholic “nip at night,” said Tena Alonzo, director of research. “Whatever your vice is, we’re your folks,” she said.

Once, Ms. Alonzo said: “The state tried to cite us for having chocolate on the nursing chart. They were like, ‘It’s not a medication.’ Yes, it is. It’s better than Xanax.”

It is an unusual posture for a nursing home, but Beatitudes is actually following some of the latest science. Research suggests that creating positive emotional experiences for Alzheimer’s patients diminishes distress and behavior problems.

In fact, science is weighing in on many aspects of taking care of dementia patients, applying evidence-based research to what used to be considered subjective and ad hoc....” READ MORE AT THE NY TIMES Read More...

Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Therapies

Bills in Congress to Address Alzheimer’s Disease By John Richardson jrichardson@mainetoday.com
This is where Florida was ten years ago, but our Legislators have not seen the need for even the slightest amount of funding for this public health crisis.

“Faced with a rising toll on families and on taxpayers, Congress is calling for a national effort to confront Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.

Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases. It eventually leads to physical decline and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. However, as much as 5 percent of people with the disease have early-onset Alzheimer's, which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.

Family history also increases risk, which could be a function of genetics or environment, or both.

Alzheimer's has no cure, but treatments can temporarily slow the worsening of symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.
5.3 million people have Alzheimer's in the United States.

About 30,000 Mainers have the disease. One in eight people over age 65 has Alzheimer's. Half of everyone over 85 has the disease.

A bill co-sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, would create a national panel to coordinate Alzheimer's research, treatment and care, similar to efforts aimed at cancer and AIDS. Both the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill last month, and President Obama is expected to sign it as soon as next week.

"There was no plan, no coordination," Collins said from her home in Bangor this week. "Our research is grossly underfunded."

Collins said the government spends less than one penny on research for every dollar spent on caring for people with the disease.

"That simply makes no sense at all," Collins said. "If we can lower the incidence of Alzheimer's or delay the onset of Alzheimer's or improve the treatment of Alzheimer's, we will end up saving the Medicare and Medicaid programs billions of dollars."

The number of people who experience the dementia and physical decline caused by Alzheimer's is expected to grow exponentially now that the first of the baby boom generation is about to turn 65 years old. Risk of getting the disease rises with age, although some people are now diagnosed in their 40s or 50s.

Alzheimer's is already taking a toll on 5 million Americans and their families, including more than 30,000 people in Maine.” READ MORE Read More...

Tags: Senator Susan Collins

Alzheimer’s and the Silver Tsunami: Is America Ready?

Amy Burkholder CBS.com December 14. 2010

(CBS) Pamela Brown walks into the room and you get the vague sense you've seen that face, with its chiseled cheekbones, before. It's unexpected as she confesses to a pain millions of families across the country are similarly forced to endure: Alzheimer's.

Brown's grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when she was 75. In the two years before she died, "Grammy" went from a smart, sassy Texan to an angry woman who kicked her children and perceived them as enemies. Once beautiful and well-groomed, Grammy now wore stained shirts and didn't brush her teeth. Most confusing for Brown, Grammy still had moments of lucidity. But ultimately, "she didn't even know me," says Brown, her shoulders slumped. By then it was too late to say, "I love you."

Brown is a newscaster in Washington, DC. Her mother is Phyllis George, a former Miss America and sportscaster. Her father is former Kentucky governor John Brown. Yet even with their means - and their connections - Alzheimer's proved to be the ultimate humiliation and heartbreak.

The rest of us may be equally unprepared to cope with a disease that has no clear cause, no cure, no treatments capable of restoring memory loss, and a care-giving burden the nation is ill-equipped to meet.

Mother and daughter have both become Alzheimer's activists. Brown spoke on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association at a recent program sponsored by the National Press Foundation for journalists trying to stay ahead of this story.

The numbers are terrifying: 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's now, a number that is expected to balloon to 16 million by 2050. ...” READ MORE AT CBS.com

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Tags: Pamela Brown, Amy Burkholder, Phyllis George, Governor John Brown

Curing our Alzheimer’s Epidemic

Sandra Day O'Connor and Maria Shriver Washington Post Friday, December 17, 2010

“Every American president must take on a defining challenge to mobilize the American spirit and advance the American story. The too-brief presidency of John F. Kennedy is remembered for a commitment to land a man on the moon within a decade. And this we did. Ronald Reagan declared that a resolute America would "transcend" communism. Less than a year after he left office, the Berlin Wall fell without a shot being fired.

Alzheimer's disease is our generation's defining challenge. It is quickly becoming one of the greatest public and financial health issues of our time. The House's passage Wednesday of the National Alzheimer's Project Act sends this critical legislation to the White House for President Obama's signature. Passage was a first step toward development of a strategic national plan to fight this disease.
Let us set before the nation the goal of defeating Alzheimer's within the next decade. ..” READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON POST Read More...

Tags: Maria Shriver, National Alzheimer's Project Act

Insights Give Hope for New Attack on Alzheimer’s

NY Times Gina Kolata December 13, 2010

“Alzheimer’s researchers are obsessed with a small, sticky protein fragment, beta amyloid, that clumps into barnaclelike balls in the brains of patients with this degenerative neurological disease.

In this microscopic views of brain tissue, cortical gray matter is shown in yellow, with amyloid plaques appearing dark brown. A buildup of amyloid is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
It is a normal protein. Everyone’s brain makes it. But the problem in Alzheimer’s is that it starts to accumulate into balls — plaques. The first sign the disease is developing — before there are any symptoms — is a buildup of amyloid. And for years, it seemed, the problem in Alzheimer’s was that brain cells were making too much of it.

But now, a surprising new study has found that that view appears to be wrong. It turns out that most people with Alzheimer’s seem to make perfectly normal amounts of amyloid. They just can’t get rid of it. It’s like an overflowing sink caused by a clogged drain instead of a faucet that does not turn off.

That discovery is part of a wave of unexpected findings that are enriching scientists’ views of the genesis of Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, like the story of amyloid disposal, the work points to new ways to understand and attack the disease. If researchers could find a way to speed up disposal, perhaps they could slow down or halt the disease. Researchers have also found that amyloid, in its normal small amounts, seems to have a purpose in the brain — it may be acting like a circuit breaker to prevent nerve firing from getting out of control. But too much amyloid can shut down nerves, eventually leading to cell death. That means that if amyloid levels were reduced early in the disease, when excess amyloid is stunning nerve cells but has not yet killed them, the damage might be reversed.

Yet another line of research involves the brain’s default network: a system of cells that is always turned on at some level. It includes the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, but also other areas, and is the brain’s mind-wandering mode — the part that is active when, for instance, you’re driving in your car and you start thinking about what you will make for dinner. That brain system, scientists find, is exactly the network that is attacked by Alzheimer’s, and protecting it in some way might help keep the brain healthier longer.

For example, during nondreaming sleep, ... “ Read More at the New York Times Read More...

Tags: Gina Kolata, Beta Amyloid

Alzheimer’s disease drugs available today help improve symptoms for some patients, but do not stop or delay the abnormal build-up of plaques in the brain – a hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease that destroys memory.

That may be about to change.

The 98 investigational medicines for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, either in clinical trials or awaiting FDA review, include promising prospects that target the disease’s underlying causes. Some have shown evidence of preventing new amyloid plaques from forming in the brain, while others appear to remove plaques already there.

“Right now is one of the most exciting times to be in the field Alzheimer’s disease research,” said David Morgan, PhD, CEO and director of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. “Tremendous progress has been made by academic researchers, clinicians and the biopharmaceutical industry in working to come up with solutions to this memory-robbing disease.” READ MORE at UST HEALTH Read More...

Tags: Johnnie Byrd, Dr. David Morgan, USF-Byrd Alzheimer's Institute