Alzheimer's of Central Alabama

Serving people with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and professionals in central Alabama through education, caregiver services and research grants.

ACA’s Weekly Email February 9,2024

It is Garden Art Party time!  Since 1997, ACA has hosted an annual auction to raise money for our service programs.  In 2023, ACA provided respite, continence care, Ensure and Project Lifesaver bracelets for 438 Alabamians living with dementia. We are kicking the event off with a Volunteer Luncheon, Friday, February 16, from 11:30 – 1 pm.  The event is May 4, at the Haven.  Please contact mpiggot@alzca.org if you would like to volunteer.

Shades Mountain Baptist Church Heath Fair, February 22nd, noon – 6 , https://www.shades.org/events/adults-plus-health-fair

The Current State of FTD, Webinar, February 29, 2:00 – 3:00,  

https://events.zoom.us/ev/AqvtAWB0rRFtkKOT2YWOQTT0mF2u_sp1DPoshGIfGIFMKZWXfc4B~AtCL5c1uTMl2NJOVl8DLiz1I6GFAUDdO034PYpd-rDEIcU7u1p_59_2HtijAZXttaJiMExZeeWu1OM1LHJDKPTxSSQ

Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Conference, February 29, 9 – 3, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 3775 Crosshaven Drive Vestavia AL 35223,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdahrPhjZIZHvHepg2-v8ssTCH5W8tUzk_a9pGJNb3Fk9ps-A/viewform

Support Group Meetings:

February Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/

Alzheimer’s News:

DailyCaring rounded up plenty of fantastic Valentine’s Day ideas – 6 categories of activity suggestions and 4 thoughtful gift ideas: https://dailycaring.com/valentines-day-activities-for-seniors/

 

Leading a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, eating fruits and vegetables, and minimal alcohol consumption, is associated with better cognitive function in older adults, new research showed.  The study, which combined longitudinal and cohort data with postmortem brain pathology reports, found that the association held even in those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, suggesting that lifestyle factors may provide cognitive reserve and improve cognitive abilities in older age.  The study included 586 participants (71% female) who were followed from 1997 until 2022 as part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project longitudinal cohort study.  Participants were categorized as living a healthy lifestyle if they scored well in five categories: They exercised moderately or vigorously for 150 minutes per week, did not smoke, consumed one to two drinks per week, regularly played card games or did puzzles, and followed the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet.  More than 88% of a person’s global cognition score was a “direct association of lifestyle,” investigators noted.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/healthy-lifestyle-linked-better-cognition-later-life-2024a10002tj

 

Loneliness and social isolation are different, but related. Loneliness is the distressing feeling of being alone or separated. Social isolation is the lack of social contacts and having few people to interact with regularly. You can live alone and not feel lonely or socially isolated, and you can feel lonely while being with other people.  People who are lonely or socially isolated may get too little exercise, drink too much alcohol, smoke, and often don’t sleep well, which can further increase the risk of serious health conditions.  Losing a sense of connection and community can change the way a person sees the world. Someone experiencing chronic loneliness may feel threatened and mistrustful of others.  Emotional pain can activate the same stress responses in the body as physical pain. When this goes on for a long time, it can lead to chronic inflammation (overactive or prolonged release of factors that can damage tissues) and reduced immunity (ability to fight off disease). This raises your risk of chronic diseases and can leave a person more vulnerable to some infectious diseases.  Social isolation and loneliness may also be bad for brain health. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to poorer cognitive function and higher risk for dementia, including and especially for Alzheimer’s disease. Also, little social activity and being alone most of the time may contribute to a decline in the ability to perform everyday tasks such as driving, paying bills, taking medicine, and cooking.  The NIA offers tips on coping with loneliness and social isolation:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/loneliness-and-social-isolation/loneliness-and-social-isolation-tips-staying-connected

 

Biogen’s announcement On January 31 that it will discontinue development and commercialization of the anti-amyloid agent, aducanumab (Aduhelm), for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) came as no surprise to many experts in the field.   As reported by Medscape Medical News, aducanumab received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2021 despite a recommendation by its own advisory panel not to approve the drug.  After its approval, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services restricted coverage of aducanumab to patients enrolled in clinical trials, which experts say likely contributed to Biogen’s decision to ditch the drug.  It also limited the number of people living with AD who could get access to the treatment and created significant confusion for patients and doctors.  Biogen will also terminate the post-approval clinical trial known as ENVISION, which sought to confirm aducanumab’s benefits in patients with early AD.   Going forward, Biogen said that it will now focus on advancing lecanemab (Leqembi), the first anti-amyloid to receive traditional FDA approval.Biogen plans to accelerate the development of potential new treatment modalities. These include BIIB080, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting tau, and BIIB113, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of tau aggregation.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/biogens-abandonment-controversial-alzheimers-drug-no-2024a10002aq?ecd=wnl_dne1_240205_MSCPEDIT_etid6289900&uac=407526BK&impID=6289900

Men prescribed drugs to treat newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction (ED) are 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) during a 5-year follow-up period, new research shows.  The study is the second in recent years to suggest an association between the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) such as sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) and AD risk. The findings contradict those in a third study, reported by Medscape Medical News, that showed no link between the two.   Although the research is interesting, outside experts noted that there is no evidence that the drugs can treat AD and urge caution when interpreting the findings.  Men prescribed drugs to treat newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction (ED) are 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) during a 5-year follow-up period, new research shows.   The study is the second in recent years to suggest an association between the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) such as sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) and AD risk. The findings contradict those in a third study, reported by Medscape Medical News, that showed no link between the two.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/more-data-show-erectile-dysfunction-meds-may-affect-2024a10002q3?form=fpf

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma and can cause early on-set dementia.  Almost ten years ago, the NFL reached a $765 million settlement in a case involving more than 4,500 players who accused the league of failing to warn and protect them from the long-term risks of repetitive traumatic brain injuries, despite being aware of the evidence and associated risks.  The settlement agreement was approved by the court in 2015 and became effective in 2017.  Now more than 450 current and former rugby players have joined lawsuits to take legal action against global governing body World Rugby and other national rugby governing bodies. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be formally diagnosed after death and autopsy, is pathologically marked by an abnormal buildup of a protein called Tau, in the brain that can disable neuropathways and lead to a variety of clinical symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, anxiety, impulse control issues and sometimes suicidal behavior.  The latest study from Boston University’s CTE Center examined 152 brains from athletes who were under 30 at the time of their death, and discovered more than 60 cases of CTE.  The youngest person diagnosed with CTE in the study was only 17.  The majority of those diagnosed were amateur athletes who played sports including soccer, football, ice hockey, rugby and amateur and professional wrestling at the youth, high school and collegiate levels.  According to experts, it doesn’t matter what sport is played.  If you get a knock to the body that causes a wobble of the brain inside the cranium, that’s going to produce some damage. There’s a very straight linear correlation between head impacts and CTE. And there’s studies that suggest for every one concussion the American football player suffers, they’ll have 300 hits that are harder than that concussion.   https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/sport/cte-rugby-early-onset-dementia-intl-spt/index.html

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