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 June 2, 2023

ACA presents an Alzheimer’s Disease Update with Marissa Natelson Love, MD, June 5, 6:30 pm, Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest.  Dr. Natelson is an Associate Professor of Neurology, Co-Director Research Education Core of the UAB Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Director for the UCNS-accredited Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship, Associate Clerkship Director, and Lead Mentor in the SOM Learning Communities Program.  She has 10 years of experience in clinical care and research programs for people with dementia and related disorders. Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease including asymptomatic Alzheimer’s and atypical presentations, and about the new anti-amyloid therapy medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease.  Free to the public, reservations preferred.  https://alzca.org/june52023/

Physician and author, Renee Harmon, will present Dementia 103: Enter Their World, June 6, at 10:00 am, at Canterbury United Methodist Church.   The program will help you reframe difficult situations from your loved one’s point of view.  The program is free.  To register, contact Valerie Boyd:  Valerie.boyd@canterburyumc.org

Join ACA for our 11th annual Glow for a Cure night golf tournament. This fun event supports our Junior Board’s Lindy Harrell Pre-doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s research at UAB, July 28, Highland Park Golf Course, Birmingham.  Glow for a Cure – Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama (alzca.org)

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

Alzheimer’s News:

Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former President Jimmy Carter and a longtime advocate for greater access to mental health care, has dementia, the Carter Center said this week. The announcement came just over three months after the center said that Mr. Carter, who at 98 is the longest living president in American history, had decided to forgo further medical treatment and would enter hospice care at the couple’s home in Plains, Ga.  Mrs. Carter, 95, “continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones.  We recognize, as she did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that keeps individuals and their families from seeking and getting much-needed support,” the center said. “We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country.”  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/us/rosalynn-carter-dementia.html

Taking a daily flavanol supplement improves hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults who have a relatively poor diet, results of a study suggest.  Previous research has linked flavanols, which are found in foods like apples, pears, berries, and cocoa beans, to improved cognitive aging.  It appears that there is a sort of ceiling effect to the flavanol benefits. It seems what you need to do is normalize your flavanol levels; if you go above normal, there was no evidence that your memory keeps on getting better.  Although science suggests a balanced diet is good for overall brain health, no single food, beverage, ingredient, vitamin, or supplement has yet been proven to prevent dementia, treat or cure Alzheimer’s, or benefit cognitive function or brain health.  Experts agree the best source of vitamins and other nutrients is from whole foods as part of a balanced diet. Flavanol Supplement Restores Memory in Adults With Poor Diets (medscape.com)

What we put on our plates can have a powerful effect on our physical and mental health, especially as we age. A nutritional psychiatrist shares how optimizing one’s diet can support a healthier mood, healthier brain and reduce the inflammation that is associated with the neurodegeneration that underlies Alzheimer’s disease.  Six foods to consider: berries, olive oil, avocados, spices, leafy greens and coffee.  A Nutritional Psychiatrist’s 6 Foods To Help Your Brain Age Well | mindbodygreen

The Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) has released their 2022 Impact Report.  It contains links to great resources for people learning to live with Alzheimer’s, including their manual: Pathways to Well-Being with Dementia: A Manual of Help, Hope and Inspiration.  2022-Impact-Report_5.25.2023.pdf (daanow.org)

Think of deep sleep almost like a life raft that keeps memory afloat, rather than memory getting dragged down by the weight of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.  Two new studies add to growing evidence that sound, restorative sleep is critical for brain health and may help gird the brain against the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier studies have shown that the more soundly we sleep, the less buildup in the brain of beta-amyloid. Deep sleep, the kind we experience when we aren’t dreaming, appears to act as a kind of cleaning system, ridding the brain of toxic debris. Up to a third of the U.S.  population suffers from insomnia and other sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, and sleep problems generally increase as we age. Why Deep Sleep Is Critical for Brain Health | Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (alzinfo.org)

Self-care means taking care of yourself, which includes making time for ongoing habits like keeping up with your doctor’s appointments, moving your body and eating foods that will keep you nourished and thriving.  It’s also important to engage in practices and activities that help you center yourself. Here are a few simple self-care ideas:  17 Self-Care Tips for Women – Cleveland Clinic  

The NIA offers: 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Doctor Visit | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)

Accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain is believed to trigger the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Higher levels of amyloid beta 40 and 42 in circulating blood in healthy adults without signs of brain amyloid accumulation have been associated with a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  Researchers found that performing paced breathing exercises aimed at increasing heart rate oscillations showed a decrease in the levels of both amyloid beta 40 and 42, while the group that focused on calm thoughts aimed at reducing heart rate oscillations showed an increase in the levels of both peptides. The findings suggest that regularly practicing breathing techniques to increase the breathing-induced oscillations in their heart rate could help keep the levels of these substances low and potentially reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  Breathing exercises show potential in modulating Alzheimer’s biomarkers, study finds (psypost.org) 

Women are about twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Some of that is age; in the U.S., women outlive men by five to six years, and advanced age is the strongest risk factor for Alzheimer’s.  Stress may be another factor. Researchers found amyloid beta rose sharply in the brains of female mice but not males during stressful situations.  Stress releases a hormone called corticotropin releasing factor, which causes the rise of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta in the brain of female mice.  Reducing stress may be more beneficial for women than men, in terms of lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  Women are More Prone to Alzheimer’s Disease and Stress May Be the Culprit – Neuroscience News

Watch this video to learn about frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a form of dementia, and how it differs from Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Malú Gámez Tansey, professor of neuroscience and neurology at the University of Florida, and host Nancy Lynn discuss the signs, symptoms, and stages of FTD. Bruce Willis Has Frontotemporal Dementia: What Are the Symptoms of FTD? | BrightFocus Foundation

Father’s Day is June 18! 

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