Those with Alzheimer's in the early to mid stages have long term memory recall.
Old favorite programs like Lawrence Welk and Mitch Miller san bring many happy moments to these Alzheimer's persons.
Also magazines and books that remind Alzheimer's individuals of past experiences are a great tool for caregivers and others to use to brighten an Alzheimer's persons day
Here is an excerpt for an article from HealthCentral.com - Arlington,VA,USA
by Carol Bradley Bursack
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
The point of this? My sister was told that her colleague's mother, who was viewing the program, had said to the adult child, "Lawrence Welk looks wonderful. He just doesn't age!" To her, Lawrence Welk is alive and well and not aging, since she's seeing him on television.
click here to read the whole story
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Biological Marker For Alzheimer's Holds Promise For Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment
ScienceDaily (July 12, 2008) — Researchers at Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario have found clear evidence that increases in the size of the brain ventricles are directly associated with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Ventricles are fluid-filled cavities in the brain. The research, led by Robarts scientist Robert Bartha, shows the volume of the brain ventricles expands as surrounding tissue dies.
Currently, diagnosis for Alzheimer’s relies on neuro-cognitive assessments, such as testing of memory, ability to problem solve, count, etc. Definitive diagnosis is not possible until after death when an autopsy can reveal the presence of amyloid plaques and ‘tangles’ in brain tissue.
Previous research has shown the link between ventricle size and Alzheimer’s over longer time intervals.
click here to read the entire article
Links to related stories
Scientists unlock Alzheimer's riddle
Potential shortcut to diagnosing Alzheimer's developed in London
MRI scan may offer faster way to detect Alzheimer's
This information shows we are getting closer to an earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and a potential cure.
What do you think?
Ventricles are fluid-filled cavities in the brain. The research, led by Robarts scientist Robert Bartha, shows the volume of the brain ventricles expands as surrounding tissue dies.
Currently, diagnosis for Alzheimer’s relies on neuro-cognitive assessments, such as testing of memory, ability to problem solve, count, etc. Definitive diagnosis is not possible until after death when an autopsy can reveal the presence of amyloid plaques and ‘tangles’ in brain tissue.
Previous research has shown the link between ventricle size and Alzheimer’s over longer time intervals.
click here to read the entire article
Links to related stories
Scientists unlock Alzheimer's riddle
Potential shortcut to diagnosing Alzheimer's developed in London
MRI scan may offer faster way to detect Alzheimer's
This information shows we are getting closer to an earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and a potential cure.
What do you think?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Can tomatoes carry the cure for Alzheimer’s?
Study shows how transgenic plants are used to produce a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease
8 July 2008
The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, according to HyunSoon Kim from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) in Korea and colleagues from Digital Biotech Inc. and the Department of Biological Science at Wonkwang University. Although their research1, just published online in Springer’s journal Biotechnology Letters, is still in the early stages, it is a promising first step towards finding an edible vaccine against the neurodegenerative disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and it progresses over a long period of time. It is thought to be caused by the accumulation of human beta-amyloid, a toxic insoluble fibrous protein in the brain, which leads to the death of neurons. Reducing the accumulation of beta-amyloid may inhibit the degeneration of the nervous system and therefore prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One approach is to stimulate the immune system to reduce beta-amyloid in the brain.
Kim and colleagues’ aim was to develop a plant-derived vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, since beta-amyloid is toxic to animal cells. Tomatoes are an attractive candidate as a vaccine carrier because they can be eaten without heat treatment, which reduces the risk of destroying the immune stimulation potential of the foreign protein. The researchers inserted the beta-amyloid gene into the tomato genome and measured the immune responses to the tomato-derived toxic protein in a group of 15-month-old mice.
They immunized the mice orally with the transgenic tomato plants once a week for three weeks, and also gave the mice a booster seven weeks after the first tomato feed. Blood analyses showed a strong immune response after the booster, with the production of antibodies to the human foreign protein.
The authors conclude: “Although we did not reveal a reduction of existing plaques in the brain of mice challenged with tomato-derived beta-amyloid…this study represents a unique approach in which transgenic plants expressing beta-amyloid protein are used to produce a vaccine.” The team is currently looking at strategies to increase the potency of the tomato-based vaccine, because fresh tomatoes contain only 0.7% protein and levels of foreign protein are even lower.
Reference
Youm JW, Jeon JH, Kim H, Kim YH, Ko K, Joung H, Kim HS (2008). Transgenic tomatoes expressing human beta-amyloid for use as a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease. Biotechnology Letters (DOI 10.1007/s10529-008-9759-5). This research was supported by the Plant Diversity Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier R&D Program, Korea.
For more info click here
dlick here
fot another press release click here
for more info
8 July 2008
The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, according to HyunSoon Kim from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) in Korea and colleagues from Digital Biotech Inc. and the Department of Biological Science at Wonkwang University. Although their research1, just published online in Springer’s journal Biotechnology Letters, is still in the early stages, it is a promising first step towards finding an edible vaccine against the neurodegenerative disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and it progresses over a long period of time. It is thought to be caused by the accumulation of human beta-amyloid, a toxic insoluble fibrous protein in the brain, which leads to the death of neurons. Reducing the accumulation of beta-amyloid may inhibit the degeneration of the nervous system and therefore prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One approach is to stimulate the immune system to reduce beta-amyloid in the brain.
Kim and colleagues’ aim was to develop a plant-derived vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease, since beta-amyloid is toxic to animal cells. Tomatoes are an attractive candidate as a vaccine carrier because they can be eaten without heat treatment, which reduces the risk of destroying the immune stimulation potential of the foreign protein. The researchers inserted the beta-amyloid gene into the tomato genome and measured the immune responses to the tomato-derived toxic protein in a group of 15-month-old mice.
They immunized the mice orally with the transgenic tomato plants once a week for three weeks, and also gave the mice a booster seven weeks after the first tomato feed. Blood analyses showed a strong immune response after the booster, with the production of antibodies to the human foreign protein.
The authors conclude: “Although we did not reveal a reduction of existing plaques in the brain of mice challenged with tomato-derived beta-amyloid…this study represents a unique approach in which transgenic plants expressing beta-amyloid protein are used to produce a vaccine.” The team is currently looking at strategies to increase the potency of the tomato-based vaccine, because fresh tomatoes contain only 0.7% protein and levels of foreign protein are even lower.
Reference
Youm JW, Jeon JH, Kim H, Kim YH, Ko K, Joung H, Kim HS (2008). Transgenic tomatoes expressing human beta-amyloid for use as a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease. Biotechnology Letters (DOI 10.1007/s10529-008-9759-5). This research was supported by the Plant Diversity Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier R&D Program, Korea.
For more info click here
dlick here
fot another press release click here
for more info
Monday, July 7, 2008
Study links low IQ to vascular dementia risk
(Reuters Health)
By Michael Kahn
LONDON (Reuters) - A lower IQ increases a person's risk of developing a common form of dementia, a British study found on Wednesday.
The study published in the journal Neurology examined Scottish children who took a test of their mental ability in 1932 and found that those with lower IQs were more likely to develop vascular dementia decades later.
"In this case these people had the same backgrounds and exposure to environmental factors compared to their counterparts with higher IQs who did not get vascular dementia later in life," said John Starr, a geriatrician at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study.
"There is something about your mental ability that adds further to your risk of vascular dementia."
Vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, is often associated with stroke. High blood pressure and smoking are risk factors.
The team also looked at Alzheimer's but found no link between mental ability and that disease, suggesting there is no evidence for the idea that people with higher IQs have a "cognitive reserve" to draw on to delay onset of the condition.
click here to read the whole article
By Michael Kahn
LONDON (Reuters) - A lower IQ increases a person's risk of developing a common form of dementia, a British study found on Wednesday.
The study published in the journal Neurology examined Scottish children who took a test of their mental ability in 1932 and found that those with lower IQs were more likely to develop vascular dementia decades later.
"In this case these people had the same backgrounds and exposure to environmental factors compared to their counterparts with higher IQs who did not get vascular dementia later in life," said John Starr, a geriatrician at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study.
"There is something about your mental ability that adds further to your risk of vascular dementia."
Vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, is often associated with stroke. High blood pressure and smoking are risk factors.
The team also looked at Alzheimer's but found no link between mental ability and that disease, suggesting there is no evidence for the idea that people with higher IQs have a "cognitive reserve" to draw on to delay onset of the condition.
click here to read the whole article
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Alzheimer's and alcoholism,are they related?
Many of the now elderly drank during Prohibition. They used to carry around a hip flask. Now you do not see hip flasks. However, you do see a growing number of the elderly with Alzheimers and alcoholism.
There are many reasons why elders consume alcohol to excess. Boredum and an old habit are just a couple. Perhaps they are lonely, have mental illness or are in mental or physical pain.
These senior citizens are extremely good at covering up their addiction and it is only when they are in a crisis situation that their alcoholic ways are discovered.
click here to read this story about Joe.
What do you think?
There are many reasons why elders consume alcohol to excess. Boredum and an old habit are just a couple. Perhaps they are lonely, have mental illness or are in mental or physical pain.
These senior citizens are extremely good at covering up their addiction and it is only when they are in a crisis situation that their alcoholic ways are discovered.
click here to read this story about Joe.
What do you think?
Saturday, July 5, 2008
People With Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Should Avoid Certain Drugs
By Jeanine Kendle
The elderly with Alzheimers or another dementia generally tolerate drugs more poorly than healthy older individuals. Increased sensitivity to certain side effects, difficulty following drug regimens and decreased ability to recognize and report adverse events are common reasons.
The elderly with Alzheimers and related dementias also are susceptible to develop drug- induced cognitive impairment (loss of the ability to reason) than other healthy adults.
Medications with strong anticholinergic side effects, such as antihistamines that cause drowsiness, are well known for causing acute cognitive impairment in individuals with dementia. Anticholinergic-like effects, such as urinary retention and dry mouth, also have been identified in drugs not typically associated with major AC side effects such as narcotics (powerful pain relievers) and benzodiazepines (generally used as tranquilizers or for sleep).
click here to read the whole story
The elderly with Alzheimers or another dementia generally tolerate drugs more poorly than healthy older individuals. Increased sensitivity to certain side effects, difficulty following drug regimens and decreased ability to recognize and report adverse events are common reasons.
The elderly with Alzheimers and related dementias also are susceptible to develop drug- induced cognitive impairment (loss of the ability to reason) than other healthy adults.
Medications with strong anticholinergic side effects, such as antihistamines that cause drowsiness, are well known for causing acute cognitive impairment in individuals with dementia. Anticholinergic-like effects, such as urinary retention and dry mouth, also have been identified in drugs not typically associated with major AC side effects such as narcotics (powerful pain relievers) and benzodiazepines (generally used as tranquilizers or for sleep).
click here to read the whole story
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Top ten, 4th of July, activities for those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Author and dementia healthcare professional,Susan Berg, suggests ways to enjoy the holiday with dementia folks that are stress and falure free.
Here are some easy, yet fun things to do on or near the 4th of July together
10. Arrange flowers real of fake. You can use red, white and blue flowers to make the bouquet or centerpiece look patriotic.
9. Plan a picnic or a party from beginning to end
8. Have a picnic perhaps using the ideas from your plans. If the person with dementia does not want to go outside, no problem, have the picnic inside.
7. Go to the beach or the park. Go at off times to avoid the crowd. You can always go on different day. Again if you fear a negative reaction to going to the beach, bring the beach to your home. Get some sand, sea shells and other beach paraphernalia.
6 Have a small get together at home. Hire or have someone to assist the Alzheimers or dementia person.
5. Draw some patriotic pictures. You can use paints, magic markers or crayons. Fireworks are easy to draw.
click here for all the activities
Here are some easy, yet fun things to do on or near the 4th of July together
10. Arrange flowers real of fake. You can use red, white and blue flowers to make the bouquet or centerpiece look patriotic.
9. Plan a picnic or a party from beginning to end
8. Have a picnic perhaps using the ideas from your plans. If the person with dementia does not want to go outside, no problem, have the picnic inside.
7. Go to the beach or the park. Go at off times to avoid the crowd. You can always go on different day. Again if you fear a negative reaction to going to the beach, bring the beach to your home. Get some sand, sea shells and other beach paraphernalia.
6 Have a small get together at home. Hire or have someone to assist the Alzheimers or dementia person.
5. Draw some patriotic pictures. You can use paints, magic markers or crayons. Fireworks are easy to draw.
click here for all the activities
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