The Tangled Neuron

Imaging with Pittsburgh Compound-B (PIB) – An Amyloid Surprise?

New imaging techniques have shown that many cognitively normal elders have as much amyloid protein (thought by some to cause Alzheimer’s) in their brains as do people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Does this mean that these cognitively normal elders are on the brink of developing Alzheimer’s, or does it mean that the amount of amyloid in the brain doesn’t always correlate to the amount of memory loss?

The Alzheimer Research Forum has now posted three parts of a four-part report from the Human Amyloid Imaging Conference. Their report covers the mixed results from studies using evidence Pittsburgh Compound-B (PIB) imaging of amyloid, and the potential effect on early diagnosis and clinical trials.

Does Depression Increase Your Risk of Memory Loss?

Summary: A new study provides more evidence that depression may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

People with dementia often report they suffered from depression before they developed serious problems with memory and thinking. Study after study has shown a link between depression and memory loss. Researchers continue to debate whether depression increases the risk of developing serious memory loss or is simply a sign of brain changes underlying Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Robert S. Wilson, Ph. D.

Dr. Robert Wilson, Professor of Neurological Sciences and Psychology at Rush University Medical Center, studies the neurobiology of the connection between depression and dementia. In an article in a recent issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, he and his colleagues provide more evidence that depression may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

"The Great Forgetting"

David Brooks’ April 11th New York Times opinion piece, “The Great Forgetting,” could have been a thoughtful look at the social consequences of memory loss and aging. Instead, his keen observations on "the memory haves and the memory have-nots" were followed by silly jokes.

He missed the opportunity for a more serious discussion about how our hyper-cognitive society measures a person's value by the speed and accuracy of his recall.

AAFP-ACP Guidelines for Drug Treatment of Dementia: What Do You Think Of The AAFP's Photo?

When my father was struggling with memory loss, his doctors prescribed both Aricept and Namenda. If they helped his memory and thinking, I couldn’t tell. For Dad, the side effects of these medicines didn’t seem to be worth any benefit.

Dad and my nephew Chris play the piano

But for other people with memory loss, these drugs seem to be very helpful, and the side effects are generally tolerable. This wide variety in benefits and side effects may be what the American Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) were trying to address when they published new guidelines about drug treatment of dementia last month.

CADASIL: Young Onset Dementia Caused by a Stroke Disorder

Summary: CADASIL is a type of stroke disorder that can cause young onset dementia. Two web sites have been developed by women whose families are affected by the disease.

Billie Duncan-Smith’s husband Steve’s first symptom came when he was 38. He woke up with an excruciating headache, and started vomiting because the pain was so bad. Over the next few years, he would suffer many such migraines, some lasting for several weeks. An MRI of his brain showed a high number of white matter lesions, but Steve’s doctors weren’t sure what was causing his headaches.

Billie and Steve in 2004

While Steve suffered, Billie searched the internet and contacted medical experts all over the world. She sent his records and test results to those who offered to help. Finally, someone at the U.S. National Institutes of Health called her to suggest Steve might have CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Sub-cortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy), a type of stroke disorder.

Does Loss of Memory Mean Loss of Self? A Webcast

My friend Don Moyer, who blogs about his wife Jenny's memory loss and about memory loss in general, will be one of the guests on a HealthTalk webcast Wednesday (April 9, 2008) at 4 pm Pacific time. He, Jenny and Dr. Renee Beard, a geriatric sociologist at the University of Illinois Chicago, have published a paper about the rich and meaningful lives people with memory loss lead.

You can read more about this webcast, and register to participate here.

The Alzheimer's Answer: a new book

Summary: Dr. Marwan Sabbagh’s new book The Alzheimer's Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy is a handbook for baby boomers hoping to prevent serious memory loss.

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh is a geriatric neurologist and Alzheimer’s researcher at Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona. He spends his days seeing memory loss patients and their families, and supervising Alzheimer’s clinical trials. He helped care for his mother-in-law when she suffered from dementia. Like all of us who have watched family members struggle with memory loss, he worries about how it will affect his generation and his children’s.

Marwan Sabbagh, MD

For a man who admits to a fear of aging, he has deep personal relationships with the elders in his community. He calls Alzheimer’s “the embodiment of all that is sad and destructive about growing old,” and spends a lot of time thinking about what contributes to successful aging.

Looking at both the personal and the societal costs of Alzheimer’s, Dr. Sabbagh has come to the conclusion that our approach to memory loss must emphasize prevention. This is message of his new book The Alzheimer's Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy.