A virtual cut through the tomographic data set, reconstructed from phase-contrast measurements. The technique allows one to look inside the brain and see the plaques, without actually cutting the brain up into slices. (Figure: Paul Scherrer Institut/B. Pinzer)
Swiss researchers have succeeded in generating detailed three-dimensional images of the spatial distribution of amyloid plaques in the brains of mice afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. These plaques are accumulations of small pieces of protein in the brain and are a typical characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
The new technique used in the investigations provides an extremely precise research tool for a better understanding of the disease. In the future, scientists hope that it will also provide the basis for a new and reliable diagnosis method. The results were achieved within a joint project of two teams of researchers – one from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, the other from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). They have been published in the journal Neuroimage.
Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for about 60% to 80% of all cases of dementia. This disease affects people differently, but the most common initial symptom is the difficulty in remembering new information, because the disease first affects brain regions involved in the formation of new memories. Alzheimer’s dementia is characterized by typical brain lesions that spread to other brain regions as the disease progresses. One of these lesions, the so-called amyloid plaque, is composed of the accumulation of extracellular protein aggregates. These lesions appear early in the course of the disease and there is a high interest in detecting them in patients to diagnose or evaluate the progression of the disease. Recently, medical imaging methods have been developed and validated for this purpose. These allow regional amount of amyloid deposits to be measured, but individual plaques cannot be quantified. The latest results obtained by researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), ETH Zurich and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) show that imaging single plaques is feasible under certain conditions. “This achievement could help to advance the development and evaluation of new imaging diagnostic markers for ultimately improving the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Matthias Cacquevel, one of the authors at EPFL.
The flavanoids in strawberries and blueberries could help delay dementia. EPA/Bilawal Arbab
People who eat greater amounts of blueberries and strawberries could delay their cognitive ageing by years, according to data from a large-scale study conducted over more than three decades.
In a paper published in the journal Annals of Neurology, German and US researchers report that cognitive decline could be delayed by up to 2½ years in elderly people who eat more of the flavonoid-rich berries.
Flavonoids are compounds found in fruits, nuts and vegetables that have been linked to disease prevention through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Berries are particularly high in a type of flavonoid called anthocyanidins, which can cross the blood–brain barrier to areas of learning and memory. [continue reading…]
Watch this Alzheimer patient come alive when he hears music. This is a documentary about the Music and Memory non-profit project, a film by Michael Rossato-Bennett. AliveInsideMovie.com What a great video this is.
Alzheimer’s and dementia are a reality for an increasing and often unseen population. Though well intentioned, many nursing homes are not equipped to fully meet the needs of these residents. We are left with several questions without any real or comforting answers: How do I want to age? What can we do for our loved ones? Can we do better?
Alive Inside investigates these questions and the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff’s surprise many residents suffering from memory loss seem to “awaken” when they are able to listen to music from their past. With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.
Besides telling a moving story, it is our hope that this film will encourage widespread adoption of personalized music programs in nursing homes and outpatient therapy in homes. We hope that our film will inspire and educate the millions of people burdened by diseases that affect memory, and create a grassroots demand for this kind of low cost treatment, which could help not only patients but also caregivers across the globe. Like many films that concentrate on a simple story but echo into larger stories, we feel this film raises questions about how we as a society care for the elderly and afflicted.
Alive Inside focuses on one man’s journey, but it raises many deep questions about what it means to still be Alive Inside. It questions when we stop being human, and what it takes to re-start a life that has faded away. It asks questions about how we see our elderly, and how we are going to treat an epidemic of these degenerative diseases.
In Danville, California, the Traditions Alzheimer’s Care Unit houses 20 residents, most of who are shepherded by caregivers through scheduled activities like balloon baseball and bingo. For most residents, life is routine.
But for Lee Gorewitz, life is an odyssey.
From the moment she wakes up, Lee is on a quest for something that she can neither articulate nor comprehend. Confined by the limits of her physical boundaries, she scavenges for reminders of her old identity in the outside world.
A total immersion into the fragmented day-to-day experience of Alzheimer’s disease, You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t is the first documentary filmed exclusively in an Alzheimer’s care unit, told from the perspective of someone suffering from the disease.
The film documentary airs nationally on PBS starting tonight, March 29, at 10 PM.Check your local PBS station for times in your area
The flavanoids in strawberries and blueberries could help delay dementia. EPA/Bilawal Arbab