This month Psychobabble looks at how we can stay mentally sharp as we age:
Can you teach an old dog new tricks
Link to read more Psychobabble
Alzheimers
 
A new and unique Twitter movement launched today with the goal of revolutionizing the way social causes connect with online communities. The movement, called “A Million Tweets to Remember,” (1Mtweets) seeks to digitally memorialize one million people who have lived with Alzheimer’s disease (past or present) by having their loved ones tweet about them at http://1mtweets.com/. The campaign coincides with the launch of World Alzheimer’s Day, a global initiative to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s.Â
The campaign is the brainchild of Jordan Banks, a committed philanthropist whose personal connection to the disease includes four grandparents who have all lived with Alzheimer’s. More than six million people across North America are currently affected by Alzheimer’s disease. [continue reading…]
The number of people with dementia will almost double every 20 years across the world, researchers predicted today.
More than 35 million people worldwide will have dementia in 2010, according to the 2009 World Alzheimer’s Report from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). The new report was released on September 21st, which is World Alzheimer’s Day.
“The information in the 2009 World Alzheimer’s Report makes it clear that the crisis of dementia and Alzheimer’s cannot be ignored,” said Marc Wortmann, ADI’s Executive Director. “Unchecked, Alzheimer’s will impose enormous burdens on individuals, families, health care infrastructures, and global economy.”
Source: 2009 World Alzheimers Report
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Source: Alzheimers Association
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The discovery of two new genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease could provide valuable new leads in the race to find treatments and possibly cures for the devastating condition, according to a leading University scientist.
Professor Julie Williams, School of Medicine, has completed the largest-ever joint Alzheimer’s disease genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 16,000 individuals.
The study, published in Nature Genetics, uncovered two new genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Previously only one gene, APOE4, had been shown to be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
The study reveals, for the first time, that two further genes, CLU and PICALM, are related to Alzheimer’s disease. [continue reading…]
