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VIDEO: How does heart health impact the brain? with Daniel Nation, PhD

By Commentary, Community Events
ASK THE DOC! UCI MIND Facebook LIVE Video Series This monthly series features short talks and Q&A with experts from the University of California, Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND), 1 of 32 congressionally designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the nation. Join UCI MIND on Facebook (@UCIrvineMIND) to learn about advances in research to improve Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. How does heart health impact the brain?   About the Speaker: Daniel Nation, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychological Science in the UCI School of Social Ecology. He earned his PhD in clinical…
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FDA meets today to review aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s

By Commentary, In the News
The FDA will today convene an advisory committee to review and discuss the application submitted by Biogen Inc. for aducanumab for the treatment of early Alzheimer's disease. Though mixed opinions remain about whether the FDA should approve aducanumab at this time, the submission of a new treatment entity for Alzheimer’s disease is nonetheless good news and an important milestone. It has been nearly two decades since a new drug was approved for Alzheimer’s disease and no approved drug can effectively slow or stop the debilitating progression of this fatal neurodegenerative disease. Regardless of the outcome of this specific submission, we…
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UCI MIND adapts annual fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research with virtual venue

By Carousel Slider, Community Events, In the News
Harriet Harris (second row center) and her family after receiving the UCI MIND Award at the 2019 “A December To Remember” gala event For the first time in the event’s decade-long history, the University of California, Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND)’s A December to Remember gala will raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research in a digital setting. While many sectors remain at a standstill due to the pandemic, nonprofits like UCI MIND know that their mission must march forward. The virtual gala event will take place online on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m.,…
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New findings in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease research

By Commentary
Contributed by Alessandra C. Martini, PhD, Associate Project Scientist at UCI MIND Researchers have discovered that the majority of people with Down syndrome will have the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease – amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles - in their brains by 40 years of age. In this new study, conducted with colleagues at the University of Kentucky, we used autopsy tissue donated by research participants to analyze the role of microglia (the brain’s immune cells) in the development of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome across different ages and disease stages. What we found is that people with Down…
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Cognitive decline distorts political choices, UCI-led study says

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
“Our findings suggest that older individuals experiencing cognitive decline have relatively stable ideological preferences, but these preferences lose their connection to political policy details. Future studies conducted during an election year may shed additional light on how this group of Americans is casting their ballot,” said UCI MIND faculty member Mark Fisher, MD. Study participants were 190 members of The 90+ Study (LINK), a UCI-led longitudinal investigation of the oldest-old, who are those aged 90 and older.
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FLASH radiation therapy can help treat cancer without neurocognitive side effects, study finds

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
Charles Limoli FLASH radiation therapy, also called FLASH-RT, can eliminate the debilitating side effects associated with traditional radiation therapy by delivering the same dose in tenths of seconds, and can remove tumors, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. … Charles Limoli, PhD, a researcher and professor of radiation oncology at University of California Irvine It's not unreasonable to expect that in 10 years, this may become a widespread option for radiotherapy patients worldwide."
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(VIDEO) UCI MIND researchers use human stem cell models to understand immunity in Alzheimer’s disease

By Commentary, In the News
Amanda McQuade, graduate student in Mathew Blurton-Jones’ lab at UCI MIND, discusses findings from their new study using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), donated from participants at the UCI Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and CRISPR gene editing to improve understanding of the role of immunity in Alzheimer’s disease. Click below to view the video, and access the publication at this link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19227-5     Amanda McQuade, MS Amanda McQuade is a graduate student in the department of Neurobiology and Behavior working with Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones. Her graduate work focuses on using CRISPR to study risk mutations for Alzheimer’s disease in human…
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Join us for a live Q&A on “Caring for the Caregiver”

By Commentary, Community Events
  UCI MIND & UCI School of Nursing present a live Q&A panel: Caring for the Caregiver Tuesday, November 10, 2020 4:00 - 5:30 pm PDT Live on Facebook & YouTube   Join us for a virtual discussion and Q&A with experts on the unique challenges facing dementia caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists include Dr. Joshua Grill, director of UCI MIND, Drs. Alison Holman and Jung-Ah Lee, faculty in the UCI School of Nursing, and Dr. Lisa Gibbs, medical director of UCI Senior Health Center. Register online to receive live viewing instructions.
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Death certificates may not adequately report dementia as cause of death

By Commentary, In the News
The actual number of deaths linked to dementia may be about three times greater than what is reported on U.S. death certificates, according to a recent NIA-supported study. The findings were published online August 24, 2020, in JAMA Neurology. Previous studies have established that doctors and medical examiners may be underreporting Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as an underlying cause of death on death certificates. To investigate whether the impact from the underreporting was substantial, a research team led by investigators at Boston University compared dementia-related deaths determined by a nationally representative study to what is reported on death certificates.…
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UCI MIND, UCSF, UC Davis, NAPCA, ICAN Launch Research Registry for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, Community Events, In the News
UC San Francisco, UC Davis, UC Irvine, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), International Children Assistance Network (ICAN) in partnership with over twenty community partners serving diverse Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities in California and nationwide, is pleased to announce the launch of the Collaborative Approach for AAPI Research and Education (CARE) research registry. The CARE registry team reflect multiple diverse AAPI cultures and languages. CARE is an opportunity for AAPI to participate in important research that may affect ourselves, our parents, children and grandchildren. Some of the important research may contribute to finding cures for and/or ways to…
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