Contributed by David Sultzer, MD, Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior Last week, Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced findings from its trial of pimavanserin for treatment of delusions and hallucinations related to dementia: Participants treated with pimavanserin had better outcomes than those treated with placebo. The study design was different from usual treatment comparisons of drug and placebo. In this trial, all participants with psychosis symptoms along with Alzheimer’s disease or another cognitive disorder were treated with pimavanserin for 12 weeks. Those who showed improvement were then assigned to either continue taking the drug or cross over to placebo treatment. The study…
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ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & DEMENTIA Wednesday, September 25th at 6:00PM Villagio at Capriana (454 S La Floresta Drive, Brea, CA 92823) Join us for a complimentary dinner and educational speaker at Villagio! William Edwards from UCI MIND will provide education on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, risk and protective factors, and advances in research. Kindly RSVP to 714.985.5500 by September 23rd, as space is limited. About the Speaker: William Edwards was an Alzheimer's caregiver for his wife, Nancy, for 12 years and now serves on the Leadership Council and Speakers Bureau for UCI MIND to help raise awareness and support for critical…
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What lifestyle factors increase and decrease risk for Alzheimer’s disease? October 25th Research Conference #SpeakerSpotlight: Dr. Rebecca Gottesman is a board-certified Neurologist and Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on the short-term and long-term cognitive effects of heart disease and stroke. She uses a combination of clinical studies in patients and epidemiological studies to evaluate the impact of heart disease on the brain. In the session, “Risk and Prevention Across the Lifespan,” Dr. Gottesman will discuss the link between heart health and brain health and identify lifestyle factors that increase and decrease risk for…
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Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD, Director of UCI MIND Late Thursday evening, Esai publicly announced a decision to halt a Phase 3 clinical trial of a candidate treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, elenebecestat. The decision was made based on a recommendation by the study's Data Safety Monitoring Board, which determined that the safety risks of the drug no longer justified continuing the study. Elenebecestat is a BACE (beta-site of the amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme) inhibitor that joins several other BACE inhibitors previously determined to lack adequate safety for patient use. The field will grapple with this news and learn how…
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How can “smart” technology be used to detect cognitive problems? October 25th Research Conference #SpeakerSpotlight: Dr. Rhoda Au is a Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Neurology and Epidemiology at Boston University and has served as an investigator on the Framingham Heart Study since 1990, conducting research related to cognitive aging and dementia. Dr. Au’s research focuses on a how “bigdata” analytics can better inform our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. In the session, “Detection in the Digital Era,” Dr. Au will discuss how innovative technology can be used to track cognitive performance in older adults. Attendees will learn how digital technologies…
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Join us October 7th for ASK THE DOC! Time: Monday, October 7 @ 6:00-8:00 PM Location: Fullerton Public Library (353 W Commonwealth Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832) RSVP: bit.ly/UCIaskthedoc (link is case-sensitive) or 800.272.3900 UCI MIND's quarterly ASK THE DOC Q&A panel provides a unique opportunity for the community to have their most pressing questions answered by Orange County's experts in brain health, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia.
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Facebook Live Series - ASK THE DOC: Alzheimer's Research Today! 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) the first Friday of every month from 9:00-9:30 AM PST to learn about advances in research to improve Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Episode 8: "What have researchers learned from brain donations?" This month, we're joined by Edwin Monuki, MD, PhD. Dr. Monuki is a neuropathologist,…
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How are brain scans improving our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease? October 25th Research Conference #SpeakerSpotlight: Dr. William Jagust is a Professor of Public Health and Neuroscience at UC Berkeley and heads the national Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative’s (ADNI) Core Laboratory for PET imaging. His laboratory was the first to describe Alzheimer’s-related hippocampal atrophy quantified with MRI and has continued to pioneer approaches using brain imaging to improve understanding of aging and dementia. In the session “Brain Scans and Biomarkers,” Dr. Jagust will describe how brain imaging has helped advance the field and discuss the strengths and challenges of brain scan…
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