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 3: "Is Alzheimer's an immune disorder?" This month, we're joined by Andrea Tenner, PhD. Dr. Tenner earned her PhD from UC San…
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Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD, Director of UCI MIND The global research effort to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease has suffered another disappointing setback. Biogen announced today that the company will halt the parallel large Phase 3 trials of the monoclonal antibody against the amyloid beta protein, aducanumab. This treatment was viewed by many to hold tremendous promise. Early results were unprecedented. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease who were treated with aducanumab showed significant reduction in amyloid burden in the brain, which appeared to slow disease progression. The results were based on a small number of participants, however, and were not…
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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 2: "What causes memory problems in older adults?" Dr. Ahmad Sajjadi is Assistant Professor of Neurology in the UCI School of Medicine.…
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Chelsea holding her father's hand at a psychiatric hospital, days before he passed away with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 61 In an interview with UCI undergraduate students, Chelsea Cox, Associate Director of Eduction for UCI MIND, shares her personal journey with Alzheimer's disease, her perspective on care and research, and how people - young and old - can get involved in the cause. "...No one should have to spend their final days that way. This experience is what motivated me to get involved in Alzheimer’s research and education. So that hopefully, one day, other people don’t have to…
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Maria Shriver discusses the importance of clinical trial participation and the EXERT Study of exercise in adults (65-89) with memory concerns. To learn more about this study, led by Carl Cotman, PhD at UCI MIND, call (949) 824-0008 or email research@mind.uci.edu.JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tJTJGcGx1Z2lucyUyRnZpZGVvLnBocCUzRmhyZWYlM0RodHRwcyUyNTNBJTI1MkYlMjUyRnd3dy5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20lMjUyRk1hcmlhU2hyaXZlciUyNTJGdmlkZW9zJTI1MkY2MjU2MjEyMTQ1Njc2MDklMjUyRiUyNnNob3dfdGV4dCUzRDAlMjZ3aWR0aCUzRDU2MCUyMiUyMHdpZHRoJTNEJTIyNTYwJTIyJTIwaGVpZ2h0JTNEJTIyMzE1JTIyJTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJib3JkZXIlM0Fub25lJTNCb3ZlcmZsb3clM0FoaWRkZW4lMjIlMjBzY3JvbGxpbmclM0QlMjJubyUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93VHJhbnNwYXJlbmN5JTNEJTIydHJ1ZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93RnVsbFNjcmVlbiUzRCUyMnRydWUlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=
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Robert K. Chin/Alamy On February 11, the FDA issued a statement and 12 warning letters related to an aggressive change in the agency’s regulation of dietary supplements. The statement was outlined in the New York Times. The main objective of the new approach is enhanced protection of consumers from mislabeled and unproven claims about treatment of disease. At the core of the problem are a number of companies that specifically target people with Alzheimer’s disease and people who are concerned about developing Alzheimer’s disease. A list of the companies receiving warning letters, as well as links to the letters, can…
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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 1: "Can poor sleep cause Alzheimer's?" Bryce Mander, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at UCI. He received his…
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Leslie Thompson, PhD, Chancellor's Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Neurobiology & Behavior (Photo credit: Steve Zylius/UCI) UCI News, January 30, 2019 - "Leslie Thompson of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and UCI MIND has been awarded $6 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to continue her CIRM-supported efforts to create stem cell treatments for Huntington’s disease. The funding will allow the Thompson lab to conduct the late-stage testing needed to apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to start a clinical trial in people. The therapy involves transplanting stem cells…
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Eric Doran, Manager of UCI MIND’s Down Syndrome Program, has partnered with his longtime friend and playwright, Steven Oberman, to tell the true story of Dr. John Langdon Down, the man who first described Down syndrome. We interviewed Mr. Doran to learn more about the vision behind this new play, Blurred at the Edges, set to run in March of 2019 at the Diversionary Theatre in San Diego. Eric Doran, MS What is the vision behind Blurred at the Edges? Down syndrome is named after Dr. John Langdon Down, a British physician who first described the condition in 1866. Most…
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Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD, Director of UCI MIND Colleagues at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center published a timely critique in JAMA on a concerning and increasing practice in the United States. “Pseudomedicine” is a practice whereby qualified healthcare professionals prescribe supplements or other therapies that are not covered by insurance, and therefore require cash payments, for personal financial gain. Pseudomedicine is especially problematic among older patients and family members concerned about memory loss and desperate for effective therapies to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Other examples of pseudomedicine include recommendations for brain healthy diet plans…
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Carl Cotman, PhD A study was recently published in the journal Neurology about physical activity's relation to Alzheimer's disease and cognition in older adults. NPR asked UCI MIND founding director Dr. Carl Cotman to comment on this impressive study, noting that exercise might "'offset the ill effects of brain degeneration.' He adds that lifestyle interventions such as an increase in physical activity and movement can be powerful even in the presence of disease." Click here to read the article > Dr. Cotman is leading a national clinical trial of exercise at UCI MIND. The trial aims to evaluate whether 18 months…
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Bryce Mander, PhD Colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine published novel findings on the correlation between tau tangles, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, and sleep quality in people who were cognitively normal or who had mild cognitive impairment. On ALZFORUM, UCI MIND faculty member, Dr. Bryce Mander commented, “This is an important paper because it shows for the first time how tau is related to sleep deficits. That’s going to be important in advancing our understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease pathology affects sleep.” Dr. Mander, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at UCI, has published several important findings on…
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Dr. Ira Lott, Director of the UCI MIND Down Syndrome Program, discussed the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease with the Orange County Business Journal this week. Dr. Lott and his team conduct critical research studies with volunteer participants to improve understanding of brain aging and dementia in Down syndrome. Click here to read the article > To learn more about studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, click here >
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Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD, Director of UCI MIND In a new study, colleagues at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University have found that levels of the cerebrospinal fluid protein tau, one of the hallmark pathologies in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is lower in African Americans compared to Whites. This was true both for older participants who did and did not have memory problems. The study is not the first to find such differences between African Americans and Caucasians and it has important implications to a number of important areas of AD research. First, there is a growing movement…
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Vivek Swarup, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior UCI MIND faculty member, Dr. Vivek Swarup, and colleagues at UCLA, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in Japan, Emory University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published novel findings yesterday in Nature Medicine on two major groups of genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia and unraveled a novel microRNA, miR-203, as a master regulator of neuronal death. In human cell cultures containing AD-associated mutations, the researchers showed that certain experimental drugs altered the loss of brain cells associated with neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Swarup says, “I’m hopeful these important findings…
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Fall 2018 Newsletter - In this issue of MIND Matters: - Grand Opening of UCI Sleep Center led by Dr. Ruth Benca - Wine for the MIND hosted by Bob & Virginia Naeve - Meet the REMIND Co-Chairs - Study Partners in Alzheimer's Research: Gwen Ritchie - Philanthropist Highlight: Greg & Cindy Lai - Donations, Sept 2017-2018 ----- Click to read the Fall 2018 Newsletter - MIND Matters
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UCI MIND faculty member Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones was awarded a $500,000 grant from Orange County Community Foundation to test 1200+ FDA-approved compounds for effectiveness in Alzheimer's disease treatment. His lab seeks to find the top 20 genes and drugs that safely prevent brain damage caused by microglia, which are critical immune cells in the brain that 'prune' unnecessary neuronal connections, or synapses. In the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, damage can be caused by microglia 'overpruning' synapses, leading to loss of necessary connections. UCI News reports that Dr. Blurton-Jones and his team are "grateful to be the recipients of this…
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Dr. Ira Lott with research participant in UCI MIND Down Syndrome Program UCI MIND faculty member, Dr. Ira Lott, is one of the world's leading experts in unraveling the link between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease (Learn more in the Winter 2016 issue of MIND Matters). His team has been selected as a Center of Excellence for the new Down Syndrome Clinical Trial Network (DS-CTN) launched by LuMIND, a Down syndrome research foundation. As part of this important network, Dr. Lott and his team will receive funding to conduct clinical trials of promising therapies for participants with Down syndrome, at…
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Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images In a letter released on Tuesday, October 23, retired supreme court justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's dementia, and that she will begin stepping down from public life. O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was a devoted caregiver to her husband John after his Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2005. NPR reports the reaction of Chief Justice John Roberts: "I was saddened to learn that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, like many Americans, faces the challenge of dementia. But I was not at all surprised that she used the occasion of sharing that…
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As we gather for our annual conference, today, September 21st, is World Alzheimer's Day. Maria Shriver penned a powerful op-ed with the support of UCI MIND Director Dr. Joshua Grill to inspire us to join together to overcome Alzheimer's disease. To read Maria Shriver's challenge, click here >
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This week Alzforum posted coverage from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, including UCI MIND Director Dr. Joshua Grill's presentation of data from The A4 Study (Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease Study). In The A4 Study, a secondary prevention trial of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, people with elevated amyloid had higher levels of memory complaints than those without elevated amyloid. To read the full article, click here >
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Orange Coast Magazine just named our upcoming research conference in the "20 Can’t-Miss Health Events in O.C. To Keep You Healthy!" Don't miss your chance to attend Trials Today, Treatments Tomorrow, Sept. 21 at the Irvine Marriott. Tickets: http://bit.ly/alzconference or call 949.757.3720 x 3733. "Alzheimer’s affects more than 84,000 people in Orange County. This conference, hosted by the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) and Alzheimer’s Orange County, will bring world-renowned experts to Irvine to discuss progress in the battle against Alzheimer’s." -- Orange Coast Magazine
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UCI MIND Director Dr. Joshua Grill wrote an article for the Daily Pilot about the need for Alzheimer's clinical trial research participants in Orange County. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full article > "Here in Orange County, we are home to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). And we are making progress. There will be one essential key to needed advances, however. You. We need more people to participate in research, especially clinical trials of promising treatments. Clinical trial participants in Alzheimer’s research, much like…
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Photo credit: Zack Wittman for The New York Times The New York Times recently covered a new clinical trial effort Eli Lilly is undertaking, the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ clinical research study. The study, which UCI MIND investigators are participating in, aims to enroll 375 people with early Alzheimer's disease. To learn more about the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ study, click here, or contact us at research@mind.uci.edu or call 949.824.0008.
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UCI MIND is proud to partner with Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement in researching why women are more likely than men to develop Alzheimer's disease. The LA Times recently covered this partnership and the UCI researchers who were awarded grants to study gender differences. For more, read the article found in the Daily Pilot>
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Sunil Gandhi (left) and Mathew Blurton-Jones (right)Steve Zylius / UCI Currently, 2 out of every 3 people with Alzheimer's disease are women. Last year, UCI MIND began a partnership with Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement. This partnership launched a grant competition focused on understanding the role of sex in Alzheimer's disease. UCI researchers Sunil Gandhi and Mathew Blurton-Jones have been awarded this year's $100,000 grant. Their research will focus on the role of microglia in the brains of men and women using induced pluripotent stem cells generated from skin cells donated by UCI ADRC participants, modern mouse models of the…
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This week, BioArctic Neuroscience, Esai, and Biogen made headlines when they announced via press release the topline and positive results of their Phase 2a study of the anti-amyloid antibody BAN2401. The press release indicated that the drug “demonstrated statistically significant slowing in clinical decline and reduction of amyloid beta accumulated in the brain” in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease. To be sure, this is welcomed news. Too often headlines for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials are about “flops” and “failures.” So we should take this good news and embrace it. Unfortunately, there remain many questions to which we need answers before we…
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Dr. Arvid Carlsson passed away this past Friday at the age of 95. His research into dopamine led to the development of treatments for Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that involves tremors and rigidity. Dr. Carlsson showed that dopamine was a neurotransmitter and that it is critical to movement. Dopamine is depleted in Parkinson’s disease and the drug L-dopa can be used to treat patients with this neurological disease. Dr. Carlsson's findings earned him the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with noted American researchers Dr. Eric Kandel and Paul Greengard. UCI MIND is grateful for the work…
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Recent scientific reports, one in the journal Neuron and another coming out in the journal Cell, present some intriguing new data indicating a link between human herpes viruses and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Because the majority of AD cases cannot be attributed to genetics alone, there has been keen interest in finding other factors that affect the risk of developing AD. Head trauma and infections are two such factors that have received attention by researchers. With regard to infectious agents, speculation has often centered on the herpes viruses, especially herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1). Human herpes viruses are neurotropic, which means they…
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Getty Images Click here to read an article in AARP, and learn how even mild high blood pressure in midlife can have a significant impact on brain health in later life. UCI MIND faculty member and Co-Principal Investigator of the 90+ Study, Dr. Maria Corrada, is quoted in the article.
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Click here to watch Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement "Move For Minds" event in Los Angeles. UCI MIND faculty member Dr. Ruth Benca joined a renowned panel that included Marcia Gay Harden, Dr. Richard Isaacson, Kelly LeVeque, and Bob Roth. Learn more about Move For Minds here >
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UCI MIND sends a hearty congratulations to Dr. Frank LaFerla, who has been appointed to a second five-year term as dean of the UCI School of Biological Sciences. As Dean, Dr. LaFerla has taken the school to new heights, launching successful public lecture series, increasing philanthropy, and of course supporting cutting edge research. During his tenure, research funding in the school has grown by 35 percent and 15 new outstanding faculty members have been hired. Please join us in congratulating Dean LaFerla on this reappointment. Learn more >
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Danny Harper & Burton Young By Danny Harper, Senior Director of Development The faculty and staff of UCI MIND, congratulate Burton Young and his fellow honorees on receiving the Men of Character recognition by the Orange County Boy Scouts of America. I had the pleasure of attending this year’s event, and I was inspired by the stories of the six men who were honored. While each shared his unique journey, there were consistent themes in each of their stories. Each, in his turn, spoke about the importance of hard work, giving back and family. These themes resonate deeply with my…
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UCI MIND Director, Dr. Joshua Grill, recently discussed Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) with Being Patient, a news site building single-subject platforms around complex health topics. Click here to read the article and learn: Is MCI reversible? Is MCI a precursor to Alzheimer's? How soon will MCI progress to Alzheimer's? What are the warning signs of MCI? Will I recognize my own MCI? What can I do to delay MCI? UCI MIND has a number of research studies currently enrolling people with MCI or memory concerns. To learn about studies for which you may be eligible, enroll in the UCI C2C Registry…
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(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) By Danny Harper, Senior Director of Development, UCI MIND Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans lose friends and loved ones to Alzheimer’s disease. When a celebrity passes from Alzheimer’s, it brings a higher level of attention to the disease that affects millions of Americans and more than 84,000 people right here in Orange County. Whether or not you personally know someone who has lived with Alzheimer’s, we can all get a glimpse into the disease through the lives of public figures who have been afflicted. From Rosa Parks to Ronald Reagan to Glen Campbell, and now including NPR’s…
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Joshua Grill, Malcolm Dick, Ann Quilter, Lindsay Hohsfield, and Aimee Pierce Story by Dianne Russell in Stu News Laguna featuring UCI MIND's most recent Ask the Doc panel on March 22, 2018: "Although the day is wet and dreary, it doesn’t stop 85 audience members from attending UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) “Ask the Doc” event at Susi Q. The roomful of mostly seniors is serious and here for one thing, to get answers to their questions regarding the widespread problem of Alzheimer’s, memory loss and brain health. It’s not an entirely comfortable situation, as…
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Getty Images This week, Congress finalized the 2018 budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which included a $414 million increase in funding for Alzheimer's disease research. This brings the total amount of dementia research funding to $1.8 billion. Thank you to all, including our research participants, faculty, staff, and community partners, who advocate tirelessly for increased funding, resources, and awareness for Alzheimer's disease. "Costs for treating Alzheimer’s in particular eat up billions in federal spending each year, something lawmakers said could be prevented if the NIH can develop a cure," The Hill reported (read more>). Continued investment in…
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Contributed by Carl Cotman, PhD, Founding Director of UCI MIND The role of exercise in reducing or slowing Alzheimer’s disease keeps coming up on headlines. Observational studies like the one in this article suggest that brain health may be different for older adults who exercise versus those who do not. While the results of studies like this one are intriguing, disease modifying effects need to be demonstrated in a larger and more diverse populations using accessible, cost-effective and sustainable programs that have the potential for implementation in a community setting. To address this need, UCI MIND and the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative…
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Contributed by Bryce Mander, PhD As reported in CNN, a new study published in JAMA Neurology indicates that healthy older adults who are excessively sleepy during the day show a greater buildup over time of β-amyloid plaques, a defining brain feature of Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who are not excessively sleepy. As we describe in our editorial on this article, this study is an important advance in our understanding of how sleep disturbance in general can result in increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Many studies over the past few years, including our own, have linked poor sleep to increased…
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Marcelo Wood, PhD Dr. Marcelo Wood, UCI MIND faculty member and chair of neurobiology and behavior, and his team have discovered a way to help old and damaged brains form long-term memories by unlocking a repressed gene. Wood presented the findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference earlier this month. Next, Wood's team plans to investigate how these findings apply to people with Alzheimer's disease to formulate ideas for drug development. READ MORE FROM THE DAILY PILOT >
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UCI MIND faculty investigator, Dr. Claudia Kawas, presented findings from The 90+ Study at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference this past weekend, highlighting the link between moderate alcohol consumption and longevity. In an observational study of participants age 90 and older, Dr. Kawas and her team found that consuming about two glasses of beer or wine daily was associated with 18% reduced risk of premature death. Findings also suggest regular exercise, social and cognitive engagement, and a few extra pounds in older age are associated with longevity. To learn more about The 90+ Study, click HERE or contact 949.768.3635 or study90@uci.edu.…
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Bill Gates with father, Bill Gates Sr. Charitable billionaire Bill Gates recently announced a $100 million pledge to fight Alzheimer's disease, but today he reveals why the disease hits close to home. His father, 92 year-old Bill Gates Sr., is one of the 5.5 million people in the United States with Alzheimer's disease. Click here to read the article and watch his interview with Maria Shriver at TODAY.com >
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Honoree Maria Shriver with donor and Alzheimer’s research participant Ann Quilter of Laguna Beach, center, and Aimee Pierce, MD, medical director of the UCI MIND Memory Assessment Research Center. (Photo by Stan Sholik) By B.W. Cook January 16, 2018 Daily Pilot Opinion "At appropriate times past, I have broken my strict rule not to interject my personal life stories into this column. With that said, anything to do with the pursuit of an Alzheimer's disease cure and/or care compels me to share private family experience. Alzheimer's devastated my talented, intelligent mother at the early age of 65 and it ripped…
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New research partnership aims to better understand the Alzheimer's gender divide By Madeline Vann, Caring.com Health Writer "One of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease you may not have heard of? Being a woman. More women than men live with Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, behavior and thinking. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, women make up two thirds of the roughly 5.5 million Americans living with the disease, but experts do not yet understand why. Now, the University of California at Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND) and Maria Shriver’s…
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UCI MIND Co-Directors, Drs. Joshua Grill and Frank LaFerla with Maria Shriver at the annual UCI MIND gala on December 2, 2017 at the Balboa Bay Resort More than 5.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. Two-thirds of them are women. The initiative will fund critical new women-based research. ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., (December 5, 2017) — A new partnership in Orange County, California is seeking answers to an essential question affecting global health: Why do more women get Alzheimer’s disease than men? UCI MIND, the University of California at Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, has announced a new research initiative…
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The National Institute on Aging has announced funding of a new clinical trial network, charged with testing the most promising potential treatments and preventions for Alzheimer’s disease over the coming years. The $70 million grant includes UCI MIND as a clinical trial site and Dr. Joshua Grill as a unit leader. Press release >
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