In the News

Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD: The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) recently released their final decision related to coverage for the monoclonal antibody against beta amyloid, aducanumab (Aduhelm®). The decision was expected by many and includes only a few changes from the preliminary decision announced January 11. The decision remains that CMS will pay for aducanumab under a coverage with evidence determination (CED). This means that the drug will only be covered when a person with Mild Cognitive Impairment or mild dementia is enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. Such trials will need to be approved by CMS…

Study reaching caregivers in underserved communities for education, coaching Associate Professor Jung-Ah Lee (right) and her caregiver study team. Caregiving is often called the invisible profession. It isn’t to Jung-Ah Lee. The associate professor at the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing has witnessed the burden caregivers carry, especially those caring for a loved one who has dementia. She has dedicated her career to alleviating it. With the help of a research team including community education specialists, also known as community health workers, Lee ensures that important culturally appropriate information about caregiving for someone with dementia reaches those who…

Contributed by Elizabeth Head, Josh Grill, and Ira Lott A diagram depicting trisomy-21 - Source: LuMIND People with Down syndrome are at high risk for developing Alzheimer disease beginning after the age of 40 years.  This is due, in part, to the extra copy of chromosome 21, which contains the amyloid precursor protein gene and leads to higher production of beta-amyloid with age.  Indeed, there is evidence that the overproduction of amyloid in Down syndrome is a strong driver of Alzheimer disease, which is why treatments targeting beta-amyloid could be impactful for this group of adults.  In our current exciting…

In a scientific first, UCI researchers have discovered fundamental mechanisms by which the hippocampus region of the brain organizes memories into sequences and how this can be used to plan future behavior. The finding may be a critical early step toward understanding memory failures in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Norbert Fortin (right), UCI associate professor of neurobiology and behavior, is corresponding author on the study, while Babak Shahbaba, UCI Chancellor’s Fellow and professor of statistics, is senior co-author. UCI

"The university already has well-established and influential centers for Alzheimer’s disease and #dementia (UCI MIND)...that are potentially poised to benefit from Burnand’s philanthropy. ...During her lifetime, she supported #Alzheimers disease research at UCI MIND"

Contributed by Joshua Grill, PhD January 11, 2022 — Today the U.S Centers Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their decision to cover monoclonal antibodies against the beta amyloid protein that accumulates in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease only in the setting of randomized controlled trials (read the announcement here). This Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) decision is open to public comment for 30-days before taking effect. The decision, if finalized, will to limit access to the one approved monoclonal antibody, Biogen’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm), and any subsequently approved monoclonal antibodies, to Medicare beneficiaries who are participating in…

Gianna Fote's work in the lab of Drs. Leslie Thompson & Joan Steffan, supported by the ADRC, was accepted to the Journal of Cell Science. Congrats to the entire team of researchers! Read more here >    

In January 2022, the NIA’s Spanish language materials email list will officially launch with monthly emails on staying healthy as you age entirely in Spanish. The list will also highlight NIA’s Spanish resources, including print publications, videos, and web articles. If you signed up for the list in August, there is no need to subscribe again. If you haven’t signed up, you can subscribe here. Other new resources and materials from NIA that may be of interest to you and the communities you serve: Now in Spanish: Get Fit for Life Exercise and Physical Activity Guide for Healthy Aging. New videos on Healthy Aging…

UCI MIND's podcast, Spotlight on Care, just hit 2,000 downloads! Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts, and you'll hear our hosts and special guests share stories, experiences, tips, and advice on caring for loved ones affected by Alzheimer's and other dementias. Learn more at mind.uci.edu/podcast

One in five people will develop dementia. Keep your body and brain healthy. Learn more about the facts and figures of Alzheimer’s disease: https://bit.ly/ALZDaware

One in six baby boomers who live to be 65 years of age and older will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Keep your body and brain healthy. For healthy lifestyle tips and resources, see https://bit.ly/BRAINhealth

On Friday September 10th, 2021, UCI MIND and Alzheimer’s Orange County held their annual Southern California Alzheimer’s Disease Research Conference. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event, which was titled “Alzheimer’s From All Angles,” was held virtually on Facebook and YouTube. This year’s conference was moderated by Dr. Joshua Grill and included talks from esteemed experts in the field of Alzheimer’s research.  The day kicked off with a presentation from Dr. Sid O’Bryant, Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience from the University of North Texas, on the current state of diagnostic blood biomarkers.  He explained the process needed to get a blood-based biomarker accepted for use…

New training grant to attract nation’s brightest scientists UCI MIND’s Drs. Elizabeth Head and Joshua Grill and a core group of faculty members were recently awarded a prestigious National Institute on Aging T32 training grant to help recruit and prepare the next generation of predoctoral and postdoctoral scientists to study Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  The training grant will support several promising early-stage scientists for a renewable one-year appointment, as they learn from UCI MIND’s renowned faculty.  This collaborative opportunity for UC Irvine bridges scientists from the Schools of Medicine, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Information and Computer Sciences, and Social Ecology…

It has been my privilege to volunteer for UCI MIND’s annual gala planning committee since 2015. The A December to Remember Galas have offered an opportunity for friends of UCI MIND to come together for a festive evening to raise vital support for Alzheimer’s research. This year, facing uncertainty about what the winter months would bring amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and after giving thoughtful consideration for the health and wellbeing of our community and our supporters, UCI MIND has cancelled the 2021 Gala. As you think about your end-of-year giving, please consider making a gift to UCI MIND. It is important to…

Dr. Elizabeth Chrastil is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at UC Irvine.Dr. Chrastil’s lab studies the learning and memory processes related to spatial cognition and navigation.In 2019, she was awarded a UCI MIND / Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement grant to better understand how sex, spatial navigation and Alzheimer’s disease interact. What is spatial navigation? Spatial navigation is the ability to understand where you are on the planet and then how to get to other places.  How do you measure a person’s ability to navigate? We use several methods in the lab. For our virtual reality tests,…

In 2020, Dr. Lindsay Hohsfield, a UC MIND scientist in Dr. Kim Green’s lab studying the role that microglial cells play in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), started a non-profit organization to provide support to patients and families affected by the early onset inherited form of Alzheimer’s Disease, Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease (ADAD), also known as Early Onset Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (EOFAD).  Although rare, ADAD is devasting. Dementia-related symptoms begin when people are in their 30s and 40s. Those affected face a unique set of challenges including difficult decisions about genetic screening, family planning, and financial considerations. The genetic nature of the…

Autosomal Dominant Neurodegenerative Diseases (ADND), like Huntington’s disease and the rare form of inherited early onset Alzheimer’s disease, are particularly challenging brain disorders, in part because they begin to show symptoms when people are mid-career and parenting younger children. ADND are caused by inherited genetic mutations and researchers can test for these mutations at any age, creating an opportunity to test interventions as possible preventative therapies before even the earliest signs of brain changes. Yet, many people who are at risk to inherit these mutations choose not to undergo testing and, while there is critical need for these at-risk individuals to participate in prevention trials, significant scientific and ethical complications are brought to bear…