Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Blood Tests, Smart Pen Show Promise For Finding Alzheimer's Early
USA Today: 'A New Era Of Diagnosis For Alzheimer's Disease': Scientists Study Blood Tests For Dementia
As pharmaceutical companies spend hundreds of millions on a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, other researchers are focusing on a more elemental question. How can you tell whether a family member or loved one has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? These researchers say a new generation of blood tests could offer an easier and accurate way to detect signs of Alzheimer’s, a disease that afflicts an estimated 6.5 million Americans. New research found one blood test can detect hallmarks of the disease in older adults with memory problems. It is among more than a half-dozen blood tests being developed and tested to detect early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. (Alltucker, 4/26)
In other news —
The Times: Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s May Be Detected With The Stroke Of A Pen
A pen that detects minute changes in people’s movements has been developed by Scottish scientists to provide early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Manus Neurodynamica, an Edinburgh medical technology company, is testing its Neuromotor Pen for the screening of dementia. It hopes it will be used in hospitals, health centres and walk-in clinics. The breakthrough could give a simple way to identify Alzheimer’s and differentiate it from mild cognitive impairment. Present detection methods include brain imaging, the use of radio tracers and cognitive assessment, all of which are expensive and take time. (Allardyce, 4/24)
New Atlas: New Study May Explain Why Apathy Is The First Symptom Of Alzheimer’s
Compelling new research from the Indiana University School of Medicine has homed in on a degenerative mechanism that could explain why symptoms such as apathy are the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest disrupting this process could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s-related dementia. (Haridy, 4/25)
Daily Beast: The Race to Unravel COVID’s Hidden Link to Alzheimer’s
As the pandemic rages on across the globe, scientists have started identifying a chilling pattern: An estimated one-third of people infected with COVID-19 develop neurological symptoms including strokes, headaches, and disturbed consciousness. In some brains, COVID causes molecular changes that mirror those seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, leading some scientists to believe that long COVID may be an atypical form of the memory-destroying disorder. There are also larger concerns that damage to the brain caused by COVID may put individuals at an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. The downstream effects on long-term health are far from understood, but dramatic preliminary evidence suggests a complicated alignment with Alzheimer’s disease. (Sloat, 4/25)
KETV: UNMC Studies How Alzheimer's May Impact The Brains Of Children In The Future
More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2050, that number is expected to double. An innovative study at UNMC is trying to find a way to cut that number. The project is called PRANK: Polygenetic Risk of Alzheimer's Disease In Nebraska Kids. Researchers hope studying children now will predict Alzheimer's in the future. (Fraser, 4/25)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Wisconsin First Lady Elaine Schreiber Dies From Alzheimer's
Elaine Ruth Schreiber, who became Wisconsin's first lady when her husband, Marty, entered the governor's mansion in July 1977, then later went on to advocate for the millions of patients like herself, battling Alzheimer's Disease, died in her sleep early Monday morning. She was 82 and died at the Elaine's Hope Memory Care Assisted Living center at the Lutheran Home in Milwaukee, named in her honor in 2020. Named after her also is the child care facility at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, where she spent roughly a decade teaching children ages 3 to 5. In accordance with her wishes, Elaine's brain is being donated to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Brain Donor program to be used in Alzheimer's research. (Johnson, 4/25)
