NEWS
May 18, 2011 | By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots blog
High doses of the Alzheimer's drug Aricept should be banned because they are no more effective than low doses and have a sharply increased risk of adverse effects, the advocacy group Public Citizen and a Johns Hopkins University geriatrician said Wednesday in a petition to the Food and Drug Administration. Aricept, known generically as donepezil, is one of the very few drugs available for treating Alzheimer's disease, but it provides only a very modest slowing in the cognitive and functional deficits associated with the disease.
SPORTS
December 16, 2011 | By David Wharton
Pretty much everyone who wanders into Pat Summitt's office or visits her basketball practice these days has learned to fear the iPad. The coach keeps her tablet filled with brain-wrenching games. Crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Math quizzes and memory tests. "When people come by," said Tyler, her son, "she gets them to sit down and try one of those things. " It was seven months ago that doctors diagnosed Summitt with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, an incurable brain disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior.
NEWS
August 9, 2011 | By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times / For the Booster Shots blog
Treating a sleep disorder to improve oxygen flow through the body may also help lower the risk of dementia in older-age people, according to a new study. The research, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. , must be replicated. But it's exciting nonetheless because it suggests a rare, successful measure that may prevent at least some cases of cognitive impairment. Sleep disorders such as frequent waking and hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) have been linked to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
NEWS
April 18, 2012 | By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots blog
Even if you're 80 or older, it's not too late for daily exercise to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. And if hitting the gym isn't quite your style, here's more good news: You can also benefit by doing housework, researchers say. Plenty of research has suggested that people who make a habit of exercising are less likely to get Alzheimer's, though scientists aren't sure how to explain the link. Other activities that have been correlated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer's include engaging one's brain in mentally stimulating activities, spending time in social groups and eating a healthful diet, according to the National Institute on Aging . The new study , published in the journal Neurology, involved 716 people who were part of the Memory and Aging Project at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
HEALTH
May 10, 2010 | By Kathy Tyrer, Special to the Los Angeles Times
"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked me. He was about 84 years old and interested in a date. Sitting before him with my young son on my lap, I gave him the bad news: "No, but I have a husband and two kids. And I am your daughter, Dad." My father's confusion was the consequence of his battle with Alzheimer's disease. One day he recognized me, the next, maybe not. Though my brain could process that, my heart could not. No matter how realistic I tried to be about my father's decline and our awkward exchanges, I found it impossible to accept that he really didn't know me. Admitting to myself that we had lost our father-daughter connection even though he would be physically in my life for years to come was playing tricks with my own, still-intact brain.
NEWS
July 20, 2010 | By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times
You can't say Alzheimer's researchers aren't trying really hard to make progress in preventing and treating the disease. A team of researchers is cycling across the country to raise awareness of the need for more funding for the study of Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride will pass through Los Angeles on Thursday. Members of the Alzheimer's Assn.'s California Southland Chapter will meet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Kodak Theatre, at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, to cheer on the riders.