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SAN DIEGO, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — New research reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference^® (AAIC^®) 2022 covered the breadth of Alzheimer’s and dementia research, including the basic biology of aging and the brain, risk factors and prevention strategies, and caregiving and living well with the disease.

AAIC is the premier annual forum for presentation and discussion of the latest Alzheimer’s and dementia research. This year’s hybrid conference event took place both virtually and in-person in San Diego and attracted over 9,500 attendees and more than 4,000 scientific presentations.

“With record public and private research investment it’s an exciting time for Alzheimer’s and dementia research,” said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association vice president of medical and scientific relations. “Researchers are advancing our understanding of the disease by exploring biomarkers, discovering potential ways to reduce risk, and working to move promising treatments and diagnostic tools forward into clinical testing. The Alzheimer’s Association is leading the fight through funding, convening, publishing, partnerships, advocacy and services.”

The Alzheimer’s Association highlighted results from a variety of clinical trials at AAIC 2022. Encouraging and supporting a diverse treatment pipeline is essential to achieving the Association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Here are two examples:

The EXERT Study is the longest-ever Phase 3 study of exercise in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The results, first reported at AAIC 2022, are especially noteworthy since the trial was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic — 80% of participants complied with their exercise regimen and completed the study. After 12 months, people with MCI in both the aerobic exercise intervention arm and stretching arm showed no cognitive decline. A comparison group of other older adults with MCI showed significant cognitive decline over 12 months. The findings from EXERT suggest that regular physical activity, even modest or low exertion activity such as stretching, may protect brain cells against damage.

At AAIC 2022, T3D Therapeutics reported positive interim results from their Phase 2 trial of T3D-959, which seeks to overcome insulin resistance in the brain and restore the brain’s metabolic health. These encouraging preliminary results are a positive sign, and final results are anticipated in 2023. As understanding of the biological underpinnings of Alzheimer’s expands, the opportunity to advance novel approaches such as T3D-959 will also expand.

Also at AAIC, the Alzheimer’s Association announced the launch of the Alzheimer’s Network for Treatment and Diagnostics (ALZ-NET), which will collect long-term clinical and safety data from patients treated with FDA-approved Alzheimer’s disease therapies in real world clinical settings. ALZ-NET is the first network developed specifically for new FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments, collecting evidence on effectiveness and side effects over a long period of time.

Experiences of structural, interpersonal and institutional racism are associated with lower memory scores and worse cognition in midlife and old age, especially among Black individuals.

• In a study of nearly 1,000 middle-aged community-dwelling adults (55% Latinx; 23% Black; 19% White), exposure to interpersonal and institutional racism was associated with lower memory scores; the associations were strongest in Black individuals. Experiences of structural racism were associated with lower episodic memory among all racial and ethnic groups included in the study.
• In a study of 445 Asian, Black, Latino, White and multiracial people age 90 and above, individuals who experienced wide-ranging discrimination throughout life had poorer long-term memory in late life compared to those who experienced little to no discrimination.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) — conditions of high blood pressure including chronic/gestational hypertension and preeclampsia — have been strongly linked to heart disease in later life, but before today, little research has connected these disorders with cognition. Experiences of high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia and accelerated brain aging, according to several studies at AAIC 2022:

• Women with a history of HDP were more likely to develop vascular dementia — a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain — later in life, compared to women with non-hypertensive pregnancies.
• Experience of HDP, specifically high blood pressure during pregnancy, was associated with white matter pathology, a predictor of accelerated cognitive decline, 15 years after pregnancy.
• Women with severe preeclampsia had significantly higher levels of beta amyloid, an Alzheimer’s-related brain change, as measured in blood compared to those with non-hypertensive pregnancies.

New insights into factors that may predict, increase or protect against the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic on memory and thinking skills were revealed by multiple studies at AAIC 2022. A research group from Argentina found that persistent loss of the sense of smell may be a better predictor of long-term cognitive and functional impairment than severity of the initial COVID-19 disease. In a large study population from nine Latin American countries, experiencing a positive life change during the pandemic, such as more quality time with friends and family, reduced the negative impact of the pandemic on memory and thinking skills. Finally, hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU) was associated with double the risk of dementia in older adults, according to Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago. These findings could be significant given the tremendous upsurge in ICU hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study presented at AAIC 2022 finds that people who eat large amounts of ultra-processed foods have a faster decline in cognition. Researchers studied 10,775 people over eight years and found that high consumption (more than 20% of daily intake) of ultra-processed foods led to a 28% faster decline in global cognitive scores, including memory, verbal fluency and executive function. Ultra-processed foods go through significant industrial processes and contain large quantities of fats, sugar, salt, artificial flavors/colors, stabilizers and/or preservatives. Examples include sodas, breakfast cereals, white bread, potato chips and frozen “junk” foods.

Socioeconomic status (SES) — reflecting both social and economic measures of a person’s work experience, and of an individual’s or family’s economic access to resources and social position — has been linked to both physical and psychological health and well-being. Socioeconomic deprivation, including neighborhood disadvantages and persistent low wages, are associated with higher dementia risk, lower cognitive performance and faster memory decline, according to several studies:

• Individuals who experience high socioeconomic deprivation — measured using income/wealth, unemployment rates, car/home ownership and household overcrowding — are significantly more likely to develop dementia compared to individuals of better socioeconomic status, even at high genetic risk.
• Lower-quality neighborhood resources and difficulty paying for basic needs were associated with lower scores on cognitive tests among Black and Latino individuals.
• Compared with workers earning higher wages, sustained low-wage earners experienced significantly faster memory decline in older age.
• Higher parental SES was associated with increased resilience to the negative effects of Alzheimer’s marker ptau-181, better baseline executive function and slower cognitive decline in older age.

The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a part of the Association’s research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.
AAIC 2022 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/
AAIC 2022 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp
AAIC 2022 hashtag: #AAIC22

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia^®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

SOURCE Alzheimer’s Association

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It’s Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month!

The Alzheimer’s Association recently posted an article detailing some common misperceptions about the condition as described by individuals with early-stage Alzhiemer’s Disease (AD).

AD affects over 6 million people in the US alone and is the most common form of dementia, which is characterized by:

• memory loss
• language problems
• changes in mood
• and deficits in thinking and reasoning that interfere with daily life activities.

AD is a disease that progresses over time. AD sufferers in the early stages can still function independently but generally need caregivers as the disease progresses. With increased testing, people are becoming diagnosis earlier than before.

Individuals with a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease may have a difficult time coping with their diagnosis and need support. Although friends and family members often have the desire to be supportive, they may avoid interacting with the individual with AD due to the fear of negatively impacting their mood.

Avoiding engagement with individuals with AD promotes a sense of isolation and stigma, and can harm their feeling of self-worth. The goal of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month is to help discuss common misperceptions about AD:

1. Identify Goals Early

Individuals still capable of living independently can benefit from setting goals to accomplish. Friends, family and caregivers can help with planning for their future and maintaining quality of life as their disease progresses.

2. Focus on the Person, Not the Disease

Alzheimer’s patients retain their sense of self until the final stages of dementia and the disease doesn’t affect the person’s choice of daily life pursuits or the relationships they enjoy. Unfortunately, sometimes a diagnosis can change the way they are treated or perceived even those individuals with AD continue to enjoy their usual activities and being social until the later stages of the illness. Listening patiently and avoiding patronization or “elderspeak” is key.

“At every stage of the disease, it is more important that a person interacts with others and less important exactly what is said,” explains Dr. Peter Rabins, professor emeritus at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD in Medical News Today article. “People sometimes worry that they will say the ‘wrong thing.’ The key, though, is to talk with the person at whatever level they are able to interact. Talk about old times, good memories, and how their favorite sports team is doing. Go on walks, bring the grandchildren over, or perhaps just sit and hold hands. Even at the end stage of the disease communication through touch can be powerful and rewarding.”

3. Symptom Fluctuation

Depending on the day, individuals with AD may demonstrate improved cognitive function or mood, or they may exhibit more severe symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, irritability, and increased word repetition. Understanding that these behaviors may be beyond the control of AD sufferers can help loved ones and caregivers to me more patient.

4. Early-onset AD

The perception that AD only affects older people may cause younger individual to ignore symptoms or delay getting the help they need. Although the majority of AD cases involve people over the age of 65, younger people account for 5-10% of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Early detection can aid in delaying the progression of the disease and fining treatment sooner.

5. Direct Communication

Talking about the person with AD to others (such as a spouse or caregiver) while they are present in the room can be patronizing and isolating. It is difficult sometimes to know how to react after a loved one’s diagnosis, but conversing directly with the person about their health is more likely to be received as being caring and thoughtful.

6. Avoid Making Judgements

Denial is a common reaction among friends and family members after a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and that can lead to dismissive comments such as “you’re too young” or “you don’t seem to be any different.”  These kinds of statements disregard both the psychological impact of diagnosis experienced by the patient and the mental and physical challenges caused by the disease itself.

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month: Increasing Awareness and Acceptance

Dismantling the stigmatization of dementia through public awareness campaigns can improve how people seek and receive services and support. Encouraging communities to become more ‘dementia friendly’ is an important step:

“We too often view Alzheimer’s through the biomedical lens of disease, but as people living with dementia emphasize, they are still ‘here’ and have dreams and preferences that we must honor, ” states Dr. Joseph Gaugler, the director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota.

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