Overweight at 50 Tied to Earlier Alzheimer’s

By Amy Norton

Overweight at 50 Tied to Earlier Alzheimer'sAvoiding middle-age spread could be one way to delay the onset of dementia, a new study hints.

Researchers found that among 142 elderly adults with Alzheimer’s disease, those who were overweight at age 50 tended to develop the memory-robbing disorder earlier.

On average, the study participants were 83 years old when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But that age of onset varied according to people’s weight at age 50: For each unit increase in body mass index (BMI), Alzheimer’s set in about seven months earlier, on average.

Other studies have found that obesity may boost the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. But this research suggests it also speeds the onset, said senior researcher Dr. Madhav Thambisetty, of the U.S. National Institute on Aging.

“We think that’s important because one of the goals in Alzheimer’s research is to find ways to delay the onset of the disease,” Thambisetty said.

The study, published online September 1, 2015 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, does not prove that obesity, itself, hastens Alzheimer’s.

However, obese adults often have health conditions that have been linked to an increased Alzheimer’s risk, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

In the study, Thambisetty’s team did account for those conditions — plus smoking — and found that a higher BMI at age 50 was still connected to earlier Alzheimer’s onset.

What’s more, brain autopsies showed that Alzheimer’s patients who’d been heavier in middle age generally had more brain “tangles” — twisted strands of protein that build up in the brains of people with the disease.

It’s not clear, however, whether those brain abnormalities are the reason for the earlier Alzheimer’s, Thambisetty said. Plus, he noted, there were some factors that his team could not account for — such as the quality of people’s diets.

That’s important because research has suggested, for instance, that a Mediterranean diet — rich in vegetables, fruit, and “good” fats from olive oil and fish — may help stave off Alzheimer’s, according to the Institute on Aging.

There is also evidence that exercise, both physical and mental, could have a protective effect.

Still, another Alzheimer’s researcher said the bottom line is this: The same factors that affect heart health may also affect brain health.

“This study confirms that there is a bundle of risk factors for Alzheimer’s that we can modify,” said Dr. Malaz Boustani, director of the Center for Brain Care Innovation at Indiana University and a spokesman for the American Federation on Aging Research.

The study findings come from a long-term review of nearly 1,400 older adults who were free of dementia at the outset. Just over 10 percent were eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

The study can’t answer the question of why higher BMI — a calculation of body fat — in middle age was linked to earlier Alzheimer’s onset or to higher levels of brain tangles, Thambisetty said.

But, it’s “plausible” that obesity, itself, contributed, he said.

Many studies, he noted, have found that obesity can cause a state of chronic inflammation in the body, including the brain. And that inflammation might worsen the brain damage seen in people with Alzheimer’s.

While questions remain, there are already many health reasons to avoid mid-life obesity, Boustani pointed out. “This study gives people yet another reason to try to reduce their BMI,” he said.

Of course, he added, losing excess weight at the age of 40 or 50 is “no walk in the park.”

Thambisetty agreed, adding that’s why preventing obesity in the first place is key.

“We know that maintaining a healthy weight throughout life is important for a variety of reasons,” he said. “This study suggests that a healthy BMI, as early as mid-life, could also help delay Alzheimer’s disease.”

Source: http://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/heavier-weight-in-middle-age-tied-to-earlier-alzheimer-s-702824.html

Related Online CEU Courses:

Lewy Body Dementia: Information for Patients, Families, and Professionals is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that explains what is known about the different types of LBD and how they are diagnosed. Most importantly, it describes how to treat and manage this difficult disease, with practical advice for both people with LBD and their caregivers.

The Dementias: Hope through Research is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that describes specific types of dementia and how the disorders are diagnosed and treated, including drug therapy.

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews basic mechanisms and risk factors of AD and details recent research findings.

Alzheimer’s: Unraveling the Mystery is a 3-hour online CEU course that describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments.

Clinician’s Guide to Understanding, Evaluating & Treating Obesity – This course is designed to help clinicians enhance their working knowledge of the etiology and treatment of obesity. Case studies will elucidate different aspects of treatment.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by theTexas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

Managing Behavior Changes in Alzheimer’s

From the Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral Center

Managing Behavior Changes in Alzheimer’sAlzheimer’s disease can change how a person acts over time. You may see behaviors like:

  • Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily
  • Acting depressed or not interested in things
  • Hiding things
  • Wandering


Caregivers may not be able to stop these changes, but there are ways to cope. Read about them in our tip sheet Managing Personality and Behavior Changes. This tip sheet is available to download as a PDF and an e-Book (both ePub and MOBI formats).

Share this info on social media with the following message:

#Caregivers—learn how to cope with common behavior changes in ppl w/ #Alzheimers http://1.usa.gov/1NvRy4X

Related Online CEU Courses:

Alzheimer’s Caregiver Guide and Tips on Acute Hospitalization is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that offers strategies for managing the everyday challenges of caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and includes tips on acute hospitalization.

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews basic mechanisms and risk factors of AD and details recent research findings.

Alzheimer’s Disease – Overview is a 1-hour online CEU course that provides an overview of the prevalence, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as information about caregiving and caregiver support.

Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease is a 3-hour online CEU course that discusses practical issues concerning caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease who has mild-to-moderate impairment, including a description of common challenges and coping strategies.

Alzheimer’s: Unraveling the Mystery is a 3-hour online CEU course that describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments.

Professional Development Resources is approved to offer continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by theTexas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

Volunteers Needed for Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials

From the National Institute on Aging

More than 150 Alzheimer’s and related clinical trials in the United States are looking for volunteers. At least 70,000 people with Alzheimer’s, healthy volunteers, and caregivers are urgently needed.

Alzheimer's Research Needs You

For more information on volunteering: http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/volunteer

Related Online Continuing Education Courses:

Alzheimer’s Caregiver Guide and Tips on Acute Hospitalization is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that offers strategies for managing the everyday challenges of caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and includes tips on acute hospitalization.

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews basic mechanisms and risk factors of AD and details recent research findings.

Alzheimer’s Disease – Overview is a 1-hour online CEU course that provides an overview of the prevalence, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as information about caregiving and caregiver support.

Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease is a 3-hour online CEU course that discusses practical issues concerning caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease who has mild-to-moderate impairment, including a description of common challenges and coping strategies.

Alzheimer’s: Unraveling the Mystery is a 3-hour online CEU course that describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by theTexas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

 

Get the Facts About Alzheimer’s

By the National Institute on Aging

Alzheimer's DiseaseAlthough there are not yet any medications that can stop Alzheimer’s disease, several prescription drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help with some symptoms of the disease at various stages. Treating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s can provide patients with comfort, dignity, and independence for a longer period of time and can encourage and assist their caregivers as well.

NIA’s Alzheimer’s Disease Medications Fact Sheet describes the different drug treatments currently available, along with information about dosage and potential side effects. You can read this publication online, order copies on the ADEAR Center website, or call toll-free 1-800-438-4380. This information is also available in Spanish.

Be a part of the solution! Volunteers—people with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment and healthy individuals—are needed now to participate in Alzheimer’s clinical research. Find clinical trials and studies on the NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center website.

Related Online Continuing Education (CE/CEU) Courses:

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews basic mechanisms and risk factors of AD and details recent research findings.

Alzheimer’s Disease – Overview is a 1-hour online CEU course that provides an overview of the prevalence, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as information about caregiving and caregiver support.

Alzheimer’s: Unraveling the Mystery is a 3-hour online CEU course that describes the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, effective steps for prevention, strategies for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the search for new treatments.

Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease is a 3-hour online CEU course that discusses practical issues concerning caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease who has mild-to-moderate impairment, including a description of common challenges and coping strategies.

Lewy Body Dementia: Information for Patients, Families, and Professionals is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that explains what is known about the different types of LBD and how they are diagnosed. Most importantly, it describes how to treat and manage this difficult disease, with practical advice for both people with LBD and their caregivers.

These online courses provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account after purchasing) and mark your answers on while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

How the Aging Population Is Changing the Healthcare System

By Susan E. Matthews, Everyday Health Staff Writer

By 2030, one in five Americans will be over age 65, and the healthcare system is just beginning to feel the burden.

How the Aging Population Is Changing the Healthcare SystemThanks to the baby boomers, who began turning 65 in 2011, the population of older Americans is expanding. By 2030, one in five Americans will be a senior citizen, nearly double the 12 percent in 2000, according to “The State of Aging and Health in America,” a 2013 special report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Not only are there more seniors, they’re also living longer. In the past century, life expectancy has increased by nearly 30 years. Men born in 1900 could expect to live until age 48, but by 2000, men’s life expectancy had jumped to 74. In 1900, women could expect to live 51 years, but as of 2000, their life expectancy had also jumped to 74 years, and by 2050, the average woman may make it to age 86 (men can expect to live to age 80).

This massive shift in the country’s demographics will put new pressures and demands on the healthcare system — even Google knows it. The search engine giant has ventured into new territory with Calico, a company it launched in September 2013 to address the “challenge of aging and associated diseases.” Doctors will have to rethink every aspect of care for the older population, even rethinking how we die. In addition to the big picture, the country will also have to figure out how to pay for this extra care and how to support an older population. “It’s a vulnerable segment with the largest care needs,” says Thomas Gill, MD, a geriatrician and director of the Yale Program on Aging. “This will be a very important issue to address from a policy standpoint. We’re probably going to need to be a little more creative with how we finance and provide care to that segment of the population.”

How We Die – Then and Now

As the number of people living into their seventies and eighties has increased, so have incidences of the diseases that cause their deaths. In 1900, infectious disease was the leading cause of death in America, with influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal infections accounting for almost half of all deaths, not to mention being a relatively quick way to go. Today, however, only pneumonia and influenza even crack the list of leading causes of death, and while this is for the entire population, the shift also applies to the elderly, says David Jones, MD, PhD, professor of global health and social medicine at Harvard University. Instead, chronic conditions — heart disease, cancer, non-infectious airway diseases (such as fibrosis) have taken over the top spots. In 2010, the CDC reported that accidents and Alzheimer’s disease were the fifth and sixth leading causes of death, showing how modern medicine has conquered certain diseases, causing a shift in how we die.

Eventually, a whole other slew of diseases might do us in, suggests an analysis published by Jones and his colleagues in the 200th anniversary edition of the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2012.

“By the time antibiotics and vaccines began combating infectious diseases, mortality had shifted toward heart disease, cancer, and stroke,” they wrote. “Great progress has been made to meet these challenges, but the burden of disease will surely shift again. We already face an increasing burden of neuropsychiatric disease for which satisfying treatments do not yet exist.”

Jones says he believes that in the near future, heart disease may fall below cancer, which will take over as the leading cause of death. “One thing we’re sure of is that the human body, left to its own devices, will deteriorate over time,” he says. Doctors may be very successful at prolonging life by preserving the physical body, but the brain will decline, as will essential functions like hearing and eyesight. For example, Jones’ grandmother lived until she was 102, he says, but by the time she was a centenarian, she suffered from failing vision and hearing, which caused her to be cognitively isolated. “It’s very easy to imagine a world where people will have limited quality of life because of vision or hearing or bone structure,” Jones says.

Rethinking the Healthcare System

Two-thirds of all people over age 65 experience multiple chronic conditions, making specialized geriatric care even more critical. In fact, according to the CDC, 95 percent of older Americans’ healthcare costs are for managing their many chronic conditions. Facing several chronic conditions at once is called multi-morbidity, and having geriatricians who are trained to handle these scenarios is critical, says Gill. Otherwise, an older adult could end up receiving medications for each condition — possibly as many as 15 or more daily medications — which geriatricians work to avoid. Geriatricians help to not “miss the forest for the trees,” according to Dr. Gill. “Geriatricians keep the forest in mind in trying to address things in a broader approach rather in this disease-oriented approach,” Gill says.

Sometimes, the decisions behind treatment are made even more complicated by the cognitive decline that often accompanies aging — one in every eight adults over age 60 has cchanges in thinking, including confusion and memory loss, the CDC reported. Nearly 5 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This often requires caregivers to fundamentally rethink the relationship between quality of life and length of life. The field of palliative care has come about during McGee’s time as a practitioner, which she says is promising. Palliative care focuses treatment on reducing the amount of pain a patient is experiencing, rather than traditionally trying to treat the diseases the patient may have.

Jones notes that physician-assisted suicide is consistently a controversial topic, and was voted down in his home state of Massachusetts. He supports the idea, however, particularly considering his grandmother’s last two years of life, when she was blind and deaf. “Every night she went to bed thinking she hoped she died in her sleep,” he says. He also cites research that showed that in states where it is legal, most people who take advantage of doctor-assisted suicide are doctors themselves. “We could all get to a point where our quality of life is miserable because of neurodegenerative diseases,” says Jones. “We should all be able to say enough is enough — ‘I want to die with dignity.’”

The Yale Program on Aging helps to educate physicians on how to address the elderly’s unique needs, and even more, to encourage them to conduct more research on older adults’ health needs, using older adults as subjects. “This is a population that often isn’t included in clinical trials,” Gill says, but if more research is conducted now, treatment may improve down the road. For example, some older adults are retaining much of their cognitive function, and later in our package you can read about what researchers have found is different in these super-agers’ brains.

Read more @ http://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/aging-and-health/pressures-on-healthcare-from-booming-senior-population.aspx

Related Online Continuing Education (CE/CEU) Courses:

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

11 New Alzheimer’s Risk Genes Identified

By the National Institute on Aging (NIA)

alzheimer's genesAn international group of researchers has identified 11 new genes that offer important new insights into the disease pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease. The highly collaborative effort involved scanning the DNA of over 74,000 volunteers—the largest genetic analysis yet conducted in Alzheimer’s research—to discover new genetic risk factors linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of the disorder.

By confirming or suggesting new processes that may influence Alzheimer’s disease development—such as inflammation and synaptic function—the findings point to possible targets for the development of drugs aimed directly at prevention or delaying disease progression.

Supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and other components of the National Institutes of Health, the International Genomic Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP) reported its findings online in Nature Genetics on Oct. 27, 2013. IGAP is comprised of four consortia in the United States and Europe which have been working together since 2011 on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving thousands of DNA samples and shared datasets. GWAS are aimed at detecting the subtle gene variants involved in Alzheimer’s and defining how the molecular mechanisms influence disease onset and progression.

“Collaboration among researchers is key to discerning the genetic factors contributing to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of the NIA. “We are tremendously encouraged by the speed and scientific rigor with which IGAP and other genetic consortia are advancing our understanding.”

The search for late-onset Alzheimer’s risk factor genes had taken considerable time, until the development of GWAS and other techniques. Until 2009, only one gene variant, Apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4), had been identified as a known risk factor. Since then, prior to today’s discovery, the list of known gene risk factors had grown to include other players—PICALM, CLU, CR1, BIN1, MS4A, CD2AP, EPHA1, ABCA7, SORL1 and TREM2.

IGAP’s discovery of 11 new genes strengthens evidence about the involvement of certain pathways in the disease, such as the role of the SORL1 gene in the abnormal accumulation of amyloid protein in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. It also offers new gene risk factors that may influence several cell functions, to include the ability of microglial cells to respond to inflammation.

The researchers identified the new genes by analyzing previously studied and newly collected DNA data from 74,076 older volunteers with Alzheimer’s and those free of the disorder from 15 countries. The new genes (HLA-DRB5/HLA0DRB1, PTK2B, SLC24A4-0RING3, DSG2, INPP5D, MEF2C, NME8, ZCWPW1, CELF1, FERMT2 and CASS4) add to a growing list of gene variants associated with onset and progression of late-onset Alzheimer’s. Researchers will continue to explore the roles played by these genes, to include:

  • How SORL1 and CASS4 influence amyloid, and how CASS4 and FERMT2 affect tau, another protein hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease
  • How inflammation is influenced by HLA-DRB5/DRB1, INPP5D, MEF2C, CR1 and TREM2
  • How SORL1affects lipid transport and endocytosis (or protein sorting within cells)
  • How MEF2C and PTK2B influence synaptic function in the hippocampus, a brain region important to learning and memory
  • How CASS4, CELF1, NME8 and INPP5 affect brain cell function

The study also brought to light another 13 variants that merit further analysis.

“Interestingly, we found that several of these newly identified genes are implicated in a number of pathways,” said Gerard Schellenberg, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, who directs one of the major IGAP consortia. “Alzheimer’s is a complex disorder, and more study is needed to determine the relative role each of these genetic factors may play. I look forward to our continued collaboration to find out more about these—and perhaps other—genes.”

Schellenberg heads the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC), one of the four founding partners of IGAP. The ADGC is a collaborative body established and funded by the NIA with the goal of identifying genetic variants associated with risk for Alzheimer’s. Schellenberg noted that the study was made possible by the research infrastructures established and supported by the NIA over many years, including 29 Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, the NIA Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site, the Late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease Family Study, and the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease. These endeavors collect, store and make available to qualified researchers DNA samples, datasets containing biomedical and demographic information about participants, and genetic analysis data.

The other three founding partners of IGAP are: The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) led by Sudha Seshadri at Boston University and supported in part by NIH (including NIH-supported databases from the AGES-Reykjavik Study and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study); the European Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (EADI) led by Philippe Amouyel of Lille University, France; and Genetic and Environmental Research in Alzheimer’s Disease (GERAD) led by Julie Williams of Cardiff University, Wales.

The efforts were also supported by the Alzheimer’s Association and an extensive number of international governmental, private, and public research groups.

Research goals under the U.S. National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease call for intensified exploration of the genetic underpinnings of the disease, with the goal of effectively treating Alzheimer’s and related disorders by 2025. The 2011 National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) calls for a stepped up national effort and coordination on research, care, and services for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The law mandated that the Department of Health and Human Services establish the national plan. For more on research milestones and progress under the Plan, visit http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/milestones/index.shtml.

Related Online Continuing Education (CE/CEU) Courses:


Professional Development Resources
is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

A Good Night’s Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer’s

By Gary Drevitch

A Good Night's Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer'sAs we learn more about potential ways to ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as we age, from exercise to diet to web surfing to marijuana use, a new study makes the case that getting a good night’s sleep just might be the most important thing we can do.

Our brain cells produce toxic waste products each day as they work. The new study, published this week in the journal Science, shows that while we sleep, the brain literally flushes out this gunk. The self-cleaning process, which scientists observed in resting mice, is a powerful illustration of the medical importance of sleep. Researchers had suspected that this self-cleaning went on in our heads each night, but the new study put the process, and its intensity, in far clearer focus. For example, the team witnessed that when the mice slept, brain cells actually shrunk in size, expanding the spaces in between them by as much as 60 percent and facilitating the flushing of waste.

“It’s like opening and closing a faucet,” said University of Rochester neurosurgeon Maiken Nedergaard, who directed the study.

At minimum, the research highlights the potential importance of regular sleep in slowing dementia, as well as the possible neurological risks of consistently getting too little sleep. When we stay up until late into the night, we may be preventing our brains from flushing toxins effectively. This may also explain why we can feel uncertain or cranky when we are sleep-deprived and perhaps why migraines and seizures appear to be exacerbated by poor rest.

A year ago, Nedergaard’s team identified the network for flushing waste from the brain and named it the glymphatic system. During this cleansing, cerebrospinal fluid circulates through brain tissue, carrying waste matter into the bloodstream toward the liver, where it is detoxified. Similar systems, she noted, have been detected in the brains of dogs and baboons. Neuroscientists now widely assume that this self-cleaning takes place in humans as well, but the next step will be to directly observe the process.

Read more @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/10/24/a-good-nights-sleep-could-ward-off-alzheimers/

Online Alzheimer’s Continuing Education (CE/CEU) Courses:


Professional Development Resources
is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: Intensifying the Research Effort is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews basic mechanisms and risk factors of AD and details recent research findings.

Alzheimer’s Disease Progress ReportThis course, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focuses on research findings reported and projects funded in 2011 and the first half of 2012. These highlights, prepared by NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA), the lead institute within NIH for Alzheimer’s research, covers work by an active scientific community. This work aims to elucidate the basic mechanisms and risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease, and then apply this knowledge to the development and testing of new interventions to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The efforts of researchers and clinicians—made possible by the many people who volunteer for clinical studies and trials—may one day lead to a future free of this devastating disorder. This course details some of the recent progress toward that goal. Topics include:

  • A Primer on AD and the Brain
  • Advancing the Future of Alzheimer’s Research
  • Prevalence of AD
  • Understanding the Biology of AD
  • The Genetics of AD
  • Assessing Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline and Dementia
  • Developing New Treatments for AD
  • Advances in Detecting AD
  • Caring for People with AD
  • Health Disparities and AD

 

Course #30-68 | 2012 | 39 pages | 21 posttest questions

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

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Alzheimer’s Awareness CE Sale

Alzheimer's Awareness CE Sale

It’s World Alzheimer’s Month. Across the globe, 35 million people and their families are affected by dementia. To help spread awareness, we are featuring all of our Alzheimer’s CE courses at 25% off now through Monday:

 

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

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