There are some interesting research updates coming out of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. One finding that caught my eye was a report on behavioral changes that might precede significant cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's and other dementia. This is being labelled "mild behavioral impairment" and like mild cognitive impairment may precede the clinical presentation of a dementia. The Alzheimer's Association has put together a committee to formalize these criteria. The behavioral changes must be not characteristic of the individual and be present for at least six months. The slide accompanying this post lists some of the behavioral warning signs being considered for "mild cognitive impairment". Read about this effort in the Medical Xpress story HERE. Follow me on Twitter WRY999
Alzheimer's Association: This 3 minute video examines the importance of clinical trials to study the effect of new medications for Alzheimer's disease. Better treatments are desperately needed. There are not enough clinical trial subjects with Alzheimer's disease. In this video, the Alzheimer's Association presents information about the trialmatch program. This program makes it easy for finding local clinical trials.
Seth Rogen and Fiancee Interview: Seth Rogen and his fiancee discuss her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In this 3 minute video, Larry King asks whether Rogen's fiancee has been tested for the illness. She responds appropriately that since there is not yet an effective treatment, there is little support for testing relatives of those with Alzheimer's disease.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth: In this excellent New York Times series titled "Patient Voices" patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth described the effect of the illness on their life. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (or CMT) is a neurological disorder that effects the peripheral nerves in the legs, hands and feet.
A good summary of the genetics of CMT is here at Wikipedia.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Another Patient Voices slide show focussed on obsessive compulsive disorder. This video highlights the variability of symptoms found in OCD. This video also describes some of the benefit of behavior therapy in the treatment of OCD.
