A study published in Nature found clear evidence of a direct connection between inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease, reports ScienceDaily . A protein known as IFITM3 that plays a role in the immune response to pathogens also is involved in the buildup of beta-amyloid in plaques. The researchers learned that IFITM3 changes the activity of an enzyme called gamma-secretase, which segments precursor proteins into the fragments of beta-amyloid that constitute plaques. The protein's removal decreased the enzyme's activity, and reduced the number of plaques that formed in a mouse model of Alzheimer's. The implication of these findings is that viral and bacterial infections could elevate the risk of Alzheimer's development, as the concentration of IFITM3 in human brain samples correlated with levels of certain viral infections and with gamma-secretase activity and beta-amyloid production. Moreover, the levels of both inflammatory markers and IFITM3 rose with advancing age in mice. In addition, IFITM3 increased in a subset of late onset Alzheimer's patients, suggesting the protein could find use as a biomarker to identify a subset who might benefit from therapies that target it.

A study in Science Advances indicates that problems in spatial navigation are detectable in people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease, reports Technology Networks . Animals and humans are able to follow their own position in space through self-motion cues, even when other sensory information is lacking — a skill called path integration; scientists assume that this ability is governed by the activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex. When navigating a spatial environment, these cells exhibit a unique activity pattern, and the entorhinal cortex is one of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer's. An earlier study showed grid cells' function changes in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's, although test subjects had no obvious navigation problems. "We assume that they used compensatory mechanisms to find their way, presumably via external cues in their surroundings," said Professor Nikolai Axmacher at Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Universitätsklinikum Freiburg. The new study involved a computerized navigation task in which participants could not use external landmarks. The team compared the navigation performance of 202 volunteers without genetic Alzheimer's risk and 65 volunteers with increased genetic risk who had a specific expression of the gene for apolipoprotein E, the APOE-e4 allele. Participants with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's performed less well than the controls, and further analysis with magnetic resonance imaging found grid cell representations in the entorhinal cortex were associated with navigation without external cues.

A study in EBioMedicine determined that fungi in the gut linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and found in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be beneficially modified with a Mediterranean ketogenic diet, reports EurekAlert . The researchers sequenced the fungal rRNA ITS1 gene in 17 older adults — 11 with diagnosed MCI and six with normal cognition — prior to and following a six-week intervention of a modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet or the American Heart Association Diet. "Although we do not fully understand how these fungi contribute to Alzheimer's disease, this is the first study of its kind to reveal their role in our mental health, which we hope will ignite thinking in the scientific community to develop better understanding of them in relation to Alzheimer's disease," said Wake Forest School of Medicine Professor Hariom Yadav. "It also indicates that dietary habits such as eating a ketogenic diet can reduce harmful fungi in the gut which might help in reducing Alzheimer's disease processes in the brain."

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has awarded researchers from the University of Alabama (UA) and Florida International University $1.6 million to develop touchscreen technology to improve communication between dementia patients and caregivers, reports Patch . UA School of Social Work Professor Nicole Ruggiano announced that people with dementia often struggle to communicate about their daily care and symptoms, which can cause "care-resistant behaviors" misunderstood by caregivers. The technology to be funded will resemble the sensory and communication boards used for students with autism. "It'll be a customizable tablet with all the things the person really likes — pictures of their favorite foods, their favorite clothing," Ruggiano noted. "So, when caregivers are engaging with them, if they have trouble with words or confusion due to cognition problems, it'll make caregiving activities a lot easier." Ruggiano also will create a resource database for dementia care across Alabama using a $150,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, along with a group of UA computer science faculty. She cited the current lack of a standard database or resource repository, and the planned database would require crowdsourced data from caregivers and providers.

Students at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) in Florida are spending this week collecting written letters, greeting cards, and poems to give to seniors at the local Miracle Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation assistant living community, reports WCTV . Many such communities have barred visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the student participants hope their efforts will help spread a little joy among isolated residents. The letters will be delivered to residents this coming Friday afternoon. TCC Director of Student Affairs Charles Davis has been urging students to get more involved in the local community during this crisis. "Being that the seniors are a population that has been affected a lot by COVID-19, we decided to show our love and appreciation to them," he noted.

A study in the Disability & Health Journal found that older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use fitness trackers are noting greater amounts of physical activity, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers held a survey to evaluate fitness tracker use in 440 adults older than 60 with MS. Twenty-eight percent said they were fitness tracker users, and were more likely to report having relapsing-remitting MS, reduced disability, higher income, and higher rates of employment. There also were statistically significant differences in the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire total score and health-promoting physical activity score between fitness tracker users and those who did not use the trackers. A correlation also was observed between both scores and self-reported step counts among fitness tracker users. "Further research is warranted investigating fitness tracker use and interests among older adults with MS and how technology may be applied as a behavioral tool to increase physical activity among this growing portion of the MS population," the authors concluded.

U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir announced on Tuesday that the government will ship rapid coronavirus tests to assisted living communities, ahead of senior day care communities and home health agencies, reports the Associated Press . The tests will come from an inventory of 150 million ordered from Abbott Laboratories. The procedure is the first that does not need specialty computer equipment to process, delivering results in about 15 minutes and only costing $5. "The distribution plan will make sure there are enough tests in the system so that these individuals can get tested roughly along the same lines as people in the nursing homes," Giroir promised. "We are expanding from the highest risk to the next risk." The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living welcomed the move as "a positive step in the right direction," although issues concerning resupplying tests must be addressed. Giroir expects the tests to circulate in two to three weeks, with the Defense Department overseeing their delivery to more than 20,000 assisted living communities.

The Anchor Way Senior Care assisted living community in Crowley, Texas, has erected a plastic "visitation suite" that residents can sit inside while visiting with a maximum of three family members during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports CBS Dallas-Fort Worth . Each resident can enjoy a non-contact visit of up to half an hour. However, all family members must wear a mask during the entire visit, and wash their hands or sanitize before entering the suite. All visitors also have to allow staff to screen them for the virus in accordance with state, local, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Visits are by appointment only, and at least one staffer must be on hand the entire time. The owners of the community say this arrangement will allow families to see and converse with their loved ones close up within a comfortable, climate-controlled setting.

A study published in Clinical Gerontologist finds a positive association between use of medical cannabis by those older than 60 with self-reported improvements in subjects' health-related quality of life, reports the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) . The researchers also reported significant improvement in healthcare utilization scores and pain symptoms. "Many seniors likely experimented first-hand with cannabis during their youth and are now returning to it as a potential therapy to mitigate many of the health-related symptoms that come with older age, including chronic pain," said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. "Many seniors are well aware of the litany of serious adverse side-effects associated with available prescription drugs, like opioids, and they perceive medical cannabis to be a viable alternative."

Blacks and Latinos are underrepresented in clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease treatments, reports the Wall Street Journal . Stephanie Monroe with the African American Network Against Alzheimer's says this is mainly because none are asked to participate — while research indicates most would get involved if invited, but many have limited access to physicians. Carl Hill at the Alzheimer's Association says cost can be a shortcoming, and his organization is working with the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National Hispanic Council on Aging to raise awareness of clinical trials and their value. The association also hosts an online trial match service to help link people with Alzheimer's disease to research studies. Genentech's Quita Highsmith says a critical turning point has been reached, and the biotechnology company has established an external steering committee to consider inclusion and exclusion criteria for biases, like requiring a certain body-mass index. Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation President John Dwyer adds that minority participation targets should be built into trials from the beginning. One coming trial that will search for markers in the blood to ascertain Alzheimer's risk demands that 20 percent of the participants be either African-American or Latino.