| Recently there has been a lot of reporting (why did it take so long?) about the Beijing airpocalypse. Levels of toxic smog not seen here in the US, even with forest fires and natural disasters. Colleagues and friends have traveled to China and commented on the poor quality air and burning in their lungs but I thought perhaps it was American pansy-mania not an actual daily burden. I was wrong. Many of the residents took to social media to sketch outlines of buildings obscured by the pollution. The picture here is actually the gate to Tiananmen. |  |
A New York Times article, Pollution May Age Brain, adds to the evidence that not only does air pollution cause inflammation and vascaular damage but we now have evidence for measurable decreases in white matter.
“This tells us that the damage air pollution can impart goes beyond the circulatory system,” said the lead author, Dr. Jiu-Chiuan Chen, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “Particles in the ambient air are an environmental neurotoxin to the aging brain.”
Another finding of interest, Louveau and colleagues identified lymphatic vessels in the central nervous system. You may be asking, "big whoop" but the importance here is that science had not identified a lymphatic drainage system in the CNS. This is a big finding for investigating chronic neuroinflammatory and neurodegnerative diseases associated with immune system dysregulation. Not to be too simplisitic but this finding identified an unknown connection between the brain and immune system. Think of the characteristic inflammation profiles of not only Alzheimer's disease but also multiple sclerosis and autism.
The final newsworthy item is increased funding for Alzheimer's research. The Older Americans Act authorization expired in 2011. While funding for the law has continued on auto-pilot through continuing resolutions, it has not been adjusted for inflation or to reflect the increasing number of elderly resource limited populations.
The 2016 Alzheimer's research budget will boost funding by $350 million to $936 million--even with its remarkable record of unremarkable insights or advances. The budget also provides $85 million Brain Research funding through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) research program and even increases Alzheimer’s research at the Pentagon by $15 million.
Think about investments in air quality, nutrition, housing, transportation, and home delivered meals allowing prevention or better resources for caregivers and patients already living with dementia. Policymakers and Alzheimer’s organizations need to pay attention.The data for reauthorizing the Older Americans Act is a lot more compelling. But not nearly as profitable to lobbyists or other special interest groups.
The 2016 Alzheimer's research budget will boost funding by $350 million to $936 million--even with its remarkable record of unremarkable insights or advances. The budget also provides $85 million Brain Research funding through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) research program and even increases Alzheimer’s research at the Pentagon by $15 million.
Think about investments in air quality, nutrition, housing, transportation, and home delivered meals allowing prevention or better resources for caregivers and patients already living with dementia. Policymakers and Alzheimer’s organizations need to pay attention.The data for reauthorizing the Older Americans Act is a lot more compelling. But not nearly as profitable to lobbyists or other special interest groups.
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