1 Christopher Marano, M.D. Assistant Professor Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Alzheimer’s Disease: What’s New on the Horizon March 25, 2015
44
Embed
1 Christopher Marano, M.D. Assistant Professor Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Johns.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
1
Christopher Marano, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Alzheimer’s Disease:What’s New on the HorizonMarch 25, 2015
Objectives
• Briefly review symptoms and causes of dementia
• Briefly review current treatments for Alzheimer’s dementia
• Future directions for Alzheimer’s treatment– Seeing amyloid in the living brain– Potential disease-modifying treatments– Can we prevent Alzheimer’s?
2
What is Dementia?
3
• Loss of thinking, memory and reasoning skills to a degree that seriously affects the ability to carry out daily activities
• Dementia itself is not a disease, but a group of symptoms (called a syndrome) caused by certain diseases or conditions
4
What Causes Dementia?
• The 2 most common causes of dementia are:
1. Alzheimer’s Disease – 60-70%
2. Vascular Dementia – 10-20%• Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia
often exist together (Mixed dementia)
5
Dementia is Common
Prevalence of severe (Mini-Mental State Examination score, <=9), moderate (Mini-Mental State Examination score, 10–17), and mild (Mini-Mental State Examination score, >=18) Alzheimer disease, in each of 3 age groups, in the community population providing data for these estimates.
Projected number of persons in US population with Alzheimer disease by age groups, 65 to 74 years old, 75 to 84 years old, and 85 years and older, using the 2000 US Census Bureau middle-series estimate of population growth.
Behavioral (or Neuropsychiatric) Symptoms of Dementia
• Delusions• Hallucinations• Agitation or
aggression• Depression or
dysphoria• Anxiety• Elation or euphoria
• Apathy or indifference
• Disinhibition• Irritability or lability• Motor disturbance• Nighttime behaviors• Appetite and eating
Cummings et al., Neurology, 199413
Symptoms of Alzheimer’sDisease
• Cognitive and functional symptoms are disease hallmarks
• However:– Neuropsychiatric symptoms are nearly universal– Associated with multiple adverse consequences
including worse quality of life, greater disability, accelerated cognitive or functional decline, greater caregiver burden, earlier institutionalization, and accelerated mortality1
141. Rabins PV, Lyketsos CG, Steele CD. Practical Dementia Care. Oxford University Press, New York, 2006
Current State of Care:Four Pillars of Dementia Care
1. Treat the Disease
2. Treat the Symptoms– Cognitive Symptoms– Neuropsychiatric Symptoms
3. Support the Patient
4. Support the Caregiver
Rabins, Lyketsos, Steele. Practical Dementia Care 2nd Edition, OUP, 200615
Treat the Disease
• No true disease modifying agents for Alzheimer’s Disease currently
• Emotional support and comfort (including support groups)
• Education• Instruction in the skills of caregiving• Problem solving and crisis intervention• Respite and time away• Attention to personal needs and wants• Be on the lookout for depression
Future Directions:The Promise of Research
• Four building blocks toward a cure:1. Discovery of potential treatments
2. Ability to test if the therapies work
3. Research teams to test the therapies
4. Patients willing to help find the cure by being in studies
25
Visualizing Amyloid in theLiving Brain
• Florbetapir (Amyvid) PET Scan• FDA-approved in 2012• Limitations:
– What does a positive scan mean? (especially without a disease modifying treatment)
– Not reimbursed by insurance as of yet
26
Typical Negative andPositive Florbetapir Scans
Yang L et al. N Engl J Med 2012;367:885-887.
Altering Amyloid in the Brain
• Potential future treatments currently being tested that remove, decrease the production or change the composition of amyloid in the brain
• Vaccines, antibodies, enzyme inhibitors
28
A Preliminary Study of Carvedilolfor the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Carvedilol is a beta-blocker long used to treat heart disease
• May reduce the aggregation of amyloid• Currently enrolling participants for a 6-
month trial at Johns Hopkins Bayview
29
SNIFF: Study of Nasal Insulin to Fight Forgetfulness
• Growing evidence that insulin has multiple functions in brain and that poor insulin regulation may contribute to development of Alzheimer’s
• Examine effects of intranasally-administered insulin in amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease
• Currently enrolling participants for a 18-month study at Johns Hopkins Bayview
30
DIADS-3: Venlafaxine for Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease
• Large studies of various depressants in patients with both AD and depression fail to show a benefit compared to placebo
• Venlafaxine (Effexor) is a commonly used antidepressant that acts on 2 different brain chemicals (serotonin and norepinephrine)
• Currently enrolling participants for a 12-week study at Johns Hopkins Bayview
31
Challenges in Developing Better Treatments for Alzheimer’s
• May need to start much earlier– Amyloid deposition starts years before symptoms
• We may not be able to remove enough amyloid safely (adverse events)
• Amyloid may not cause the symptoms of dementia
32
Can We Prevent Alzheimer’sDisease? (1)
• Potentially modifiable dementia risk factors are vascular risk factors– Smoking– Hypertension in midlife– High body mass index (overweight) in
midlife– High cholesterol in midlife– Diabetes
33
Can We Prevent Alzheimer’sDisease? (2)
• How to lower vascular risk factors: Control hypertension, cholesterol, stop smoking, weight loss
• Mediterranean diet : unsaturated fats and anti-oxidants
• Education and exercise are cognitive protective factors so:– Participate in mental and physical exercise
34
Key Components of the Mediterranean Diet
• Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
• Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
• Eating small portions of nuts• Drinking red wine, in moderation (flavinoids =
anti-oxidants)• Consuming very little red meat • Eating fish on a regular basis
35
Mental Health Resources for Seniors and Families
• Primary Care Physician• Specialist care with a neurologist,
psychiatrist or geriatrician if needed• Local Department of Aging• Local Health Department
36
Mental Health Resources for Seniors and Families
• Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org– Greater Maryland Chapter