Fondation Alzheimer

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most frequent cause of dementia, is escalating as a global epidemic, and so far, there is neither cure nor treatment to alter its progression. The most important feature of the disease is neuronal death and loss of cognitive functions, caused probably from several pathological processes in the brain. The main neuropathological features of AD are widely described as amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles of the aggregated protein tau, which contribute to the disease. Nevertheless, AD brains suffer from a variety of alterations in function, such as energy metabolism, inflammation and synaptic activity. The latest decades have seen an explosion of genes and molecules that can be employed as targets aiming to improve brain physiology, which can result in preventive strategies for AD. Moreover, therapeutics using these targets can help AD brains to sustain function during the development of AD pathology. Here, we review broadly recent information for potential targets that can modify AD through diverse pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches including gene therapy. We propose that AD could be tackled not only using combination therapies including Aβ and tau, but also considering insulin and cholesterol metabolism, vascular function, synaptic plasticity, epigenetics, neurovascular junction and blood-brain barrier targets that have been studied recently. We also make a case for the role of gut microbiota in AD. Our hope is to promote the continuing research of diverse targets affecting AD and promote diverse targeting as a near-future strategy.

ABSTRACTEnvironmental psychology has been a topic of great interest for many researchers in the field of aging and dementia. Thus, several orientations can be identified in the contemporary scientific literature concerning environmental design for people with dementia. In this article, we discuss recent research on environmental design models for people with dementia and propose an approach referring to the concept of use of space and human rights.We use a methodology based on observation of special care units to determine an environmental design framework that should be taken into account when designing residential facilities for people with dementia. Content analysis identified 6 primary dimensions and 13 secondary dimensions relevant to the rights of people with dementia. We then discuss the results according to the related literature in environmental psychology and gerontology in terms of well-being and quality of life.

IntroductionThe Third National Alzheimer Plan (2008–2012) was a major public health initiative in France that included €200 million of funding for research in Alzheimer disease and related disorders (AD). The aim of this study was to document trends in French academic output in AD following the implementation of the plan.MethodsAcademic output (i.e., number of original articles) and scientific impact (i.e., article citations) of French research in AD were obtained from the Web of Knowledge core collection database. Analyses compared the 5-year period immediately before (2004–2008) and after (2009–2013) initiation of the plan. Comparisons were made with stroke, Parkinson disease, AIDS, and diabetes in the 14 leading countries worldwide and regionally within France.ResultsWorldwide production of original scientific articles between the periods 2004–2008 and 2009–2013 increased by 39 %, and that for AD increased by 46 %. China showed the largest increase and Japan the smallest. The absolute increase in French output on AD (54.6 %) was larger than that for stroke, Parkinson disease, AIDS, or diabetes. Globally, France had the third largest relative increase in output in AD (1.7-fold), behind only India (2.5-fold) and China (1.9-fold). There was a relative 2.3-fold increase in the proportion of French AD articles in the top 1 % globally most cited, larger than that for French articles on stroke, Parkinson disease, AIDS, or diabetes. At the national level, university hospitals participated in nearly 50 % of French AD publications. Analyses by geographical area demonstrated marked heterogeneity. We observed a strong correlation between level of funding and volume of output (R2 = 0.70), but not between funding and article impact (proportion of top 10 % globally cited articles; correlation R2 = 0.03).ConclusionsOur study provides evidence of a specific positive impact of the funding provided by the Third National Alzheimer Plan in nearly doubling the global academic scientific output and increasing by 2.3-fold the top 1 % globally cited articles of France in AD research. Our bibliometric analyses provide objective and transparent information for policy makers on the relationship between research funding and academic output.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13195-015-0144-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders (ADRD) represent a major challenge for health care systems within the aging population. It is therefore important to develop better instruments to assess the disease severity and progression, as well as to improve its treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. This is the underlying idea for the development of Serious Games (SG). These are digital applications specially adapted for purposes other than entertaining; such as rehabilitation, training and education. Recently, there has been an increase of interest in the use of SG targeting patients with ADRD. However, this field is completely uncharted, and the clinical, ethical, economic and research impact of the employment of SG in these target populations has never been systematically addressed. The aim of this paper is to systematically analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of employing SG with patients with ADRD in order to provide practical recommendations for the development and use of SG in these populations. These analyses and recommendations were gathered, commented on and validated during a 2-round workshop in the context of the 2013 Clinical Trial of Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference, and endorsed by stakeholders in the field. The results revealed that SG may offer very useful tools for professionals involved in the care of patients suffering from ADRD. However, more interdisciplinary work should be done in order to create SG specifically targeting these populations. Furthermore, in order to acquire more academic and professional credibility and acceptance, it will be necessary to invest more in research targeting efficacy and feasibility. Finally, the emerging ethical challenges should be considered a priority.

Deux ouvrages viennent de sortir et s’adressent aux aides médico-psychologiques. Ces professionnelles s’occupent soit des personnes âgées, soit des personnes handicapées. Le premier livre (Assistant de soins en gérontologie) est l’œuvre de deux gériatres, les docteurs Jean Pierre Aquino et Benoît Lavallard et d’une psychologue Judith Mollard. Ils ont coordonné les contributions de collaborateurs de diverses disciplines (diététique, musique, économie, psychomotricité, professions sociales), o...

Konfigurationen der familiären Hilfen für pflegebedürftige ältere Menschen in Europa. Anhand der Erhebung Share lässt sich untersuchen, welche Hilfe die Kinder den pfl egebedürftigen älteren Menschen von mindestens 65 Jahren in den europäischen Ländern leisten. Welche individuellen Verhaltensweisen führen zu Konfi gurationen familiärer Hilfe? Zwei Arten der Unterstützung kommen in Betracht, je nach dem, ob die Kinder mit ihren pfl egebedürftigen Eltern zusammenleben oder nicht. Der Anteil der älteren pfl egebedürftigen Menschen, die von ihrer Umgebung in irgendeiner Form Hilfe erhalten, ist bemerkenswert homogen: von 79 % in Schweden und in den Niederlanden bis 87 % in Italien. In den nordeuropäischen Ländern wird das seltenere Zusammenleben verschiedener Generationen durch eine häufi gere Hilfe der Kinder kompensiert. In den sechs untersuchten Ländern ist die Unterstützung der Kinder größer, wenn der Grad der Pfl egebedürftigkeit des Elternteils höher ist oder letzterer ohne Ehepartner lebt. Allerdings spiegelt sich das Nord-Süd-Gefälle in der Art und Weise wider, in der die Kinder bei Fehlen des Ehepartners ihren pfl egebedürftigen Elternteil unterstützen: vermehrtes Zusammenleben der Töchter im Süden und Ausweitung der Hilfe "von Fern“ durch die Söhne wie auch die Töchter im Norden. Lebt der Ehepartner beim pfl egebedürftigen Elternteil, ändert sich die Unterstützungslogik der Kinder. Bei Unterstützung des pfl egebedürftigen Elternteils durch seinen Ehepartner hängt die Hilfe der Kinder von individuellen Entscheidungen ab, deren Wahrscheinlichkeit mit der Zahl der Kinder zunimmt. Die Unterstützung von Elternteilen ohne Ehepartner würde dagegen einer Geschwisterlogik folgen, die ihnen unabhängig von der Zahl ihrer Kinder eine gleichwertige Hilfe gewährleistet. Bei zwei Geschwistern, deren Elternteil allein lebt, ist eine asymmetrische Wechselwirkung zwischen den Verhaltensweisen des älteren und des jüngeren Kinds festzustellen. Im Schnitt würde die Unterstützung des jüngeren von derjenigen des älteren Kinds abhängen (die Wahrscheinlichkeit der Unterstützung durch das jüngere Kind ist geringer, wenn sich das ältere um die Eltern kümmert), aber nicht umgekehrt.