Groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Research Revealed at AAIC® in Amsterdam

With more than 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease today, researchers are working tirelessly to advance science that will lead to earlier detection, preventions and additional new treatments for Alzheimer’s and all dementia.

In July, more than 10,000 researchers attended the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC®) 2023 both in person in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and virtually to share the latest in Alzheimer’s and dementia science. AAIC is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community. Highlights include:

• Advances in treatment offer even more hope. Data by Eli Lilly from the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Phase 3 clinical trial of donanemab found the drug significantly slowed cognitive and functional decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. The company has submitted this data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with a decision expected by the end of the year.
• Report of the first-ever U.S. county-level Alzheimer’s prevalence estimates. A new report published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, and presented at AAIC 2023, reveal Essex county, Mercer county, Burlington county, Bergen county and Atlantic County are among the counties with the highest prevalence of people living with Alzheimer’s in New Jersey. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that the eastern and southeastern U.S. have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia. Higher percentages of older people and Black and Hispanic, all groups at higher risk for the disease, may explain the elevated prevalence in those regions. The findings can help guide the allocation of resources to public health programs for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s in those regions.
• Volunteering later in life may promote a healthy brain. A study of an ethnic and racially diverse population of older adults found that volunteering was associated with better baseline scores on tests of memory, thinking and planning.
• Advancements in blood tests for Alzheimer’s. Researchers found a simple, finger prick blood test shows promise in the ability to detect markers of Alzheimer’s using a single drop of blood. If validated, this test could offer a quick, noninvasive and cost-effective option that is simple enough to be performed independently.
• Chronic constipation may be bad for your cognition. A new report shows individuals with bowel movements every three days or more had significantly worse cognition, equivalent to three years more of chronological cognitive aging, than those with healthy bowel movement patterns.
• Opioid use is associated with increased death in people with dementia. Researchers found new opioid use in older adults with dementia is associated with a significantly increased risk of death, including an eleven-fold increase in the first two weeks.

Darina Petrovsky, PhD, RN, a core faculty member at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University School of Nursing, and community educator with Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter, was at AAIC to participate in a poster presentation of her latest research. She is a funded researcher from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), studying how sleep and music can reduce stress and positively affect behaviors of seniors diagnosed with memory issues.

Dr. Petrovsky explains, “Music-based interventions have long been used for memory disorders. Research is beginning to uncover how music activates different areas of the brain and contribute to person’s well-being.”

She continues, “Music is unique - you have this pairing of not just sounds, but the words and the movement. Your brain has to pair the words with the sounds and the sounds with the instruments. In a choir, people are matching what they're seeing and they're becoming more in sync with people around them."

“There is great progress in Alzheimer’s and dementia research,” said Cheryl Ricci-Francione, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter. “This year at AAIC, we gained insights into treatment, early and accurate diagnosis, and our understanding of risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The work of the scientific community holds great promise for the future.”

The Alzheimer's Association is available with information and support for families as they navigate the disease and related research. For more information, visit alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.