Neurosciences - July 2014 Archives

PHOENIX — A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that the care and support family members give to elderly widows following the death of their spouse may be a factor in delaying dementia. The study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark last week was designed to evaluate the effects of widowhood in people with mild cognitive impairment - a precursor of dementia.  The thinking had been that widowhood would accelerate the development of dementia in people with MCI but the study showed the opposite. Mayo Clinic researchers used data on more than 3,500 people from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center database, which compiles information collected at various Alzheimer’s disease Centers in the U.S. The researchers found that of the 1,078 subjects who developed dementia, people who remained married developed dementia at a younger age than those who were widowed (83 years old versus 92 years). MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222, mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7W0gS6M_TQ A Third Protein Provides Clue Since the time of Dr. Alois Alzheimer himself, two proteins (beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau) have become tantamount to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). But a Mayo Clinic study challenges the perception that these are the only important proteins accounting for the clinical features of the devastating disease. In a large clinico-imaging pathological study, Mayo Clinic researchers demonstrated that a third protein (TDP-43) plays a major role in AD pathology. In fact, people whose brain was TDP positive were 10 times more likely to be cognitively impaired at death compared to those who didn’t have the protein, showing that TDP-43 has the potential to overpower what has been termed resilient brain aging. The study was published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica. MEDIA CONTACT: Duska Anastasijevic, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic also earned the No. 1 overall spot on the “Best Hospitals” list PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix is ranked No. 1 in Arizona and the Phoenix metro area in the 25th U.S. News & World Report annual America’s Best Hospital List released today. Hospitals included in the U.S. News Report such as the Mayo Clinic, are part of an elite group recognized for “breadth of excellence,” according to the magazine.  Mayo Clinic in Arizona ranked nationally in 10 specialties including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, ear, nose & throat, gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and urology. In addition, Mayo Clinic in Arizona is recognized as high performing in diabetes and endocrinology. http://youtu.be/wNPvlHYKtIM

PHOENIX — In response to growing concerns about concussions and head injuries in youth sports, Arizona Pop Warner Football and Cheer and Mayo Clinic have announced a groundbreaking collaboration that will provide intensive medical research about the effects of sports-related injuries. As part of the program, all participants ages 10 years and older in Arizona Pop Warner’s flag and tackle football programs, as well as all participants in the organization’s cheerleading programs, will be required to complete a comprehensive evaluation prior to play that will provide a baseline for future testing in the event of an injury. This baseline evaluation will provide immediate data when testing young athletes after an injury, helping physicians determine the nature and extent of the injury and helping to assess a timeline for return to competition. David Dodick, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and an expert in concussion care and director of the Mayo Clinic Concussion Program, was invited to join President Barack Obama and other medical experts at the White House in late May. The effort between Arizona Pop Warner Football and Cheer and Mayo Clinic is one of the first  of its kind since President Obama’s call-to-action on May 29 at the White House, assembling prominent athletic organizations, athletes and medical experts to join the Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit. The two organizations are working to get the concussion protocol executed before the start of the 2014 season. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222 mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu. MEDIA CONTACT: Morgan Ringwald, Arizona Pop Warner Football and Cheer, 480-249-6601, morgan@agencyG.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5im7vNnaCM ROCHESTER, Minn. — Seventy-five years ago, on July 4th 1939, baseball legend Lou Gehrig delivered the famous speech bidding farewell to the ballpark and his fans. Two weeks before Gehrig had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Accompanied by his wife, Eleanor, Lou left Mayo Clinic with the devastating diagnosis on June 20th 1939, a day after his 36th birthday. He died in June two years later, not quite 38 years old, of the rare neurological disease that would come to bear his name. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Journalists, the video package and addition b-roll are available in the downloads. To read the video script click here. ALS is a type of progressive motor neuron disease that typically strikes at middle to later life and causes nerve cells in spinal cord, brain stem and brain to gradually break down and die. These nerve cells are responsible for muscle function so eventually, ALS can affect