Fake Bus Stop Helps Detain Alzheimer's Patients

Blair Walker in the AARP Bulletin Anyone who has cared for a family member or loved one with Alzheimer’s knows that patients can occasionally wander off and become lost. In Dusseldorf, Germany, the Benrath Senior Center has addressed the problem by erecting a fake bus stop right outside the facility to detain residents who stray. Richard Neureither, Benrath’s director, says center residents intent on returning to often nonexistent homes and families frequently make a beeline for the green-and-yellow bus stop sign and are easily corralled. “Five minutes later, they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave,” Neureither says.

Functioning of People with Mental Disorders (R01)

Purpose. Although considerable advances have been made in improving the symptoms associated with mental disorders, symptom improvement is often only modestly associated with improvements in daily functioning (i.e., the performance of social, occupational, and instrumental tasks of daily living), and most current treatments have limited impact on the functioning and participation of those with mental disorders. The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is the application of biobehavioral science methods and approaches to: a) develop and refine definitions and measures of function, disability, and daily participation relevant to those with mental disorders; b) understand the ecological mechanisms, independent of symptom severity, that contribute to functioning and disability in this population; and c) develop and test novel interventions that specifically and directly target functional capacity and performance deficits of this population. Emphasis will be on the application of basic behavioral processes (e.g., cognition, affect, knowledge, attitudes, motivation, learning, decision-making, interpersonal processes), and environmental parameters (e.g., social support, structural adaptations, community involvement) that influence functional outcome. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism. Applications of identical scientific scope and appropriateness for the grant mechanism are encouraged also under the NIH Small Research Grant (R03), the NIMH Clinical Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R34), and the NIMH Collaborative Grants Program (Collaborative R01) award mechanisms, responding to FOAs PA-06-180, PA-06-248, and PA-07-092, respectively. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Awards issued under this FOA are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Budget and Project Period. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this funding opportunity may not exceed 5 years. Applicants for an R01 award are not limited in dollars but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. Application Research Plan Component Length: The R01 application Research Plan component of the PHS398 (Items 2-5) may not exceed 25 pages, including tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts (see also http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htm). Eligible Institutions/Organizations. Institutions/organizations listed in Section III, 1.A. are eligible to apply. Eligible Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs). Include Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution/organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. Number of PDs/PIs. More than one PD/PI (i.e., multiple PDs/PIs), may be designated on the application. Number of Applications. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. Application Materials. See Section IV.1 for application materials.

Music as Medicine for the Brain

Neurologists like Oliver Sacks are prescribing it for conditions from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to stroke and depression By Matthew Shulman Posted July 17, 2008, US News & World Report

Music therapy has been practiced for decades as a way to treat neurological conditions from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to anxiety and depression. Now, advances in neuroscience and brain imaging are revealing what's actually happening in the brain as patients listen to music or play instruments and why the therapy works. "It's been substantiated only in the last year or two that music therapy can help restore the loss of expressive language in patients with aphasia" following brain injury from stroke, says Oliver Sacks, the noted neurologist and professor at Columbia University, who explored the link between music and the brain in his recent book Musicophilia. Beyond improving movement and speech, he says, music can trigger the release of mood-altering brain chemicals and once-lost memories and emotions.

Relaxation Training for Anxiety: A Ten-Years Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

From BMC Psychiatry Gian Mauro Manzoni; Francesco Pagnini; Gianluca Castelnuovo; Enrico Molinari

Abstract

Background:

Relaxation training is a common treatment for anxiety problems. Lacking is a recent quantitative meta-analysis that enhances understanding of the variability and clinical significance of anxiety reduction outcomes after relaxation treatment.

Methods:

All studies (1997-2007), both RCT, observational and without control group, evaluating the efficacy of relaxation training (Jacobson's progressive relaxation, autogenic training, applied relaxation and meditation) for anxiety problems and disorders were identified by comprehensive electronic searches with Pubmed, Psychinfo and Cochrane Registers, by checking references of relevant studies and of other reviews. Our primary outcome was anxiety measured with psychometric questionnaires. Meta-analysis was undertaken synthesizing the data from all trials, distinguishing within and between effect sizes.

Results:

27 studies qualified for the inclusion in the meta-analysis. As hypothesized, relaxation training showed a medium-large effect size in the treatment of anxiety. Cohen's d was .57 (95% CI: .52 to .68) in the within analysis and .51 (95% CI: .46 to .634) in the between group analysis. Efficacy was higher for meditation, among volunteers and for longer treatments. Implications and limitations are discussed.Conclusion: The results show consistent and significant efficacy of relaxation training in reducing anxiety. This meta-analysis extends the existing literature through facilitation of a better understanding of the variability and clinical significance of anxiety improvement subsequent to relaxation training.

Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States

Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States (ADDGS) Program: Evidence-Based Intervention Grants to Better Serve People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD).

Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2008-AOA-AE-0812

Current Closing Date for Applications: Aug 11, 2008

Expected Number of Awards: 10 Award Ceiling: $800,000 Award Floor: $500,000

Effective, Robust Design of Community Mitigation for Pandemic Influenza: A Systematic Examination of Proposed US Guidance

Davey VJ, Glass RJ, Min HJ, Beyeler WE, Glass LM (2008) Effective, Robust Design of Community Mitigation for Pandemic Influenza: A Systematic Examination of Proposed US Guidance. PLoS ONE 3(7): e2606 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002606 The US government proposes pandemic influenza mitigation guidance that includes isolation and antiviral treatment of ill persons, voluntary household member quarantine and antiviral prophylaxis, social distancing of individuals, school closure, reduction of contacts at work, and prioritized vaccination. Is this the best strategy combination? Is choice of this strategy robust to pandemic uncertainties? What are critical enablers of community resilience? The full research article with findings and conclusions.

Cane Use May Reduce Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis Progression

From Arthritis Care Research News Alerts common, incurable joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in elderly people. While nearly any joint can be affected, OA most often strikes the knee, particularly the inner aspect of the tibiofemoral joint. One source of stress on this vulnerable joint compartment is the knee adduction moment, an indication of weight placement while walking. A 20 percent increase in the peak knee adduction moment is associated with a 6-fold or greater increase in the risk of knee OA progression over 6 years. To reduce knee load, pain and damage in knee OA patients, physicians often prescribe two inexpensive interventions: footwear and cane use. While these simple strategies have the potential to alter the knee adduction moment, there is little research attesting to their specific benefits for knee OA sufferers. To assess the immediate effects of walking shoes and a walking cane on the peak knee adduction moment in people with knee OA, researchers at the University of Melbourne turned to 3-dimensional (3-D) gait analysis. Their findings, featured in the May 2008 issue of Arthritis Care & Research (www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritis), strongly support using a cane on a regular basis to reduce the load borne across the knee, while underscoring the urgent need for studies into which aspects of shoe design best support the treatment of knee OA patients.