Brain Support Network

It’s taken me a long time to confront that reality and to understand that feeling that way wasn’t evil or heartless; in fact, it was perhaps the most compassionate response I could have had.

But when she got sick, especially toward the end, when she was really sick, when I was in my late twenties, her death couldn’t have come quickly enough for me.

She used to love telling me that when she died, I could have her jewelry, and would even go so far as to force me to pick out a piece that would remind me of her the most while I sobbed into my pajama top, beside myself with the knowledge that she would one day die. I was 11.

She was hilarious, glamorous, the life of every party, and partial to some emotional manipulation to ensure we remembered her.

I ought to start this by saying that I absolutely adored my grandmother. I lived with her for a good portion of my childhood and teens, and she has shaped the person I am today.

I Really Wanted My Grandmother to Die And I’m no longer ashamed about it

I Really Wanted My Grandmother to Die
And I’m no longer ashamed about it

opensecretsmagazine.com/p/alzheimers...

Brain Donation - Robin Riddle - PSP/CBD Symposium June 29, 2024

The donation of Robin’s father's brain in 2007 to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, was Robin’s first organization of a brain donation. Brain Support Network has arranged over 1,400 brain donations.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=whua...

The only way to definitively diagnose an atypical parkinsonism disorder is by postmortem microscopic analysis of brain tissue.

When a Board-certified neurologist delivers a diagnosis for any of the four atypical parkinsonism disorders, the probability that the diagnosis is incorrect is approximately 50%.

Atypical parkinsonism disorders are difficult to diagnose because (a) there is no chemical test of blood or tissue, (b) there is no imaging test, and (c) the various disorders have similar symptoms and even share symptoms with non-parkinsonism disorders.

This table provides a brief summary of the differences among atypical parkinsonism disorders. Most exhibit parkinsonism symptoms; some exhibit dementia symptoms; each is identified by specific mis-folded proteins visible in the brain upon autopsy.

Read: www.brainsupportnetwork.org/education/at...

When the researchers looked at their health six years after those diagnoses, they found that the veterans with sleep apnea were nearly twice as likely to have developed Parkinson’s disease compared with those who had not been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

The group was predominantly male with an average age of 60, representing those at highest risk for sleep apnea, experts said. The researchers found that about 14% of the participants had been diagnosed with sleep apnea between 1999 and 2022, according to their medical records.

The Seattle Times: Sleep Apnea Linked to Parkinson’s Disease, New Study Finds

The researchers analyzed medical records from more than 11 million U.S. veterans treated through the Department of Veterans Affairs between 1999 and 2022.

www.seattletimes.com/nation-world...

Led by Dr Ayse Ulusoy at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DNZE), this preclinical project will evaluate Theracurmin in models of #Parkinson’s to determine whether it is able to slow progression.

New iLCT Pipeline study: Theracurmin

Cure Parkinson’s is excited to announce the funding of the fourth preclinical project as part of our iLCT Pipeline Research Acceleration Programme.

cureparkinsons.org.uk/2025/11/new-...

#parkinsons

That's because Alzheimer's disease first affects the part of the brain that handles short-term memory. Older memories are stored elsewhere and often remain accessible for much longer.

An individual living with Alzheimer's or another dementia may not remember what they had for breakfast, but they can often recall memories from long ago — a favorite song, a childhood friend or a beloved hobby.

Alzheimer's Association's Reminiscence and Reminiscence Therapy

Reminiscence and reminiscence therapy may be beneficial to the well-being of people living with #Alzheimer's or another dementia.

Learn more: www.alz.org/help-support...

From @alzassociation.bsky.social

...how we can participate in research, and encourage legislators to fund research for better treatments and the hope for a cure. Part of the “Virtual Speaker Forum” webinar series.

Bas Bloem, MD PhD, co-author of “Ending Parkinson’s Disease, a Recipe for Action,” Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands, will discuss what makes a pandemic, why PD is now a pandemic, the prognosis for society...

Webinar: The Parkinson’s Pandemic — Why Is It a Pandemic?

Saturday, December 13, 10:30am (postponed from November)

Host: PD Active, Berkeley, CA

Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#parkinsons

Emma Heming Willis Says Holidays Are Still 'Joyous' with Husband Bruce Willis: 'It Just Looks Different' (Exclusive) Emma Heming Willis speaks to PEOPLE at the End Well 2025 conference about husband Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. Christmas with the family is 'different' b...

Emma Heming Willis: Holidays Are 'Joyous' and 'Different' with Bruce Willis
(Exclusive)

people.com/emma-heming-...

“Ask for help or pay for help for those things that are tiring and suck energy from you. Add to your calendar things that energize you or give you peace.” – Local Support Group Member

[When] LATE occurs in conjunction with Alzheimer’s, it exacerbates symptoms and speeds decline..."

The author notes that past drug trials of Alzheimer's treatments may have failed because participants actually had LATE and Alzheimer's. Excerpts: "On its own, LATE...is usually less severe than Alzheimer’s and unfolds more slowly...

Some clinicians in the article suggest that LATE can include hallucinations, urinary incontinence, and difficulty word-finding or naming objects. About one-third of those over 85 have LATE. This recent New York Times article shares that there's a first clinical trial underway for drug treatment.

In early 2025, clinical diagnostic criteria were published, and people with memory problems who test negative on amyloid scans are getting diagnosed with LATE.

A Different Type of Dementia Is Changing What’s Known About Cognitive Decline

There is a relatively newly-described #dementia type called LATE, which stands for limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy. Since 2019, Brain Support Network has seen this diagnosis on many brain donation reports.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/h...

Webinar: Parkinson’s Disease and Pain

Wednesday, December 10, noon

Jori Fleisher, MD, Rush University, will discuss the role pain plays in PD, the different types of pain, and approaches to managing it.
Host: Brian Grant Foundation (BGF)

Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...