University of Arizona news item summarizes Down syndrome cognitive test battery

Our news section included a story August 18th about the development of a battery of tests that is an important advance as Down syndrome cognitive research approaches clinical trials in humans.  Here is an article in the University of Arizona news that provides a very readable account of this advance.  The article notes that the battery could “have value as a before-and-after tool for assessing interventions. Knowing what therapy might work best and whether that has made a difference requires a precise set of measures. It also becomes a key piece of information for assessing the outcome of various clinical

A collaborative approach to Alzheimer’s disease research

Alzheimer’s disease(AD) is far more common in persons with Down syndrome than the general population.   Most, if not all, persons with Down syndrome begin to exhibit the brain pathology associated with AD by the age of forty.  The onset of AD occurs earlier in persons with Down syndrome, and its prevalence reaches up to 75% in individuals above the age of 60.  While the reasons behind the increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome are not completely known, studies have suggested one association may be that the extra copy of chromosome 21 leads to increased production of beta amyloid protein, which is known to contribute to neuronal degeneration in AD.  Down syndrome cognitive research and Alzheimer’s disease investigations are, therefore likely to yield information which will advance knowledge about both conditions. 

Here is a New York Times article that describes an initiative in Alzheimer’s disease research that has led to unprecedented cooperation between

Down syndrome neurocognitive test battery developed

Drs. Jamie Edgin and Lynn Nadel, along with their collaborators, have published a study describing a series of tests, the Arizona Cognitive Test Battery(ACTB) which they developed as a tool to assess cognitive function in individuals with Down syndrome.  The ACTB will provide neurocognitive assessment in individuals with intellectual disabilities, an important advance as Down syndrome cognitive research approaches clinical trials in humans.  The test battery is non-verbal and was designed to assess a range of skills, display statistical sensitivity, have specific correlates with brain function, and apply to a wide range of ages.
The availability of the ACTB is an important step as Down syndrome cognitive research transitions from animal trials to clinical trials in persons with Down syndrome. Additional details may be found

Scientists identify additional cancer blocking genes on chromosome 21

“It’s incredibly inspiring to know that by studying the genetic make-up of people with Down’s Syndrome we have been able to make important discoveries that help us understand far more about the intricate processes involved in cancer tumour growth.”
So states Professor Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke, from Queen Mary, University of London, commenting on her recently published research which has identified two additional genes on chromosome 21 that in triplicate boosted protection against cancer development in studies with mice.
This study, which was published in Nature, adds to the growing understanding of why development of hard tumors in persons with Down syndrome is so

Reducing Alzheimer’s-related protein in young brains improves learning in Down syndrome animal model

Here is a summary of a study from the UT Southwestern Medical Center that describes the effective use of a drug targeted to improve learning in a mouse model.  In this study, a drug which reduces beta-amyloid protein by 40 percent allowed mice to learn a standard water maze as quickly as control

Study Links Shared Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease Protein with Cataracts in Ds

Our news section has included items such as  How Down syndrome is teaching us about aging and Study with Down syndrome cells identifies a new key factor related to Alzheimer’s disease.  These articles describe the shared pathologies between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease(AD).  The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is 3-5 times greater in people with Down syndrome than in the general population, and by the age of fifty, virtually all persons with Down syndrome show the pathology of AD.

In a recently published journal article, the authors describe how the protein precursor, beta amyloid, known to form deposits in the brain in persons with AD and Ds, can also accumulate in the eyes of patients with Down syndrome, causing the cataracts know to be prevalent in persons with Ds.
The study identified that this beta amyloid pathology is a shared cause of cataracts in the lens and AD neuropathology in the brain, two defining features of Ds.
An especially interesting outcome of this

DeSales University and Down Syndrome Center Team Up

Here is an informative story of how a DeSales University(Center Valley, PA) marketing class taught by Dr. Susan McGorry, associate professor of business, planned and promoted an annual conference held by the Eastern Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Center.  This annual event provides educational and social opportunities to parents, healthcare workers, friends and educators.  This is a wonderful example of combining a college learning opportunity with community service.  Perhaps your church, school or service organization might try something similar?  How about an opportunity for your group to learn social network marketing by organizing a Facebook fundraising campaign for Research Down Syndrome and its mission of supporting Down syndrome cognitive research?  Contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

How Down Syndrome is Teaching Us about Aging

Read in this USA Today article how persons with Down syndrome are teaching scientists about the genetic roots of

New Challenges Being Faced by Caregivers of Persons with Down Syndrome

This USA Today article writes that as health advances have helped persons with Down syndrome live into their sixties, new challenges are being faced by their caregivers. This reality points to the increased importance of Down syndrome cognitive research and the potentials for biomedical therapies that might lead to independent living for persons with Down

NY Times blog discusses therapies to improve learning and memory for individuals with Down syndrome

There is very interesting discussion found in the blog(and its subsequent comments), Motherlode, on the topic of potential therapies to treat Down syndrome cognitive impairment.  The entry references another blogger who would not be interested in such therapies for her twin sons.  Research Down Syndrome is a supporter of Down syndrome cognitive research and the development of well researched and well tested, safe and efficacious therapies.  These therapies would be available as options to help persons with Down syndrome achieve their personal goals, including independent living, by enabling persons to learn more readily and by decreasing the incidence and impact of Alzheimer’s disease.(See the December 5th article on our News page for a description of the study which prompted this