Curcumin May Improve Memory and Mood According to New Study

Now there’s even more reason to love Indian food. The substance that gives curry its bright yellow color is curcumin. New research has shown that certain forms of curcumin can help improve memory and mood individuals with age related memory loss.  Curcumin, found in turmeric, has long been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It also has been hypothesized that curcumin as a dietary supplement could contribute to the low prevalence rate of Alzheimer's disease and better cognitive performance in India.

The research, published online Jan. 19 2018 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, examined the effects of an curcumin supplement on memory performance in individuals without dementia.  Also studied, was the possible impact of curcumin’s on the plaques and tangles which are hallmark brain symptoms of those with the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.  Results of the study indicated that those who took curcumin demonstrated significant improvements in their memory and attention, while the subjects who received placebo did not improve in either area. Those taking curcumin showed improvements of 28 percent on memory tests over 18 months and showed improvements in mood.  

"Exactly how curcumin exerts its effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to both Alzheimer's disease and major depression," said Dr. Gary Small, director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA's Longevity Center and of the geriatric psychiatry division at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and the study's first author." “These results suggest that taking this relatively safe form of curcumin could provide meaningful cognitive benefits over the years.”, UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging.

Reference

Gary W. Small, Prabha Siddarth, Zhaoping Li, Karen J. Miller, Linda Ercoli, Natacha D. Emerson, Jacqueline Martinez, Koon-Pong Wong, Jie Liu, David A. Merrill, Stephen T. Chen, Susanne M. Henning, Nagichettiar Satyamurthy, Sung-Cheng Huang, David Heber, Jorge R. Barrio. Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010

Health Care Provider Fined Millions for Failure to Protect Health Records

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has settled a lawsuit with 21st Century Oncology, Inc. (21CO) involving their failure to protect health care records of millions of people.  The settlement includes a has $2.3 million fine which has been agreed to instead of possible civil money penalties which could have amounted to much more.  21CO has also agreed to put into place a complete corrective action plan to remediate current problems and prevent future violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.

The case was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who informed 21CO that they had determined that patient information had been illegally accessed by an unauthorized third party. They provided 21CO with patient files that an FBI informant had illegally bought. 21CO conducted an internal investigation, through an outside forensic auditing firm.  It was determined that the attacker accessed health care records through a Remote Desktop Protocol from an Server housed within 21CO’s internal network. The company learned that more than 2.2 million people had their medical information illegally accessed.  Information obtained by the attacker included patient names, social security numbers, physicians’ names, diagnoses, treatment and insurance information.

The HHS subsequent investigation determined that 21CO engaged in the following illegal activities:

• Unauthorized disclosure of Personal Health Information (PHI)
• Failure to thoroughly evaluate possible risks to confidentiality of PHI
• Failure to impose security measure that were effective in reducing the risk to PHI and to comply with HHS requirements
• Failure to hold regular review of system information activity including audit logs, access reports, and security incident tracking reports
• Disclosed information to individuals and entities it allowed to act as business associates without written business associate agreements

21CO provides cancer care and oncological radiation services. While their headquarters is located in Fort Myers, Florida, the company has 179 treatment centers which operate in 17 states and seven countries in Latin America.  Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2017, 21CO received permission from the bankruptcy court to agree to the settlement agreement.

New Study Suggests Diabetes Drug May Help Reverse Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

A new study carried out at Lancaster University in England indicates that a drug used to treat diabetes significantly reverses memory loss and brain degeneration in mice.  This research utilized mice who had been bred to express genes indicated in Alzheimer’s disease in humans effectively creating a rodent version of the disease.

The diabetes drug, called a triple receptor, combines three molecules known as growth factors.  The drug was used to treat mice who had been allowed to age which gave the disease time to develop fully and damage the animal’s brain. After administering the drug, the mice underwent a maze test which measured memory.

Results showed that the drug was associated with improved learning and memory skills in the mice. There were also physiological change including a reduced amounts of plaque buildup in the brain, which is a primary characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.  The mice who were given the drug also were found to have reduced levels of chronic inflammation in their brains, slower rates of brain nerve cell loss, and increased brain nerve cell protection. Additionally, the diabetes drug appeared to prevent and even reversed the brain growth impairment that leads to nerve cells losing function ultimately results in some of the classic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The growth factors in this drug specifically affected growth in the animals' brains.  This is important as the brains of Alzheimer’s patients are shown to display growth impairment. This impairment has been associated with the cognitive decline that occurs in those with the condition.

It is hoped that the same results will be found when human testing occurs leading to an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other memory-related illnesses.  According to the lead study researcher Christian Holscher of Lancaster University, the results of this study suggest that the drug in question, "has a clear promise of being developed into a new treatment for chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."  These findings and the associated indications for the development of future treatment options is particularly exciting, as it has been 15 years since a new Alzheimer’s drug has become available. 

Reference

Tai, J., Liu, W., Li, Y., Li, L., & Hölscher, C. (2018). Neuroprotective effects of a triple GLP-1/GIP/glucagon receptor agonist in the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Brain research, 1678, 64-74.