黑料传送门 Alzheimer's researchers and residents participated in a recent panel hosted by the Geriatrics Club.
In honor of World Alzheimer鈥檚 Day on September 21, the Geriatrics Club at 黑料传送门 held a panel discussion with several faculty members who study that disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as residents in 黑料传送门鈥檚 neurosurgery residency program.
Roughly 25 students gathered to ask questions about the disease鈥檚 symptoms and pathology, and to gain a better understanding of the current areas of research.
鈥淲e鈥檝e found that olfactory pathways are vulnerable to infectious insult,鈥� said Brian Balin, PhD, professor and chair, bio-medical sciences. 鈥淏ecause smell is impacted, we believe it could lead to damage in the brain where the sense of smell is interpreted, which is located in the specific area of the brain earliest affected in Alzheimer鈥檚.鈥�
Dr. Balin and his research team, which included Denah Appelt, PhD, professor, neuroscience, physiology and pharmacology and Christopher Scott Little, PhD, associate professor, microbiology and immunology, had previously found a link between infection in the brain with the respiratory form of a Chlamydial organism, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and the presence of Alzheimer鈥檚.
鈥淚t鈥檚 baffling to us that Alzheimer鈥檚 researchers and clinicians aren鈥檛 exploring this information fully,鈥� he said.
For the future physicians, Dr. Appelt said it was important that they become aware of the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer鈥檚 now, so that when they begin their clinical rotations, they may be able to see early signs of the disease.
鈥淎s the students go through their training process, they鈥檒l go into areas such as orthopedics or family medicine or surgery and think they may not encounter Alzheimer鈥檚,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the disease can present in different ways, and perhaps not in the areas they would normally think.鈥�
Other panel members included Dr. Little; Nicol Joseph, DO, associate professor, geriatrics; neurosurgery resident Amber Valeri, DO; and student Zein Al-Atrache (DO/PhD 鈥�19).
The number of Alzheimer鈥檚 cases in the US, along with the costs associated with treatment, is expected to soar in the coming years; to that end, the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2012 launched the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease, which lays out key points for finding a cure for Alzheimer鈥檚 by 2025.
Dr. Balin and Dr. Appelt are hopeful that the push will include more attention for research projects like theirs, which targets infection as a potential cause for the disease鈥攁n area that is still small, but continues to gain traction.
鈥淭he population is getting older, and the amount of money spent [on treatment] could bankrupt our healthcare system,鈥� said Dr. Balin. 鈥淭here is a huge push to find a cure before that happens.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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