The National Institute on Aging is putting up $7.5 million for trials of a a possible new Alzheimer’s treatment drug being developed by AgneBio, a Baltimore start-up, and the Johns Hopkins University. “The clinical trial will evaluate a drug that has shown signs of calming brain hyperactivity linked to dementia.”
This couldn’t be more timely or necessary. As many as 16 million Americans are projected to have the disease in 2050.
It’s an emotional topic for me. My paternal grandmother died of Alzheimer’s after ten-plus years of suffering from its various torments room-bound in an assistive living facility that completely, humiliatingly, drained her bank account. I’ve tested positive for the genes. Memory loss: early signs and symptoms.
File this under: Yep. [An aside: My favorite coffeehouses in Baltimore in no particular order are Artifact, Spro, Cunningham’s, Atwater’s.] But drinking the equivalent of a double espresso 3 hours before bedtime shifts the clock back by an average of 40 minutes.
Bright, artificial light at bedtime like the kind emitted from every single screen you own can equally mess with sleep. How To Cut Children’s Screen Time? Say No To Yourself First.
Here are Jane Brody’s sleep hygiene tips, many of which you probably already know. And I still don’t do them. I’m looking specifically at: Avoid alcohol in the evening. Jane Brody, hon, I like alcohol in the evening.
Concussions are back in the news. Head injuries are most common in children and adolescents who play football and soccer — no duh — but, “it is worth nothing that almost no sport is free of a concussion hazard, and that participating in sports has ‘cognitive, physical, emotional, and social benefits that outweigh everything.” Good news for you, sports-bananas Baltimore County.
But I’ve enrolled my kids in non contact sports. The sports of nerds: chess and music lessons. Specifically, the ukulele for my daughter, 8, who has no idea how much this is going to be a Foundational Memory And Something For Which She Never Forgives Me.
There is no helmet necessary for ukulele — yet.
