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The Star
8 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
A neurologist shares his journey with Alzheimer's disease
It was 2006 when Dr Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread – 'The same thing, every time,' he said. The neurologist in Portland, Oregon, United States, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. 'I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell,' he said. But Dr Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. 'I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that.' It wasn't. Dr Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease – something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Dr Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for The Experts Say , an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited in the below Q&A. When did you realise your symptoms were due to Alzheimer's disease? Dr Gibbs: In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training programme at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? Dr Gibbs: The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment, but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Seed: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. Dr Gibbs: That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET (positron emission tomography) scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? Dr Gibbs: This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behaviour for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include: Getting daily aerobic exercise Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet Getting mentally-stimulating activity Staying socially engaged Getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly, and Getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! Dr Gibbs notes that it is difficult to know what to expect as his Alzheimer's progresses as previously, most people with the disease were only living three to five years after the diagnosis as they were being diagnosed late. How do you put this knowledge into practice? Dr Gibbs: Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily any more, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes, and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Seed: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. Dr Gibbs: I don't eat red meat any more. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry, and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. ALSO READ: What is MIND, the diet that may help protect against Alzheimer's disease? Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas, and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? Dr Gibbs: That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Seed: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Dr Gibbs: Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a chequebook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognise people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Seed: You were talking about what stage you're at. Dr Gibbs: When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally-laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbours, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage any more, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Seed: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, 'This is the last time I'm doing this,' because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. Dr Gibbs: It works well if Lois is there to find ... Seed: Words. Dr Gibbs: That makes it easier. – By Laura Williamson/American Heart Association News/Tribune News Service
San Francisco Chronicle
04-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
How a neurologist faces the disease that is slowly stealing his cognitive powers
It was 2006 when Dr. Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread. "The same thing, every time." Gibbs, a neurologist in Portland, Oregon, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. "I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell," he said. But Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. "I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that." It wasn't. Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease, something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for " The Experts Say," an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited. In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training program at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Lois: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behavior for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include getting daily aerobic exercise; eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet; getting mentally stimulating activity; staying socially engaged; getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly; and getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! How do you put this knowledge into practice? Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily anymore, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the COVID pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Lois: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. I don't eat red meat anymore. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Lois: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a checkbook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognize people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Lois: You were talking about what stage you're at. When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbors, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage anymore, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Lois: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, "This is the last time I'm doing this," because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. It works well if Lois is there to find … Lois: Words. That makes it easier.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
OHSU takes public stance against calls to close primate research center
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon Health and Science University has publicly sounded off against the push for the institution to close its monkey research facility. On Wednesday, the university published an announcement addressing animal advocates' claims on why the Oregon National Primate Research Center should be shut down. 'Usually somebody blabs': Tony White's 2005 death still unsolved People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, asked the National Institutes for Health's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare to investigate the OHSU center in mid-April. The organization's revealed a 4-year-old monkey died a 'painful death' from sepsis last year after people at the Beaverton facility ignored her symptoms. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has also slammed the research center, referring to it as a the university could replace by further investing in patient care. In response, OHSU said the claim 'compares apples to oranges.' The institution noted the facility is mostly funded by federal grants that only cover specific research efforts, which improve patient care by identifying new ways to treat diseases. The university also pushed back on animal advocates' argument that the research is cruel and unnecessary. 'While scientific advancements have introduced alternative non-animal models, this technology cannot fully replicate the complexity of a living system at this time,' OHSU . 'Nonhuman primate research remains critical for studying conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, infectious diseases and reproductive health — areas where animal-free methods cannot yet provide complete answers.' May Day rally in Salem defends immigrant workers' rights, opposes sanctuary city cuts The institution noted that animal research is heavily regulated by federal authorities. OHSU also claimed its primates grow up with their social groups and form bonds with researchers in the facility. Many of the university's points were shared in the rally that researchers held on the west campus last month, after Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek urged leaders to close the primate facility. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Psilocybin use is on the rise as public perception changes, report shows
More Americans are using psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. A report published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found psilocybin use has been rising since 2019, after remaining relatively stable for years. 'That tells us something is changing,' said Kari Rockhill, an epidemiologist and assistant statistical scientist at Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety in Denver, who worked on the report. In adults, a changing public perception of psychedelics is likely at the forefront of this shift — combined with decriminalization of psilocybin across several U.S. jurisdictions. 'We saw a similar phenomenon with cannabis when it started to be legalized across the country. There is probably a stigma around this that is going down,' Rockhill said. In 2019, the city of Denver voted to decriminalize the Schedule I drug, allowing people to grow and gift, but not sell, psychedelic mushrooms that contain psilocybin. Oregon followed suit in 2020, and decriminalization expanded to the entire state of Colorado in 2022. Books like Michael Pollan's 'How to Change Your Mind' have also helped change public perception of psychedelics, said Dr. Todd Korthuis, an internist and addiction medicine specialist at Oregon Health and Science University. 'This is not surprising at all given the developments over the last 10 years,' said Korthuis, who is also co-director of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus, which conducts research on psychedelics. Andrew Yockey, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Mississippi, added that an unregulated online market, mounting research that suggests psilocybin could be used as a treatment for mental health conditions, and a rise in microdosing also likely contributed to the increase in use. Indeed, the researchers found that psilocybin use was highest among adults with mental health or chronic pain conditions. Rockhill and her team analyzed five national databases that included self-reported data on psilocybin use, calls made to 55 poison control centers, and medical records to get a picture of how many people used psilocybin across the nation from 2014 through 2023. Overall, use of the drug remains relatively low: In 2023 — the most recent year for which data was available — just about 2% of adults in the U.S. said they had taken psilocybin in the past year. Twelve percent reported ever taking the drug, up from 10% in 2019, when rates began to increase. Among adults ages 18 to 29, past-year psilocybin use rose by 44%, to 2.1% in 2023; for adults ages 30 and up, use nearly tripled, to 1.8% in 2023. About 2.5% of 12th graders reported using psilocybin in the last year in 2023, a 53% increase from 2019. 'It is interesting to see the rise in adolescents,' Yockey said. 'I want to see where they are getting it from, why they are taking it.' The study also found that calls to poison control centers for psilocybin rose sharply over the study period, particularly among children ages 11 and under. In 2023, calls for this age group rose 723% from 2019, though the rates were still low, at less than one child per 100,000 people. For children 12 to 18, calls increased 317%, to just over two people per 100,000. Adults saw a 200% increase in calls, rising to a rate of less than half a person per 100,000. In addition, 1,550 people, including 1,192 adults, sought medical care because of psilocybin in 2023. From 2015 to 2021, there were just three cases involving medical care. The calls to poison control for the children under 11 in the report were almost certainly due to kids getting into psilocybin edibles that were not meant for them, Korthuis said. Although psilocybin alone has a relatively safe toxicology profile, meaning it's highly unlikely to cause life-threatening physical health problems, an unregulated market of edibles can lead to people ingesting things other than psilocybin, even if the packaging does not list them, Yockey said. 'If someone comes to the ER saying I have psilocybin exposure, one of the first things a doctor should do is test for it,' he added. This article was originally published on
NBC News
21-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Psilocybin use is on the rise as public perception changes, report shows
More Americans are using psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. A report published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found psilocybin use has been rising since 2019, after remaining relatively stable for years. 'That tells us something is changing,' said Kari Rockhill, an epidemiologist and assistant statistical scientist at Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety in Denver, who worked on the report. In adults, a changing public perception of psychedelics is likely at the forefront of this shift — combined with decriminalization of psilocybin across several U.S. jurisdictions. 'We saw a similar phenomenon with cannabis when it started to be legalized across the country. There is probably a stigma around this that is going down,' Rockhill said. In 2019, the city of Denver voted to decriminalize the Schedule I drug, allowing people to grow and gift, but not sell, psychedelic mushrooms that contain psilocybin. Oregon followed suit in 2020, and decriminalization expanded to the entire state of Colorado in 2022. Books like Michael Pollan's 'How to Change Your Mind' have also helped change public perception of psychedelics, said Dr. Todd Korthuis, an internist and addiction medicine specialist at Oregon Health and Science University. 'This is not surprising at all given the developments over the last 10 years,' said Korthuis, who is also co-director of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus, which conducts research on psychedelics. Andrew Yockey, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Mississippi, added that an unregulated online market, mounting research that suggests psilocybin could be used as a treatment for mental health conditions, and a rise in microdosing also likely contributed to the increase in use. Indeed, the researchers found that psilocybin use was highest among adults with mental health or chronic pain conditions. Rockhill and her team analyzed five national databases that included self-reported data on psilocybin use, calls made to 55 poison control centers, and medical records to get a picture of how many people used psilocybin across the nation from 2014 through 2023. Overall, use of the drug remains relatively low: In 2023 — the most recent year for which data was available — just about 2% of adults in the U.S. said they had taken psilocybin in the past year. Twelve percent reported ever taking the drug, up from 10% in 2019, when rates began to increase. Among adults ages 18 to 29, past-year psilocybin use rose by 44%, to 2.1% in 2023; for adults ages 30 and up, use nearly tripled, to 1.8% in 2023. About 2.5% of 12th graders reported using psilocybin in the last year in 2023, a 53% increase from 2019. 'It is interesting to see the rise in adolescents,' Yockey said. 'I want to see where they are getting it from, why they are taking it.' The study also found that calls to poison control centers for psilocybin rose sharply over the study period, particularly among children ages 11 and under. In 2023, calls for this age group rose 723% from 2019, though the rates were still low, at less than one child per 100,000 people. For children 12 to 18, calls increased 317%, to just over two people per 100,000. Adults saw a 200% increase in calls, rising to a rate of less than half a person per 100,000. In addition, 1,550 people, including 1,192 adults, sought medical care because of psilocybin in 2023. From 2015 to 2021, there were just three cases involving medical care. The calls to poison control for the children under 11 in the report were almost certainly due to kids getting into psilocybin edibles that were not meant for them, Korthuis said. Although psilocybin alone has a relatively safe toxicology profile, meaning it's highly unlikely to cause life-threatening physical health problems, an unregulated market of edibles can lead to people ingesting things other than psilocybin, even if the packaging does not list them, Yockey said. 'If someone comes to the ER saying I have psilocybin exposure, one of the first things a doctor should do is test for it,' he added.
