MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology, The ALS Association and the American Brain Foundation are awarding the 2019 Sheila Essey Award to Aaron Gitler, PhD, of the Stanford University School of Medicine. The award recognizes significant research contributions in the search for the causes, prevention and cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The $50,000 prize is given to support continuing ALS research. Gitler will be honored at the American Academy of Neurology’s 71st Annual Meeting at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, May 4-10, 2019.

Gitler will be recognized during the Essey Award Panel Presentation held on Tuesday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m. Past winners of the award will also be present and give updates on their research.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death. The average life span after diagnosis is two to five years.

Gitler is receiving the award for his research on a protein called TDP-43. Clumping of this protein is thought to play a major role in ALS. Gitler and his team investigated what happens to a cell when TDP-43 forms clumps in baker’s yeast cells. They found a gene in the yeast cells that could protect the cells from the clumping protein. The related gene in humans is called ataxin-2. They also found that people with ALS have a higher frequency of ataxin-2 mutations. The mutations appeared to make TDP-43 more prone to clumping.

“Because of these findings, we thought that reducing the levels of ataxin-2 might protect nerves from TDP-43 clumping in ALS,” said Gitler. “We tested this hypothesis in mice and found that reducing the levels of ataxin-2 markedly extended survival. These results suggest that medicines that reduce the amount of ataxin-2 or inhibit its function might be effective as therapies for ALS.”

Gitler hopes his research will eventually benefit people with ALS. He explained that a new class of gene therapy drugs called antisense oligonucleotides are helping people with other neurodegenerative diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy. His research on ataxin-2 suggests that a similar approach to target ataxin-2 could be effective in ALS.

“I am very grateful to receive this award,” said Gitler. “In looking at the list of previous Sheila Essey Award recipients, they are all my scientific heroes and role models. It is very humbling to have the opportunity to make a small contribution to ALS research.”

The Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research is given to acknowledge and honor individuals who are making significant contributions in the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS. Since 1996, the $50,000 award has been made possible through the generosity of the Essey Family Fund through The ALS Association Golden West Chapter, in memory of Sheila Essey, who battled ALS for 10 years and died from the disease in 2004.

Richard Essey, Sheila’s husband, served as a National Trustee of The ALS Association and is one of the founders of the Greater Bay Area Chapter, now the Golden West Chapter. Past recipients have used the funds to continue ALS research or to support promising young scientists on their research teams.

Learn more about ALS at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to cure brain diseases and disorders. The Foundation invests in research of the whole brain and all nervous system disorders knowing they are interconnected. This holistic, innovative approach allows the Foundation to build bridges between diseases and break new ground in research and application. The Foundation understands that when we cure one brain disease, we will cure many.

For more information about the American Brain Foundation, visit AmericanBrainFoundation.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 36,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation are awarding a Missouri researcher the 2019 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases for his work in Alzheimer’s disease research. Randall J. Bateman, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, will be presented the award at the American Academy of Neurology’s 71st Annual Meeting at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, May 4-10, 2019.

Bateman will be recognized during the Potamkin Prize Panel Presentation held on Monday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. Past winners of the Potamkin Prize will also be present and give updates on their research.

Sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize of Alzheimer’s research, the Potamkin Prize honors researchers for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Pick’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The $100,000 prize is an internationally recognized tribute for advancing dementia research.

Bateman, who was a 2004 recipient of the AAN Clinical Research Training Fellowship, is receiving the award for his research in Alzheimer’s disease. His contributions to understanding the disease include developing a new method to determine how effectively amyloid beta is cleared from the brain. Amyloid beta is a sticky protein that can accumulate and turn into amyloid plaques in the brain, leading to dementia. Bateman found the process of clearing it from the brain is impaired in people with Alzheimer’s disease. He is also leading studies of people with an inherited form of the disease and has shown a relationship between brain lesion development and symptom development 15 to 20 years later.

Bateman also created a blood test that can detect Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages by measuring levels of amyloid beta. Bateman says the blood test can detect amyloid up to 20 years before a person develops Alzheimer’s disease. While it is still being researched, a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease would be less expensive and easier to administer than the current methods of detecting amyloid beta, a PET scan of the brain or a spinal tap to detect amyloid in the spinal fluid.

“A simple blood test could someday enable testing for Alzheimer’s disease for the world’s population,” said Bateman. “When effective treatments and preventions are developed, it will have enormous impacts on the lives of families, medical systems and society as a whole.”

When asked about receiving the Potamkin Prize, Bateman said, “I am honored and humbled to join the elite group of Potamkin Prize winners and I hope our work inspires other researchers as they strive to make big impacts in dementia research.”

The Potamkin Prize is made possible by the philanthropic contributions of the Potamkin family of New York, Philadelphia and Miami. The goal of the prize is to help attract the best medical minds and most dedicated scientists in the world to the field of dementia research. The Potamkin family has been the Academy’s single largest individual donor since 1988, providing more than $2 million to fund the Potamkin Prize.

Learn more about dementia at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology’s free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to cure brain diseases and disorders. The Foundation invests in research of the whole brain and all nervous system disorders knowing they are interconnected. This holistic, innovative approach allows the Foundation to build bridges between diseases and break new ground in research and application. The Foundation understands that when we cure one brain disease, we will cure many. Since 1992, the American Brain Foundation has been investing

For more information about the American Brain Foundation, visit AmericanBrainFoundation.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 36,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Minneapolis – Today the American Brain Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 grants to the best and brightest early-career researchers pursuing cures for diseases and disorders of the brain. The Foundation awards these grants in partnership with prominent national brain disease organizations. A total of $2,377,000 is being awarded to 15 next generation researchers investigating 11 different diseases.

1 in 6 people is affected by brain disease—nearly 80 million Americans. The annual economic burden to American society of the nine most common brain diseases and disorders is over $800 billion. This number will continue to grow until better treatments and cures for brain diseases and disorders are discovered. It is anticipated that the annual cost of Alzheimer’s disease alone will increase from $277 billion to over $1.1 trillion by 2050. That is why the American Brain Foundation invests in early-career investigators, funding their innovative clinical research to find cures for brain diseases and disorders, and helping them to build a track record of success to assure future funding from the NIH and others.

The 2019 award recipients are listed below, along with the funding partners who have made generous investments to build the next generation of brain disease researchers.

McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss – Two awarded at $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the American Brain Foundation, and the American Academy of Neurology
Sanaz Sedaghat, PhD, Chicago, Ill.
Christian Camargo, MD, Miami, Fla.

Susan S. Spencer Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Epilepsy – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the American Epilepsy Society, Epilepsy Foundation, and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Lisseth Burbano, MD, Parkville, Australia

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in ALS – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by The ALS Association and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Jennifer Marsella, MD, Monroe County, N.Y.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Headache – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by the International Headache Society and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Faisal Amin, MD, PhD, Copenhagen, Denmark

Clinician Scientist Development Award in Interventional Neurology – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Kevin Keenan, MD, San Francisco, Calif.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Tourette Syndrome – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Tourette Association of America and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Jennifer Vermilion, MD, Rochester, N.Y.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Multiple Sclerosis – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, Biogen, and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Ulrike Kaunzner, MD, New York, N.Y.

Clinician Scientist Development Award in Multiple Sclerosis – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Brain Foundation
Omar Al-Louzi, MD, Boston, Mass.

Clinician Scientist Development Award in Myasthenia Gravis – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Shruti Raja, MD, Durham, N.C.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Neuromuscular Disease – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Muscle Study Group and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Reza Seyedsadjadi, MD, Boston, Mass.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Parkinson’s Disease – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Parkinson’s Foundation and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
David Coughlin, MD, Philadelphia, Pa.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Parkinson’s Disease – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Parkinson’s Foundation and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology. Supported in part by a grant from AbbVie.
Anna Goodheart, MD, Boston, Mass.

Robert Katzman, MD, Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
William Mantyh, MD, San Francisco, Ca.

Richard Olney Clinician Scientist Development Award in ALS – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by The ALS Association and American Brain Foundation
In collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology
Suma Babu, MBBS, MPH, Boston, Mass.

About the American Brain Foundation: The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to cure brain diseases and disorders. The Foundation invests in research of the whole brain and all nervous system disorders knowing they are interconnected. This holistic, innovative approach allows the Foundation to build bridges between diseases and break new ground in research and application. The Foundation understands that when we cure one brain disease, we will cure many. Since 1992, the American Brain Foundation has been investing

For more information about the American Brain Foundation, visit https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Jane Ransom, American Brain Foundation
[email protected],
(612) 928-6317

Los Angeles – The American Brain Foundation will recognize three people for their leadership of movements to defeat brain diseases afflicting 50 million Americans at an event held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology on April 25, 2018. Each award recipient has raised awareness, led an organization, and advocated successfully for better treatments, prevention, and cures for a brain disease. The awardees are:

Temple Grandin, PhD, Public Leadership in Neurology Award

Temple Grandin, PhD, is a professor, author, and lecturer who is internationally recognized for sharing her insights on the experience of having autism with the general public. Her books include Emergence: Labeled Autistic, The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum and Thinking in Pictures. The neurologist Oliver Sacks called the latter book “a bridge between our world and hers and allows us to glimpse into a quite other sort of mind.” Grandin links her highly-successful academic and consulting career in animal science—with specialty in the humane slaughter of animals—to her personal experience with autism and what it is like to feel threatened by distracting visual and auditory cues.

Grandin is the subject of the award-winning Horizon documentary, The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow. The feature length HBO movie Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes, is based upon her life.

DeMaurice Smith, Commitment to Cures Award

DeMaurice Smith is executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), which, under his leadership, has made groundbreaking contributions to building public awareness about the impact of concussion in football and other sports. He has brought the scientific community’s findings on the risk of playing football into the mainstream, while tenaciously pursuing better treatments, prevention and cures for NFL players. Smith and the NFLPA have set an example for other sports leagues, including youth leagues, for how to care for athletes who are at risk of serious head injuries.

Through the collective bargaining process, the NFL Players Association established a $100 million medical research fund to study NFL players with an eye towards breakthroughs in injury prevention, treatment and overall health of NFL players, especially in the area of traumatic brain injury. The result, the ongoing Harvard Players Health Study, is now the largest cohort study of its kind.

Richard P. Essey, American Brain Foundation Board Chair Award

Richard P. Essey, San Francisco businessman and philanthropist, will be honored for changing the landscape of research in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and for his leadership of the American Brain Foundation as a member of its board of directors. In 1996 Essey established the Sheila Essey Award in ALS research in honor of his wife, who died of ALS, and has provided more than $1 million of funding for the award through the American Brain Foundation. The award, given jointly by the American Academy of Neurology and the ALS Association, has provided $50,000 to each of 21 researchers. The award has provided support and inspiration for ALS researchers and given hope to patients and caregivers.

Essey served on the American Brain Foundation’s board of directors from 2005 to 2010 and has served since then as an honorary member of the board. During Essey’s tenure on the board, the Foundation awarded more than $19 million for Clinical Research Training Fellowships to support early career neurologists investigating a whole span of brain and nervous system diseases. Essey was the first non-neurologist on the board, bringing the perspective of patients, caregivers and families, and infusing the Foundation with activism. He paved the way for other influential members of the public, such as Susan Schneider Williams, Dan Gasby and David Eagleman to become members of the American Brain Foundation’s leadership.

About the American Brain Foundation:

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. The Foundation funds the vital research needed to cure the brain diseases that affect one in six Americans. The Foundation believes that funding research across the broad spectrum of brain diseases is the best hope for finding better treatments, prevention, and cures for the brain diseases affecting 1 in 6 people, because the major diseases of the brain and nervous system are scientifically and mechanistically related. Founded by the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association serving neurologists and the neuroscience community, the American Brain Foundation’s mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jane Ransom, American Brain Foundation
[email protected]
(612) 928-6317

Los Angeles – A common denominator in the search for better treatments, prevention, and cures for migraine, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and more than 400 other diseases and disorders of the brain and nervous system is the shortage of physicians in research careers. The estimated annual cost to American society of nine most common neurological disorders is $800 billion, yet the number of physicians in research careers looking to unlock the secrets of brain disease has remained flat since 2004.

That is why funding the innovative research of early-career investigators is a cornerstone program of the American Brain Foundation which has supported almost 250 neurologists and neuroscientists in their early research, enabling 79 percent of them to request and receive federal or non-federal funding for long-term research.

Today the American Brain Foundation announced multi-year funding, totaling $1,580,000 for the projects of 10 rising brain disease researchers, provided in conjunction with its research partners, the American Academy of Neurology and 9 of the most prestigious national organizations working for better treatments, prevention and cures of a broad array of brain diseases. The researchers and the Foundation’s research partners include:

McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarships in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss – Two awarded at $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the American Brain Foundation, and the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Brice McConnell, PhD, MD, Denver, CO
Kimberly Albert, PhD, Nashville, TN

Susan S. Spencer Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Epilepsy – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by the American Epilepsy Society, Epilepsy Foundation, and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Hiroki Nariai, MD, Los Angeles, CA

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Muscular Dystrophy – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Katharine Nicholson, MD, Boston, MS

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in ALS – $150,000 over 2 years
Funded by The ALS Association and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Peter Creigh, MD, Rochester, NY

Clinician Scientist Development Award in Interventional Neurology – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by the Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Sunil A. Sheth, MD, Houston, Texas

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Dementia with Lewy Bodies – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by The Mary E. Groff Charitable Trust and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Bhavana Patel, MD, Gainesville, FL

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Tourette Syndrome – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Tourette Association of America and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Wissam Georges Deeb, MD, Gainesville, FL

Clinician Scientist Development Award in Multiple Sclerosis – $240,000 over 3 years
Funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and American Brain Foundation
Emily Harrington, MD, PhD, Baltimore, MD

Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Neuromuscular Disease – $130,000 over 2 years
Funded by the Muscle Study Group and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology Institute
Davut Pehlivan, MD, Houston, Texas

“Through our research partnerships, the American Brain Foundation is working to develop an army of researchers investigating across the whole spectrum of brain diseases,” said Dr. Robert Griggs, chair of the American Brain Foundation Research Advisory Committee. “Our unique research partnership with our founder, the American Academy of Neurology, gives our Foundation access to the best and brightest minds to source the most high-risk and high-reward research.”

About the American Brain Foundation: The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. The Foundation funds the vital research needed to cure the brain diseases that affect one in six Americans. The Foundation believes that funding research across the broad spectrum of brain diseases is the best hope for finding better treatments, prevention, and cures for the brain diseases affecting 1 in 6 people, because the major diseases of the brain and nervous system are scientifically and mechanistically related. Founded by the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association serving neurologists and the neuroscience community, the American Brain Foundation’s mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org

Minneapolis –As Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month arrives in March 2018, the American Brain Foundation is kicking off a crowdfunding campaign to support research to help defeat the disease. The campaign will support the efforts of Prof. Steffen Jung, Principal Investigator and Head of the Immunology Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Prof. Jung’s aim is to better understand the changes that occur during inflammatory disease states, learn what causes them to occur, and try to stop debilitating or fatal diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, or inflammatory bowel disease.

Donations to the crowdfunding campaign will help Prof. Jung and his team purchase lab technology called quantitative realtime PCR (QuantStudio 6 Flex) which is vital for their immunological research. With such enhanced flexibility and efficiency, Prof. Jung and his group members will be able to explore new frontiers in the field of immunology. Supporters of this campaign will become partners in groundbreaking research with the potential to benefit all humanity.

Every 60 seconds a person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Experts estimate over 400,000 Americans are affected by MS, and 2.5 million people worldwide . More than a quarter of people with MS use some form of home care, but over 80% of this care is provided by unpaid caregivers, mainly family members Despite the suffering and financial burdens of MS, funding for research into prevention, treatments, and a cure for multiple sclerosis is grossly inadequate. The National Institutes of Health spends over $6 billion a year on cancer research, over $4 billion on heart disease research and over $3 billion on HIV/AIDs research but estimates spending only $77 million on multiple sclerosis research in 2018.

The American Brain Foundation collaborated with the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science to help broaden support for the project. Jane Ransom, executive director said, “Our foundation seeks out the best research with the highest potential to defeat diseases of the brain and nervous system. We are excited because Prof. Jung’s research has potential global impact. We want this crowdfunding campaign to enhance his work.”

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. The Institute’s 3,800-strong scientific community engages in research addressing crucial problems in medicine and health, energy, technology, agriculture, and the environment. Outstanding young scientists from around the world pursue advanced degrees at the Weizmann Institute’s Feinberg Graduate School. The discoveries and theories of Weizmann Institute scientists have had a major impact on the wider scientific community, as well as on the quality of life of millions of people worldwide.

About the American Brain Foundation
The American Brain Foundation funds the vital research needed to cure brain disease that affects one in six Americans. Founded by the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association serving neurologists and the neuroscience community, the American Brain Foundation’s mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org

1 http://www.ajmc.com/journals/supplement/2016/cost-effectiveness-multiple-sclerosis/cost-effectiveness-multiple-sclerosis-economic-burden AJMC

Media Contact:
Jane Ransom, American Brain Foundation, [email protected], (612) 928-6317

LOS ANGELES – The American Academy of Neurology, The ALS Association and the American Brain Foundation are awarding the 2018 Sheila Essey Award to Timothy M. Miller, MD, PhD, from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The award recognizes significant research contributions in the search for the causes, prevention and cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Miller will be honored at the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 21-27, 2018. The Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of neurologists with more than 13,000 attendees and more than 2,700 scientific presentations on the latest research advances in brain disease. The $50,000 Essey Award prize is given to support continuing ALS research.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death. The average life span after diagnosis is two to five years.

Miller is receiving the award for his work to find effective therapies for ALS. Many neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, involve a build-up of misfolded toxic proteins, so he and his team of researchers are developing a method to turn off the production of these toxic proteins in the brain and spinal fluid.

“Our team has led efforts to find ways to stop these proteins from causing damage to nerve cells that control movement,” said Miller. “We believe that our refined approach may become broadly applicable to clinical trials for all different types of ALS.”

Miller’s approach is currently being tested in human clinical trials for a genetic subset of ALS.

“I feel fortunate to work with a group of individuals who have a genuine commitment to finding treatments for ALS,” said Miller. “I am deeply honored to receive this award and am pleased to be able to share this recognition with them.”

The Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research is made possible through the generosity of the Essey Family Fund through The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. It is in memory of Sheila Essey, wife of National Trustee Richard Essey. Sheila Essey battled ALS for 10 years and died from the disease in 2004.

Learn more about ALS at brainandlife.org.

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 34,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit https://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

LOS ANGELES – The American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation are awarding an Illinois researcher the 2018 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases for his work in dementia research. David A. Bennett, MD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, will be honored at the American Academy of Neurology’s 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 21-27, 2018.

Sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize of Alzheimer’s research, the Potamkin Prize honors researchers for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Pick’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The $100,000 prize is an internationally recognized tribute for advancing dementia research.

Bennett will be recognized for his research on memory loss. Over the past 25 years, Bennett and his team at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center have enrolled nearly 3,500 older people into the Religious Orders Study, a study on memory loss in nuns and priests from across the USA, or the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a similar study of lay persons in northeastern Illinois. Both studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health. Participants do not have dementia when enrolled but some have developed it over time. Every person in these studies is a brain donor and so far, the brains of over 1,500 participants have been donated for further research by Bennett and his team.

“We have measured many things in the brain that we can relate to memory loss over time prior to death and are now using this information to identify new approaches to the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and several other causes of dementia,” said Bennett. “We are very interested in finding potential therapeutic targets and are looking closely at resilience — brain characteristics that allow one person’s brain to be more resilient to developing dementia than another person’s brain.”

Bennett said the data and biospecimens from these studies are shared with researchers around the world to advance the development of therapy to treat and prevent memory loss and dementia.

“Identifying better therapies is among the most urgent public health priorities of this century,” he said. “I am very honored to be receiving this award and am indebted to the Potamkin family for their generous support for this award. I thank the Potamkin committee for this honor.”

The Potamkin Prize is made possible by the philanthropic contributions of the Potamkin family of New York, Philadelphia and Miami. The goal of the prize is to help attract the best medical minds and most dedicated scientists in the world to the field of dementia research. The Potamkin family has been the Academy’s single largest individual donor since 1988, providing more than $2 million to fund the Potamkin Prize.

Learn more about dementia and related diseases at brainandlife.org.

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 34,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit https://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

LOS ANGELES – Protecting and improving the health of the athlete brain is a lead focus of a global athlete health initiative by the International Sponsor Council (ISC), the trade association for corporate sponsors. The target goal of the ISC athlete brain health program is to provide critical medical research and funding led by the ISC in support of more scientific investigation into brain diseases afflicting athletes such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), ALS and dementia involving Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to research, the program will also include a summit that brings athletes, the sports industry, sponsors and members of the neurologic community together in collaboration on this issue.

In a worldwide effort to raise research funds for athlete brain health, the ISC has partnered with the American Brain Foundation, an international charity dedicated to funding research to defeat brain disease. The American Brain Foundation is the central driving force behind bringing neurologists, researchers, patients and caregivers together to help generate funding for and awareness of brain disease research.

“Our goal is to protect the brains of all athletes from girls and boys involved in youth athletics and recreation, to the highly-visible professionals in football, soccer, hockey, MMA, rugby, as well as nontraditional athletes including eSports,” said Terry Cecil, CEO and Chief Sustainability Engineer of the ISC. “We are also including the impact of virtual, mixed and augmented reality technology on both athletes and fans. This represents millions of people around the world and is a world challenge with a serious impact on society. Partnering with the American Brain Foundation on this project will have a valuable global impact for athletes, fans, sponsors and society.”

Cecil added, “From the perspective of corporate sponsors, athlete health is a sustainability issue. Sponsors have a collective interest and responsibility to help provide leadership on athlete health. Sustainability is a core value for most of the world’s large corporations, and they commit to it throughout their business processes which should include sponsorship. Health, safety and wellness are a critical part of that commitment. As sponsors, these corporations recognize that athletes are a critical stakeholder–without athletes, sport does not exist and therefore neither would sport sponsorship.”

“Through this collaboration, the American Brain Foundation will work to develop an army of researchers focused on athlete brain health,” said Robert Griggs, MD, FAAN, Chair of the American Brain Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee. “Our unique research partnership with our founder, the American Academy of Neurology, gives our foundation access to the best and brightest minds to source the most high-risk and high-reward research on athlete brain health.”

About International Sponsor Council
The International Sponsor Council (ISC) is the world trade organization representing corporate sponsors. The mission of the ISC is to promote and protect the collective interests of and increase the efficiency of corporations as sponsors. The ISC works with industries utilizing sponsorship including sport, music,
entertainment, education, science and NGOs. As the leading driver for the integration of sustainability and sponsorship, the ISC impacts the current and future of the industry. For more information, please visit www.sponsorcouncil.org.

About the American Brain Foundation
The American Brain Foundation funds the vital research needed to cure brain disease that affects one in six Americans. Founded by the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association serving neurologists and the neuroscience community, the American Brain Foundation’s mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. www.americanbrainfoundation.org

MINNEAPOLIS – Caregivers are an unrecognized victim caught in the rising tide of Alzheimer’s disease, says advocate Dan Gasby in an editorial published online by Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology on October 6, 2017. Gasby has been caring for his wife, B. Smith, a nationally recognized celebrity chef, supermodel and lifestyle maven, since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013. 

In the editorial, “Alzheimer Dementia’s Other Victim – The Spouse,” Gasby provides an unvarnished account of his marriage under the devastating influence of Alzheimer’s, where everything has changed—from the couple’s business partnership to their sexual relationship.
“From my experience as a caregiver, I know that brain disease robs sufferers of their dreams and ambitions and of their hopes and even their homes,” said Gasby, who co-authored the moving memoir, “Before I Forget” with his wife. “We must recognize that the devastation extends to the caregiver, the other victim in this epidemic.”
Gasby chronicles the emotionally and physically draining life of the caregiver:

“It’s a fact that when you see an iceberg, no matter how large, only one-fifth is seen above the surface. That which is unseen constitutes the bulk of its true mass. True also of what my fellow spousal caregivers and I reveal about the depth and breadth of what we confront and endure every minute of every day. Some days are worse than others. Hearing, “I hate your guts!” from your spouse pierces your very being. Yes, I know it’s not her, it’s the disease, but I’m still human and still feel it. For the at-home caregiver, Alzheimer’s is nothing short of domestic torture.”

An estimated 5.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease. The cost of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient ranges from $20,000 to$90,000 annually according to estimates. Spouses and relatives often give up their jobs to provide care for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, yet another staggering cost that goes unrecognized.

Gasby’s editorial points to research and advocacy for brain health as his sources of hope. He will take his message to Capitol Hill on October 10, World Mental Health Day, where he is scheduled to provide testimony in a Congressional briefing on “Healthy Aging: The Connection…Diabetes, Obesity, and Dementia. The briefing is sponsored by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in cooperation with the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

In January, Gasby joined forces with the American Brain Foundation, serving as a director on a board that includes world-renowned neurologists, a former NFL Super Bowl champion, Vice President Walter Mondale (Honorary Chair) and Susan Schneider Williams, artist and widow of late actor and comedian Robin Williams.

About the American Brain Foundation

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease, believing that funding research across a broad spectrum of the brain and nervous system is the best hope for curing brain disease as a whole. The Foundation has granted $24 million toward research on brain disease. Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org, or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

MINNEAPOLIS – The McKnight Brain Research Foundation and the American Brain Foundation have announced a new scholarship award that will advance research in cognitive aging to benefit people with age-related memory loss. Ten McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarships in Cognitive Aging and Age-related Memory Losswill be awarded for the period 2018 to 2022. The scholarships will be funded by a $1.65 million grant from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, through the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology.

The McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarships in Cognitive Aging and Age-related Memory Loss will provide early career clinicians with $150,000 over two years in stipend and research-related costs. Applications for the award are open to young investigators interested in devoting significant research time in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Applications for the first two scholarships will open in July 2017 with an application deadline of October 1, 2017.

Memory loss is a key factor in predicting the quality of life of the aging adult. “The population is growing daily, and by the year 2030 it is estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 360 million Americans will be 65 or older with millions suffering from some form of memory loss. Finding the answer to this important component of health can have an immense beneficial influence on every member of society in helping them age successfully,” said J. Lee Dockery, MD., chair of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation board of trustees. “The partnership between the McKnight Brain Research Foundation and the American Brain Foundation, in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, has enormous potential to advance the understanding, alleviation and treatment of cognitive decline and memory loss specific to the process of aging.”

“The American Brain Foundation is thrilled to be in a partnership with the McKnight Brain Research Foundation with the goal of increasing innovative research on memory loss in aging,” said Robert C. Griggs, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and chair of the Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee. “The Foundation has funded more than 200 Clinical Research Training Scholarships across a broad spectrum of diseases of the brain. A key to our success is our close collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, our founder, research partner and the world’s largest association serving neurologists and the neuroscience community.”

About the McKnight Brain Research Foundation

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation promotes research and investigation of the brain in the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the neurobiology of memory with clinical relevance to the problems of age related memory loss. For more information about the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, visit mcknightbrain.org.

About the American Brain Foundation

The American Brain Foundation brings researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease, believing that funding research across a broad spectrum of the brain and nervous system is the best hope for curing brain disease as a whole. The Foundation has granted $24 million toward research on brain disease. Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org, or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About the American Academy of Neurology
The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with 32,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit https://www.aan.com/or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The American Brain Foundation announced today that B. Smith and her husband Dan Gasby are the 2017 recipients of the Public Leadership in Neurology Award (PLINA). The couple joins a prestigious list of past winners, including journalist Bob Woodruff, retired professional athlete Tedy Bruschi, Vice President Walter Mondale, actor Michael J. Fox and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

Smith is a nationally recognized celebrity chef, restaurateur, supermodel, and lifestyle maven, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2013. Gasby recently joined the American Brain Foundation Board of Directors to help the Foundation make curing brain disease a high profile, public cause.

The couple will receive the PLINA award during the Foundation’s Commitment to Cures dinner on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. The event begins at 7 pm EST.

The Public Leadership in Neurology Award honors an individual or group outside of the medical profession. Honorees are recognized for advancing public understanding and awareness of neurologic disease, being effective advocates for neuroscience research and making significant contributions to improve patient care.

“B. Smith and Dan Gasby embody all the principles and values of the Public Leadership in Neurology Award,” said Kevin Goodno, Board Chair of the American Brain Foundation, a national charity whose mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. “We are grateful to have them working so hard for such a critical cause.”

The pair has been tirelessly advocating for Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers since Smith received her diagnosis, crisscrossing the country, making more than two dozen appearances at Alzheimer’s-related events. They co-authored the book Before I Forget: Love, Hope, and Acceptance in our Fight Against Alzheimer’s, released by Random House in January 2016.

In their book, which includes a forward by Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, of Harvard University and 1996 recipient of the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases, Smith and Gasby share their compelling personal journey with Alzheimer’s disease and make a strong case for research funding. They detail the particularly devastating impact of the disease on African Americans, who are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to develop late onset Alzheimer’s and less likely to have a diagnosis of their condition, which often results in less time for treatment and planning.

“We’re honored to receive the PLINA Award,” Gasby said. “Brain Health is the greatest 21st Century civil rights issue and we must admit now that we need more funding, more awareness and more compassion for the more than 50 million Americans afflicted with brain diseases.”

For tickets to the Commitment to Cures event and more about, visit the American Brain Foundation website at americanbrainfoundation.org.

ATTENTION EDITORS AND REPORTERS: Dan Gasby IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS in advance of the event. Please contact Robb Leer at [email protected] or 612-701-0608 to schedule an interview.

MINNEAPOLIS—At a time when our country is poised to celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of the late Martin Luther King Jr., today author and advocate Dan Gasby is joining forces with the American Brain Foundation (ABF) to raise awareness of the tremendous racial disparities that exist between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites when it comes to the diagnosis, treatment and lack of adequate studies of brain disease.

“Brain Health is the greatest 21st Century civil rights issue,” said Gasby. “When you lose your cognitive ability, your rights as a human being are greatly diminished.”

Gasby says this is particularly devastating for African Americans, who are twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to develop late onset Alzheimer’s and less likely to have a diagnosis of their condition, which often results in little time for treatment and planning. Gasby’s wife, B. Smith, a nationally recognized celebrity chef, supermodel and lifestyle maven, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013.

“From my experience as a caregiver, I know that brain disease robs sufferers of their dreams and ambitions and of their hopes and even their homes,” said Gasby, who co-authored the moving memoir, “Before I Forget” with his wife. “Our brain health is often directly tied to our socioeconomic status. We need more funding, more awareness and more compassion for the more than 50 million Americans afflicted with brain diseases.”

Kevin Goodno, Board Chair of the ABF, a national charity whose mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease, said Gasby’s election to the Board continues to diversify the organization and better positions the ABF to address the critical need for funding to accelerate research.

“Each of our Board members shares our organization’s collective passion to find a cure,” Goodno said. “Throughout our history, the American public has successfully rallied to beat back pervasive threats to our personal and public health, such as polio, cancer and HIV/AIDS. It’s now time to defeat brain disease.”

Gasby joins a distinguished ABF Board that includes world-renowned neurologists, a former NFL Super Bowl champion, Vice President Walter Mondale (Honorary Chair) and the most recent appointee Susan Schneider Williams, artist and widow of late actor and comedian Robin Williams.

For more information about the American Brain Foundation or to learn more, visit www. AmericanBrainFoundation.org, or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

About the American Brain Foundation

The American Brain Foundation is an emerging national foundation whose mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. Through cross-cutting innovative research, the American Brain Foundation is making investments in the best and brightest minds in the world to identify treatments, prevention methods and cures for brain disease.

Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the American Brain Foundation (ABF), and the Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology (SVIN) have announced a new award that will advance research in interventional neurology to benefit people with stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases. Interventional neurologists use minimally invasive techniques, guided by imaging, like clot removal procedures, to treat diseases of the brain and spine.

This Clinician Scientist Development Award in Interventional Neurology is the first collaboration for the AAN and the American Brain Foundation with SVIN. The award will provide $240,000 over three years which includes a commitment of $75,000 per year as well as a $5,000 per year stipend to support education and research-related costs. Applications for the award are open to young investigators interested in a research career in interventional neurology. Applications will open in July 2017 with an application deadline of October 1, 2017.

The AAN Research Program is committed to the development of junior investigators dedicated to much needed research that will benefit many of our patients. The research program awards and scholarships are important spring boards to innovative neurological research. The majority of award recipients remain in the research workforce and are supported by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies. “

On behalf of the American Academy of Neurology, we are honored to have this opportunity to collaborate with SVIN,” said Aleksandar Videnovic, MD, MSc, of Harvard University in Boston, Mass., Chair of the AAN Research Program Workgroup and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “We are indebted to SVIN for their commitment to support the growth of new investigators in the field of interventional neurology.”

“It was clear from the beginning that our interests aligned to support early career researchers,” said Robert C. Griggs, MD, of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., Chair of the American Brain Foundation Research Advisory Committee and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “The American Brain Foundation is thrilled to partner with SVIN on this award specifically designated for interventional neurology.”

“As President of SVIN, I am thrilled to cement this invaluable partnership with the American Brain Foundation and the AAN,” said Raul Nogueira, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. “This award will be a critical contribution to growing the new generation of academic interventional neurologists who will generate tremendous new knowledge and innovation in catheter-based therapy of cerebrovascular diseases and stroke. This new award represents a strong commitment by SVIN, the American Brain Foundation and the AAN to further advancing the field as an essential part of the practice of clinical neurology.”

To learn more about the AAN Research Program, visit https://www.aan.com/research/aan-research-program/.

About the American Brain Foundation

The American Brain Foundation is an emerging national foundation whose mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease. Through cross-cutting innovative research, the American Brain Foundation is making investments in the best and brightest minds in the world to identify treatments, prevention methods and cures for brain disease.

Learn more at www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

About SVIN

SVIN is the premier society worldwide for medical professionals engaged in interventional neurology and stroke care. Our mission to promote excellence in the field of interventional treatment of neurovascular diseases by neurologists.  The society represents the advancement of interventional neurology through education, research and advocacy with the ultimate goal of improving clinical care and outcomes of patients with stroke and cerebrovascular diseases.

For further information about SVIN, please visit www.svin.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

About the American Academy of Neurology

The American Academy of Neurology is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with 30,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com  or find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Minneapolis—The American Brain Foundation (ABF), a national charity whose mission is to bring researchers and donors together to defeat brain disease, today announced that Susan Schneider Williams, the widow of actor/comedian Robin Williams, has been appointed to its Board of Directors and will assume an active, leadership role on the Board.

Schneider Williams is committed to educating physicians and caregivers about her intimate, heartbreaking story of how brain disease, particularly Lewy body disease (LBD), slowly and tragically altered every aspect of her late husband’s life. LBD, often undiagnosed, affects an estimated 1.4 million individuals and their families in the United States.

“We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Schneider Williams to the ABF and look forward to her strong commitment to our cause,” said Kevin Goodno, Chair of the ABF Board of Directors. “She shares our organization’s collective passion to accelerate brain disease research and find a cure for brain disease.”

In addition to her new Board duties, Schneider Williams will be a special guest at the American Brain Foundation’s annual fundraising event, Standing Strong, on October 26, 2016, in Minneapolis, MN.

Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has also published an editorial in its September 27, 2016 issue written by Schneider Williams, in which she chronicles Robin Williams’ mental and physical struggles over the last few years of his life. The editorial titled, “The terrorist inside my husband’s brain,” includes a powerful call to action for physicians, researchers and caregivers.  Plus, Schneider Williams speaks candidly about her story in an interview on the September 27, 2016 Neurology podcast.

“My goal is to turn Robin’s suffering into something meaningful,” said Schneider Williams. “Hopefully, from sharing his experience, our experience, I can help raise awareness and increase funding for brain disease research.” She added, “working with the ABF and their incredible community of medical professionals has given me hope that with more research, a cure is possible. ”

The ABF Board’s Honorary Chair, Walter Mondale, the former Vice President of the United States, praised Susan for her willingness to get involved in the Foundation’s critical mission.

“I would say leadership begins with the idea that you have a responsibility to do something about a problem,” said Mondale whose family has experienced tragic losses due to brain diseases. His wife, Joan, passed away in 2014 from Lewy body dementia, and his 51-year-old daughter, Eleanor, succumbed to brain cancer in 2011. “ As we seek these dreadfully difficult answers at the American Brain Foundation,  I think there is great hope that we have wonderfully committed people, like Susan, in our quest for a cure.

For more information about the Standing Strong event (now called Commitment to Cures), or to learn more, visit www.AmericanBrainFoundation.org, or find the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.