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Study focus: treatment of dementia
Aug 13, 2025
Of all the diseases that afflict us, dementia is one of the most terrifying because we see it coming and it is inexorable. It takes the mind but leaves the body. We have theories about what causes Alzheimer’s disease — tangles of a protein called beta-amyloid and over-expression of another protein called tau. These proteins in altered forms were thought to be a cause but removing them from most of the cells in the brain using monoclonal antibodies, did not improve symptoms by much. Perhaps the intervention was too late. Both proteins are probably involved but neither has been a fertile source of treatments, and most clinical trials have failed.
I worked in a Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where there are basic scientists and pathologists. A pathologist friend lamented the lack of progress for dementia and Parkinsonism as professionally embarrassing. Heart disease, inflammatory diseases, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions have fared better; there are new and effective treatments to extend life and restore independence, most stemming from basic research in cell biology.
There are many cures offered on the internet, but most are wishful thinking or fraud. One study bears watching: it suggested that vaccination for shingles, a painful rash caused by lingering chickenpox virus (Herpes zoster), reduces the number of cases of dementia in older people. Herpes zoster is a neurotropic virus, that selectively infects nerve cells, whose connections, or synapses in the parts of the brain dedicated to memory are the cellular basis of memory. Each nerve cell has 10,000 or more connections with other neurons.
The study in question hangs on a decision made by the UK’s National Health Service after the Shingrix vaccine became available in 2013. NHS decided to give the vaccine to people in Wales born after Sept. 1, 1933, but not to those born one week before. The two groups, in Wales, 80 years old in 2013, were otherwise identical.Each part of the study had thousands of patients.
The chickenpox vaccine reduced the number of people who became demented over the next 7 years by about 20%. The paper is from scientists at Stanford and several Swiss and German universities. It is tough statistical sledding to read but the data are serious. Twenty percent of patients is too few to be confident, but too many to ignore. See below for the reference.
There are many cures offered on the internet, but most are wishful thinking or fraud.
This experiment has been repeated by combining other data from England and Wales. This type of analysis, involving thousands of patient records, has become possible by keeping records in searchable databases. Other versions of the chickenpox vaccine experiment use a more effective vaccine that became available in 2023. Does the newer vaccine protect better than 20%?Does a vaccine applied when people are younger, or given repeatedly, slow the onset of dementia even better?
Think of a slow acting virus that destroys or inhibits neurons or the synapses involved in memory.It could be Herpes zoster lingering from childhood chickenpox or another virus. The vaccine could induce antibodies and T cells that would stop the progression of the slow virus and stave off dementia.A viral cause of dementia would be extraordinary. And actionable.
A second discovery that may be helpful is the effect of weight loss drugs like Wegovy on dementia. These drugs may also help a number of problems including drug addiction and alcohol abuse.
There are several ways to study the effect of these remarkable drugs. One takes advantage of the fact that loss of brain volume is amarker of Alzheimer’s disease. As the disease progresses damage spreads through the brain and it shrinks, which can be observed by magnetic resonance imaging.
One placebo-controlled trial analyzed 204 patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease at 24 clinics in the United Kingdom. Before the study began, all patients had magnetic resonance imaging of their brains to evaluate structure and volume. Half were given a daily injection of 1.8 milligrams of liraglutide/day, a drug used in weight loss and diabetes, while an equal number received a placebo.Those who received liraglutide lost less brain volume (about 50%) than untreated patients. Cognitive testing was done at 0, 24, and 52 weeks and researchers found that patients who received liraglutide hada slower decline in cognitive function — halfthat of untreated patients. They also said they felt better.
Like the Herpes zoster study the results are not conclusive but at this stage we are looking for a new approach, not miracles. Liraglutide and other GLP-1 analogues are licensed for obesity and diabetes, so its path to treatment for Alzheimer’sand other dementias could be relatively swift.
Two independent and larger phase 3 trials are underway, with results due at the end of 2025. If the results are correct, oneprediction would be that people who had been on weight loss drugs should not be entering memory care units. That analysis is difficult, and some of the databases are proprietary, but we will follow these experiments.
To join a study, go to clinicaltrials.gov. Use the search function.
A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08800-x
Dementia symptoms and areas of the brain
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/stage...
Evaluation of Novel GLP-1 analogue in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Paul Edison et al.
Volume: Volume20, IssueS6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.089799
Published: 09 January 2025
PDF: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/p....…
Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Preclinical evidence in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease suggests that liraglutide exerts neuroprotective effects by reducing amyloid oligomers.
Richard Kessin, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Richard Kessin, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
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Two of Sharon Audubon’s summer interns, Denali and Leah, worked with the rescue center to rehabilitate avian wildlife in the Northwest Corner.
Provided
SHARON — The Audubon Center of Sharon has been on a mission to connect people with the nature surrounding them for more than fifty years. Recently, it has continued that goal by introducing a new avenue for young adults to experience the wilderness by implementing an internship program.
Spanning eight weeks across the summer, Audubon interns focus on conservation projects that center around the four main bird species that the center monitors: the purple martin, American kestrel, wood thrush and chimney swift.
Volunteer Coordinator Bethany Sheffer explained that the program is headed by Center Director Eileen Fielding, and was originally part of a partnership with Yale University, but has since become specific to the Sharon Audubon.
Participants come to Connecticut from across the country, housed either at the center or at the local Miles Wildlife Sanctuary a short drive away.
Interns take on a variety of responsibilities, from manual labor in the rehab center to tracking populations in the local nesting grounds.
Sharon Audubon is one of the few sanctuaries in the region that can treat the chimney swift, a bird famous for only thriving in groups. One responsibility the interns have, Sheffer said, was to keep the swifts fed mealworms consistently over a 14 hour time period.
The center also monitors a colony of purple martins, and interns help provide and maintain nesting space, as well as apply tracking devices to the birds.
Hannah, a conservation intern this summer, said, “Watching the chicks grow through the summer has been a bittersweet experience, but one that is pretty unforgettable, especially when it becomes time to color band and feeling a delicate bird in the hand.”
Other species like the wood thrush are monitored because they act as a “forest species indicator,” meaning their population is heavily tied to the fragmentation, elimination, and lack of management of forests.
“As our center is really kind of a flagship for forest conservation and healthy forest management, the wood thrust is sort of like the poster child for that kind of work,” Sheffer said.
The program aims to offer its interns a leg up in the world of conservation and inspires them to pursue more roles in the field, along with making a difference for the local and global wildlife that inhabits our planet.
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Residents unwavering in opposition to revised Wake Robin expansion as lawsuit hangs overhead
Aug 13, 2025
A bird’s eye view rendering of the redeveloped Inn, created by Marcello Pozzi Architects.
Provided
LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the revised and resubmitted application to expand the Wake Robin Inn on Wells Hill Road kicked off on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in familiarly contentious style.
The applicant, Aradev LLC, faces more than just neighborly outcries during this cycle.
A pending lawsuit against the Planning and Zoning Commission, filed by Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger, seeks to inhibit the Commission’s ability to review applications pertaining to a May 2024 zoning regulation change that allows for hotel development in the Rural Residential 1 zone. The Wake Robin Inn is positioned within this zone, meaning the fate of the proposed redevelopment hangs in the balance as the court reviews the litigation.
P&Z Chair Michael Klemens reported that Superior Court’s schedule for the case, which is available for public viewing along with the other application-related materials on the P&Z webpage, anticipates a possible decision by the end of the year, though there is no guarantee.
Klemens opened the evening’s proceedings with a lengthy speech explaining the precarious state of affairs that surrounds Aradev’s resubmitted proposal. He stressed that the Aradev “proceeds at their own risk; that if the Crugers are successful in their appeal, any approval rendered by the Planning and Zoning Commission will be vacated.”
Klemens directly asked Aradev’s attorney, Josh Mackey, whether the applicant understood the risk. “There’s a disagreement, I think, on that proposition,” he said, but didn’t elaborate further.
Legal uncertainties aside, Aradev adopted a decidedly open approach in presenting its revised application. Steven Cohen, half of Aradev alongside partner Jonathan Marrale, introduced the presentation with “About the Applicant” and “Development Team” slides introducing the LLC and its project partners, and explained the firm’s interest in the Inn stems from and appreciation of Lakeville’s rural character.
The application details were outlined largely by landscape architect Mark Arigoni of SLR Consulting who similarly steered most of Aradev’s hearing appearances in 2024.
The plans call for a reduction in auxiliary cabins from 12 to four, though the new cabins have been scaled up to 2,000 square feet each.
The previously proposed “event barn,” which was the subject of many complaints from residents and P&Z alike, has been moved to be contiguous with the main Inn building as opposed to its previous position as a free-standing structure. A sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter are still included in the plans, set to be housed in the central Inn structure.
These amenities, as well as a library and lounge space, are planned to be open to the public, while a gym and seasonal pool are not. The spa will be publicly open on a reservation basis but will be limited capacity and guests will get priority.
Arigoni said that a new architectural firm had been sought to help the redevelopment blend in with both the natural environment and the “white siding, metal roofs” aesthetic of the area.
Cohen said that the changes were made to reduce the “scale and impact” of development, responding to complaints from the Commission and residents during the 2024 hearing process. He also recalled the Inn’s historic status as a community hub and said that a primary motivation of the project is to “bring it back to what it used to be.”
Residents expressed opposition during public comment.
Greg Wilmore countered that he saw “no material change in the application’s intensity.”
Elyse Harney, Salisbury resident since 1963, argued that the development would be “too large for the infrastructure of the town of Salisbury.”
Laurie Fendrich felt that the neighborhood’s wellbeing should be the main consideration: “We are not just Salisbury, we are Lakeville. And we are tiny.”
Just one member of the public spoke in favor of the project. Ryan Diamond said that he hoped the project might bring new life into town, complaining that restaurants empty by 8 p.m. and that the town currently offers little for younger residents. He urged the other residents in attendance to think “about the future of the town.”
The hearing was continued to Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 6:30 p.m. where a third-party sound pollution review commissioned by P&Z was set to feature centrally in the discussion.
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Jennifer Kronholm Clark (with scissors) cut the ribbon at one of the two affordable homes on Perry Street along with (from left) John Harney, State Representative Maria Horn (D-64) and housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno.
Patrick L. Sullivan
LAKEVILLE — After at least 10 years of planning and maneuvering, two units of affordable housing are ready for occupants.
The commissioner of the state Department of Housing, Seila Mosquera-Bruno, was among the interested parties at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the building site on Perry Street in Lakeville, along with State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand, Jocelyn Ayer from the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity and Jennifer Kronholm Clark of the Salisbury Housing Trust and the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission.
Rand recalled the town eventually foreclosing on the property, the site of a long-shuttered dry-cleaning establishment.
He said things came to a head when the roof caved in.
He tracked down the owner in Arizona, and asked if there was any chance of receiving the $60,000 or so in back taxes. “He said ‘no way,’ so we foreclosed.”
Rand said it had been so long since the business closed that clothing was found, packaged and still ready for pickup. “I delivered them.”
Things got complicated because of worries about contamination from the chemicals used in the dry-cleaning process. Grants were obtained. Environmental testing was done.
And finally the site’s new owners, the Salisbury Housing Trust, was able to put up the two three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes, which marked the end of an effort that began in earnest in 2013.
The two homes are Perry Street have three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and unfinished basements.Patrick L. Sullivan
Clark said they’re not quite done. Carports with solar panels will be put up shortly.
Clark thanked everyone for their efforts. “This is perseverance in brick and mortar form.”
She said affordable housing groups in other towns often ask how Salisbury has made progress in creating a variety of affordable housing options.
“The only difference between our town and theirs is we started earlier, 25 years ago.”
Ayer said the two Lakeville units are part of a group of 10 affordable housing units in Litchfield County.
She praised the builders, Signature Building Systems, for their quick and efficient work in putting up the modular units.
Ayer had a gift for the housing commissioner, Mosquera-Bruno.
“If you come to Litchfield County in July or August, you get a large zucchini from someone’s garden, in a Tractor Supply bag.”
Amid laughter she handed the vegetable over.
Mosquera-Bruno said, “It’s wonderful to see how the community comes together.”
Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosequera-Bruno accepted a traditional Northwest Corner gift of a large zucchini from Jocelyn Ayer.Patrick L. Sullivan
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