Monday, 15 July 2013

Research news update #5 for 2013

UK and European Down Syndrome Research Forum 2013

Down Syndrome Education International
The Down Syndrome Research Forum is a regular event, sponsored by Down Syndrome Education International, at which researchers active in areas related to Down syndrome can meet, share ideas and discuss recent findings. The ... Forum offers a regular opportunity to share work in progress and seek support and advice from others working or interested in Down syndrome research. Researchers and postgraduate students from throughout the UK and Europe are invited to attend.
The Down Syndrome Research Forum 2013 will be held at the University of Bristol on 17 and 18 September 2013. 

Drug improves cognitive function in mouse model of Down syndrome, study says
Erin Digitale, Stanford School of Medicine News, 2nd July 2013
... The drug, an asthma medication called formoterol, strengthened nerve connections in the hippocampus, a brain center used for spatial navigation, paying attention and forming new memories, the study said. It also improved contextual learning, in which the brain integrates spatial and sensory information ...

New Drug May Improve Memory For People With Alzheimer's
Andrea Dukakis, Colorado Public radio, 26th June 2013
A drug that improved memory loss in mice could eventually do the same for people. Human trials begin soon at the CU School of Medicine on the drug Leukine. Huntington Potter studies Alzheimer’s Disease in the school's Department of Neurology. And, he's part of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, which also does research on Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome. (Audio file)

The SAGE-ID Study Newsletter, Edition 1
Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of NSW, 24th June 2013
The (SAGE-ID) study began two years ago, and is looking at health in people with intellectual disability as they get older. We hope we can help to inspire positive change within the lives of people with intellectual disability and their families. The newsletter provides ...preliminary study findings, information on increased NSW target areas for study recruitment, an overview of our recent public forums, team member profiles.

Uuniversity of Utah research giving hope of better treatment for patients with Down syndrome
Devon Dolan, KSL.com  10th June 2013
New research coming out of the University of Utah could potentially change the treatments for people with Down syndrome. In the study, Dr. Julie Korenberg and her team at the University of Utah's Center for Integrated Neuroscience and Human Behavior used functional MRI to study how a brain with Down syndrome functions. For two years, the neuroscientists studied the brains of 15 people with Down syndrome and compared their brain images to those of 15 "healthy" control patients. It's the first time it's ever been done, and Korenberg said the discoveries are groundbreaking. (News video file and transcript)
The research report is available here by open access, at Science Direct

Transition to Retirement 
Centre for Disability Research and Policy (University of Sydney)
Policy Bulletin 2, 2013  (June 2013)
Due to increased life expectancy, the number of older Australians with a long-term disability, such as intellectual disability, is increasing. More people with disability are facing retirement. Planning for retirement is part of the life cycle for most Australians, but people with intellectual disability can be reluctant to leave their familiar work environment, and may find it hard to envisage life in retirement.

Left Behind: 2013 - monitoring the social inclusion of young Australians with self-reported long term health conditions, impairments or disabilities 2001 - 2011
Centre for Disability Research and Policy (University of Sydney), Policy Bulletin 1, 2013  (February 2013)
Disabled Australian adolescents and young adults are more likely to experience social exclusion than their non-disabled peers. The gap between the two actually widened between 2001 and 2011. Social exclusion in adolescence leads to poor outcomes, such as lower educational achievement and unemployment, in adulthood. It affects not only the health and wellbeing of the individual; it also impacts on their family and the wider community. The inability of people with disabilities to participate socially and economically is a loss to the whole of society.

Debunking Myths: Reading Development in Children with Down Syndrome
Kathy Cologon,  Australian Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 38: Iss. 3, Article 9, June 2013
... (This) paper draws on past and current research evidence to consider five common misunderstandings or ‘myths’ that exist in regards to reading development in children with Down syndrome regarding (1) receptive and expressive language, (2) phonological awareness and phonic decoding, (3) ‘reading readiness’ or (non)linear development, (4) optimal learning age and, (5) reading comprehension. A case example is presented and implications for teaching practice are explored.
(Kathy Clogon is generously writing a series of six posts for Keeping Up with Down Syndrome NSW, based on her response to these myths about reading development - they will published once a week, from 12th July 2013 - the first one is here.)

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