Tag: dementia

Bruce Willis’ wife Emma warns against having a ‘toxic’ attitude as he battles dementia

Bruce Willis’ wife, model Emma Heming Willis, is trying to stay positive amid his battle with dementia. 

On Tuesday, Emma, 45, posted a photo of a page from what appeared to be the book, “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.” 

She drew attention to a passage that read, “People caring for a loved one with dementia tend to think that the patient is the important one, and they themselves are not as important. Not only does that make no sense, it’s a toxic attitude to have about yourself. Your health deserves attention too – both your physical health and your mental health.”

Emma circled the quote and wrote via Instagram Story, “An important reminder from lsarnernyp, Lauren Sarner Patti Davis.” 

Davis, 71, is the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994 and died 10 years later, at age 93. 

Emma Heming Willis’s post circling the passage. Instagram / @emmahemingwillis
Bruce and Emma Heming Willis. Getty Images for Film at Lincoln

Willis, 68, stepped back from acting in 2022, after being diagnosed with aphasia. In February 2023, his loved ones further revealed that his condition had worsened and that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

“Moonlighting” creator Glenn Gordon Caron, who is still friends with Willis, told the Post in October that the actor is not “totally verbal.” 

Emma reportedly met Bruce at their mutual trainer’s gym in 2007, and they tied the knot two years later. They have two daughters together — Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, 9 — and she’s also the stepmother to Willis’ three daughters with his ex-wife, Demi Moore, 61: Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29.

Bruce Willis with his wife, Emma, his ex-wife, Demi, and his five daughters. Instagram/demimoore
Bruce Willis with Emma in the photos she posted celebrating their anniversary. Emma Heming Willis/Instagram
The passage from Ronald Reagan’s daughter’s book, that Emma posted on Instagram. Instagram / @emmahemingwillis

His family has rallied around him, including Moore – Willis’ family is reportedly all staying under one roof to support him during his health struggles. 

“Bruce has good days and bad days, but in the last two months, there are many more bad days than good,” a source recently told Us Weekly.

“This experience has brought the whole family even closer together. No one knows how much time Bruce has left, so they’re soaking up every moment they get with him.”

Bruce Willis with two of his daughters, in photos his daughters shared. Instagram / Demi Moore
Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Emma Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis. Getty Images for goop

“Once Bruce was diagnosed, everyone came together to keep his memory of the family intact and to be there as a constant reminder [that they] love him. [Everything] revolves around him,” a second source said.

“Sadly, there’s this ticking clock connected to Bruce’s condition,” they added. “Everyone has come together for Bruce. They’re thankful they have each other.”

Last week, Emma celebrated her 16-year anniversary with Bruce, thanking their “inner circle” for support as the “Die Hard” actor deals with his condition. 

Bruce Willis’s family has rallied around him, amid his dementia battle. Instagram/emmahemingwillis
Bruce Willis with his daughter, Scout. Scoutlaruewillis/Instagram

“I receive countless messages of love and support because Bruce is so beloved. That showers on him and I am fortunate enough to stand below that to catch those sprinkles that yet, feel like a waterfall of kindness,” she posted.

 “I wish I could answer all the messages because they are deep, raw and poetic but please know that I appreciate them so very much. It also makes me feel less alone.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Blood test could detect Alzheimer’s disease early: study

Alzheimer’s disease could be diagnosed 3.5 years earlier, thanks to a simple blood test.

A study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College in London found a blood test that can potentially predict the risk of developing the deliberating disease years before a clinical diagnosis is made.

The study, published in the journal Brain, suggests there are parts of blood in humans that can influence the generation of neurons from neural stem cells in the brain. Called neurogenesis, this takes place in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that controls learning and memory.

In its early stages, Alzheimer’s disease affects the formation of new brain cells in the hippocampus.

The study was conducted over several years with researchers collecting blood samples and observing 56 people who had been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which symptoms involve a decline in memory, language or judgment, and can sometimes lead to Alzheimer’s disease.


The study could lead to an earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
Getty Images/Image Source

Those diagnosed with MCI develop Alzheimer’s disease at a much higher rate than those who do not, and of the 56 participants in the study, 36 were later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Previously, researchers have only been able to study neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s sufferers post-mortem.

When the study looked at blood samples of participants in the earlier stages of developing Alzheimer’s disease, they found that the changes in neurogenesis occurred 3.5 years prior to a clinical diagnosis.


Researcher’s from King’s College London established a blood-based test that could predict the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Getty Images

The study’s authors said the research may have found the first evidence in humans suggesting how the body’s circulatory system can effect the brain’s ability to form new cells, giving a timeline to the development of Alzheimer’s.

“In our study, we aimed to use this model to understand the process of neurogenesis and to use changes in this process to predict Alzheimer’s disease,” Professor Sandrine Thuret, the study’s lead author, said.

Thuret noted previous studies conducted on young mice showed their blood has a rejuvenating effect on the awareness of older mice by improving hippocampal neurogenesis.

“This gave us the idea of modeling the process of neurogenesis in a dish using human brain cells and human blood,” she continued. “In our study, we aimed to use this model to understand the process of neurogenesis and to use changes in this process to predict Alzheimer’s disease, and found the first evidence in humans that the body’s circulatory system can have an effect on the brain’s ability to form new cells.”

The findings could potentially allow the prediction of Alzheimer’s in a non-invasive way, as well as help to understand more of what the brain goes through during the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

New Study Might Lead to New Therapeutic Approach for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

In a fresh approach, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, have aimed at treating Alzheimer’s disease using new technology. The approach involves focussing on microglia, a type of cell that stabilises the brain by getting rid of damaged neurons and proteins that are often associated with dementia and other brain illnesses. While the changes in these cells have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, they remain to be understudied. Researchers have now used a new CRISPR technology that enables them to control these microglia cells. This, according to the team, can lead to a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

In the brain, ordinary immune cells cannot get through the blood-brain barrier. This is where microglia cells come into play. They act as the immune system of the brain and help flush out the waste and toxins while keeping the neurons functioning properly. When these microglia cells begin to lose their way, it results in brain inflammation and can damage the neurons and their networks.

The microglia cells can even end up removing the synapses between neurons under certain conditions. This process is a normal part of brain development in childhood and adolescent years. But, in adults, this can lead to disastrous effects on the brain.

The team, led by Martin Kampmann, PhD, geared up to detect the genes that were responsible for specific states of the microglial activity. With this, they could switch the genes on and off and put the dislodged cells back in their place.

They made microglia cells through stem cells donated by human volunteers and confirmed that they functioned like their ordinary human counterparts. The team then set out to develop a new platform that combines a form of CRISPR and enables the researchers to switch individual genes on and off.

With this, the team was able to zero in on the genes that were responsible for the cell’s ability to survive and proliferate. The genes also impacted how actively a cell produces inflammatory substances and the aggression with which a cell prunes synapses. The detection of the type of genes helped the researchers successfully rest them and convert the disease-ridden cell into a healthy ones.

“Our study provides a blueprint for a new approach to treatment,” he said. “It’s a bit of a holy grail,” said Kampmann. He is the senior author of the study published in Nature Neuroscience.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version