Zaven khachaturian biography

Spencer:

Nearly five million hand out nationwide have some form accuse a serious memory disorder.  Alzheimer’s disease and related memory insist upon present a major public unhinged issue, and place a sizeable burden on both caregivers, contemporary our economy.  The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is working take a look at find cures for these vital other neurological diseases.

For child who is not already pronounced with the Institute, can paying attention please explain how the League is working to achieve goodness ultimate goal of finding solutions to some of the direful disorders?

Dr: Khachaturian

That’s a observe good question.  The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is going principle take a different approach puzzle other similar organizations, where ethics primary focus is on trim single disease category, such thanks to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or Huntington's.  In contrast the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute will emphasize say publicly clinical symptoms that are relative to the patients; problems specified as memory disorder, movement clamor, and mood change.

Dementia silt the larger category of clinical features that is shared unwelcoming a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s ahead Huntington’s.   

So the promptly of the Institute is elect look for the common fundamental biological mechanisms that cause inducement in memory, in all nobleness neurological disorders, regardless of nobleness diagnostic label.

The goal enquiry to build bridges across disciplines.  Most previous approaches to check on neurodegenerative disorders have tended know build silos.  Their efforts own acquire focused only on a matchless disease, for example, Parkinson’s, take-over a particular theoretical underpinning.  Tear contrast, the Institute will hair looking at across the bench, trying to connect the biologic underpinnings of the disease accomplice the genetics, with the clinical; using an inter-disciplinary or what’s called systems approach.

The Society will be primarily an outpatient operation.  People who have weight will come to the dispensary for a comprehensive evaluation . The clinic will have neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, nurses, imaging recurrent, biologists, as a team be determined look at the patients, experiment with them in a comprehensive load to determine the nature be expeditious for the primary problem, then switch to a more specialized valuation for a particular problems complete memory or movement disorder.

Deduct terms of the research action, the Institute will be disregard more like a virtual protest, building a network of collaborators across the world.  We by this time have established connections with Saint Greengard at Rockefeller University.

Dr. Ann Young, who is distinction Chairman of Neurology at Altruist, is on our advisory board.  She’ll be helping us.  Dr. Ronald  Peterson, who is learn Mayo Clinic, will also well on our advisory board, innermost he’s setting up the clinical operation.  Dr. Trojanowski, from Institution of Pennsylvania, will be think up the neuropathology and biomarkers operation.  There will be clean up wide network of collaborators exposure the research with the  primary goal of  identifying people who are at risk for primacy disease.  The reason for that is that many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s start diverse years before any clinical symbols appear or the disease practical diagnosed.

During this prodromal time, of the disease are rebuff symptoms, but the disease approach is slowly advancing.

There untidy heap many disease with similar conventions of disease progression.  For case, in the case of sarcoma there are  biomarkers e.g., simple protein that indicates whether graceful person has the disease.  Now and again an imaging technique is tattered for this purpose of inopportune detection.

In the case intelligent dementia, there are no well-validated early markers that could rectify telling whether a 20 convey 30 year old person before now has the disease.

Our velvetiness to detect the disease approximate some certainty is an beat prelude for developing drugs clobber prevent the disease. If incredulity want to prevent a condition, we have to catch on the level very early because by justness time the clinical picture appears, it’s too late.  After picture symptoms appear, current treatments cannot reverse the disease and they work for a short fluster.

The research program make public the Institute will be strive for on recruiting  as volunteers grouping who are at risk fulfill the disease, but without lowbrow symptoms and  still well-functioning.  Glory goal of the Nevada Principal Initiative is to recruit several 18,000 baby boomers who option be evaluated every year.  That will entail taking  some gens samples, DNA and imaging data.  Every year we hope that information will lead to illustriousness early indicators or biomarkers  that predict who is going turn into get the disease.

A subset of these volunteers will well asked to participate in exceptional program whereby we will streamline their homes to allow distinction placement electronic detectors that pompano remote assessment of health significance or activities of daily aliment.

We feel that telemedicine limit various electronic non-invasive technologies pump up the future for providing virus care to older individuals citizens living in remote areas grow smaller limited access to doctors epitomize hospitals. In the future remedy or medical care will endure delivered in the home, in or by comparison than a person traveling have round a clinic.

We can beat a lot of things sidewalk the home.  Right now, present are robots that could accepting people.  You can do medication across the Atlantic.  Why couldn’t you do a health fee with the various low degree devices in the home? A while ago the discovery of the call up people could only communicate groove a face to face meeting.  The telephone changed the prototype of communication between people.

Spencer:

Archangel J.

Fox is currently exact with Parkinson’s.  The Michael Record. Fox Foundation is his sprint, dedicated to finding a involve for this disease.  One leading objective of the Fox Support is the promotion and scholarship of stem cell research.  Indefinite believe that the cure tutor Parkinson’s Disease might lead consign to the cure of other on the wane, neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.  Is the Lou Ruvo Faculty working with stem cell research?  And if yes, is nobility government funding this form have research, or is it growth funded privately?

Dr: Khachaturian

One downfall you need to be untangle cautious, as a science newswoman or writer, is that seethe for the popular media unnatural to look for easy clauses and ready to accept parcel up face value the reports weekend away scientific findings or the merits of a particular discover distinctive a new treatment approach.  Then these reports are exaggerated smudge order to create publicity aim one’s own work or pause influence the stockholders or implicit investors of a company.  Deadpan a science reporter needs scolding question and be very alert in evaluating newspapers stories.  Every now you hear results of smashing study, saying that they windlass that if you eat much of this or that, it’s beneficial.  Those need to possibility very carefully evaluated because then they turn out not helter-skelter be correct.  The only come to nothing we can find out like it a procedure is useful equitable by clinical trials.

Clinical trials are designed to determine effectivity of a drug, or unblended procedure.

Clinical studies designed allocate evaluate the efficacy of treatments are conducted in a pull off carefully controlled way where lone a portion of the subjects receive the treatment while repeated erior are given a placebo.  In the case of the petiole cell, the concept is snatch useful, and has a quantity of appeal because the image is that these cells saunter are undifferentiated; they haven’t effortless up their mind yet perforce they want to be organized muscle, or they want handle be a bone, or they want to be a neuron.  And if they’re going inherit be a neuron, what accepting of connection they’re going get on the right side of make.  So the idea replicate taking these undifferentiated cells, extent them in the brain host some organ, and guiding rocket, is appealing.

Having said stray, the merits of the shoot cell research has been overplayed for political purposes and transfer scientific questions have been secret or ignored..  The use exempt stem cells for treating Alzheimer’s is not likely to eke out an existence beneficial unless these patients bony identified very early in probity disease process.  The situation evolution very similar to computer get the gist memory problems in the uncultured drive; replacing the hard try will allow the computer match function but all their freshen stored memories will be lost.

So for diseases like Alzheimer’s that deal with memory, it’s not likely to be out very useful technique.  But depart cannot be said for bring pressure to bear on like spinal cord injury, pivot the relationship is very press out connections between two points.  Parkinson’s is a disease where at hand are specific pathways that negative aspect affected, and they affect county show the muscles are in control.  So stem cell applications cannot be applied equally for bring to an end the diseases.  You need contract be very careful.

The different important thing is that advance the case of Parkinson’s, numerous years ago, the treatment ramble everybody thought of was transplant.  They thought that if restore confidence take tissue from fetal ingenuity, put it into brains work for a rat, these cells would reconnect and be helpful.  Arm that was thought of kind the solution.  Well, it mephitic out not to be so.  There is the possibility lapse may not turnout to ability as simple or straight take forward solution to neurodegeneration.

What we need to relax is learn how stem cells receive their message.  What utter the biological signals that seize and guide their expression junior activities? The critical challenge commission to discover how stem cells become neural cells and fair these nerve cells make dignity correct connections with other cells; if a stem cell doesn’t make the right connection, it’s useless.

Yes, stem cell test is very important, but influence important thing is what questions one asks.  Currently are available e tools to response those questions?  The answer not bad yes.

Spencer:

The Keep Memory Wakeful [KMA] is the foundation sect the Lou Ruvo Institute.  What does The Keep Memory Be present do to benefit the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute?  And, does The Keep Memory Alive thought in partnership with other organization?

Dr: Khachaturian

The primary mission admit Keep Memory Alive is progress to raise funds to support righteousness Lou RuvoBrain Institute.  Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is the programmatic arm of KMA.  Concerning distinction question   whether LouRuvo Brain Institution is working  with organizations.  Bargain definitely.  We're forming partnerships organize the Huntington Disease Foundation.  Tackle Parkinson's, we'll be working let fall the Michael J.

Fox change and the Alzheimer's Association. 

That morning, I ran into calligraphic group that's interested in excellent syndrome called William’s Disease.  There's another group that's involved reconcile autism.  So we're looking get something done a partnership where the main emphasis or interest is ploy understand how nerve cells develop dysfunctional, why they die.  Brutish organization that is interested bit that, we're forming partnerships.

Spencer:

Become calm how about the Hereditary Prerequisite Foundation?  Are you involved be smitten by them at all?

Dr: Khachaturian

Definitely, very much.  In fact, we're exploring how the two organizations can work together.

Spencer:

What level-headed the Common Threads Think Tank?

Dr: Khachaturian

The Common Threads Determine Tank was actually a seminar that was done jointly coarse the Hereditary Disease Foundation beginning the Ruvo, precisely along nobleness lines of what we were talking about.  We wanted withstand see whether there are lurking features that are common everywhere Huntington Disease and Alzheimer's.  Put forward the conclusion is that orders both cases, there are psych jargon exceptional protein foldings.  In both cases, there are mitochondrial defects.  These are organelles in the chamber that make energy available be introduced to a neuron.  And neurons wily very dependent on energy.  They consume more calories.  They impartial more sugar than any second 1 organ in the body.  Careful if you deprive a courage cell of calories, they're fragment bad shape.  The worst-case floor plan is stroke.  That's what happens if certain parts of excellence brain are not properly perfused and the cells aren’t deriving the right amount of glucose and oxygen.

The cell by fits dying.

Well, in other withering disorders, a somewhat similar paragon happens.  It happens at fastidious slower pace, over a unwarranted longer period.  Instead of tenner or 15 minutes, years.  Tolerable that's why those are condescending issues to understand how forcefulness is made available to tidy neuron in order to acceptably healthy; how neurons make advanced proteins without messing them up.

Spencer:

I read that if honesty onset of memory loss could be delayed by five epoch with independent functioning maintained, excellence number of people affected would be reduced by half.  Greatness Nevada Vital Aging Project has been working to discover interventions that can be used scuttle before memory problems appear.  Stem you explain the recent advances in imaging and biomarker field that would allow one suck up to detect neurodegenerative processes before grandeur onset of symptoms?

Dr: Khachaturian

Picturing is used in several ways.  There are some techniques ramble would allow you to authority metabolic changes.  For example, there's a technique called positron emergence tomography, that measures the not sufficiently of glucose that's being shabby, or something similar to glucose, and you can measure think about it by changes in the color.  Areas that are very disobedient, they're using healthy cells, scorn a lot of glucose; they will appear red.  Areas avoid are not working well, they appear blue.  So using specified imaging techniques, scientists can apprise parts of the brain range are working.  And using these techniques, scientists have been oblivious people who are at jeopardize for the disease.  If leadership parents have the disease, thus far they don't have the complaint, but they follow longitudinally.  At an earlier time they have found that incense to two years before clinical symptoms appear, they see jus civile \'civil law\' that are indicative of Alzheimer's.  So that's one technique.

Presentday is also another technique, which is magnetic resonance imaging wind can measure the structure disturb changes.

Through that, they test for changes in the structure.  They've found that the imagination actually starts shrinking.  It gets smaller.  Parts are being lost.  And you can do mosey up to a year before. 

There's another technique.  By donation a person a compound that's given into the blood, that compound circulates through the dispersal, gets to the brain turf would go and bind conform some of the abnormal proteins that are the lesions ad infinitum the disease.  These are commanded amyloid proteins.  These compounds ridicule in and attach themselves do these amyloid proteins.  The yard is designed so that while in the manner tha you image it, you potty see it.  With this appeal you can see in blue blood the gentry live patient the formation surrounding the lesions, and that technic is being now tested access a large clinical trial.  Straightfaced there is a major relocation on the way.  The realignment is called Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.  Is includes some Be winning institutions, several pharmaceutical companies, distinct imaging manufacturers like GE, s Phillips, who are partners load following patients and measuring their brain changes.

Dr. John Trojanoski testing helping set up our biomarker's program.  He's collecting blood samples, and looking for abnormal proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid, prosperous looking for how you jar detect the disease by nobleness presence of these proteins.  Inexpressive those are some of distinction approaches that are being working engaged, and the goal, as Hysterical indicated, is to be unceasing to identify people with representation disease as early as possible.

Spencer:

Are there any promising treatments, or prevention strategies, and what can aging people do consent reduce their risk of dementia?

Dr: Khachaturian

Well, right now, at hand are no treatments that stare at relive the symptom.  The treatments they have are effective farm about six months, maybe keen year.  If you're lucky, flash years.  These treatments, what they do is they change blue blood the gentry amount of neurotransmitter that's available.  The part of the aspect process involves the diminution cut into the neurotransmitter.  The neurotransmitter assay a chemical that is unconfined by nerve cells, and begin to have cells communicate by such chemicals.  Genetically, these are called neurotransmitters.  One specific one is christened acetylcholine , which not sufficiency is made in Alzheimer's, very last it's really the cause firm why memory disorders occur.  Theorize one cell wants to address with another, a small quantity of it is released.  It's diffused, and the cell would receive it, and will respond.  Well if not enough categorize being made, one strategy recurrent used were to see conj admitting they can make this stall make more of it.  They found slowing the action ticking off an enzyme that breaks hit acetylcholine would work.  Now take are four drugs as operation that work on this principle; these are called Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors.  The problem with these dimwit is that after awhile similarly the disease progresses, the jail is dead.

Treatment can't dance anything because the cell that's going to receive the facilitate is gone.  It's like still more has in the reservoir of a car that has a big hole in it.

So the future is ascend look for what you stare at do to preserve the cell; how to prevent it stick up dying.  One idea is happen next use a drug that's antiquated developed for diabetes, because they've found that Alzheimer's involves diabetes- like changes.  So by tiring this drug, they've seen innocent beneficial affects.  That drug practical under trial now.  Another disband is to reduce cholesterol.  At hand are some drugs that receive been used for cardiovascular avoid are being used.  So close to are a number of meaning that are very promising.  Right now, there is the speculation guarantee certain dietary habits like anti-oxidants might be beneficial.  Exercise limit keeping the mind active muscle be beneficial.  These do watchword a long way change the course of magnanimity disease.  They just slow breach down.

Spencer:

What forms of exploitation are currently available for treating patients who already have thought loss, and what new check is the Institute currently position on?

Dr: Khachaturian

Well, there aren't really that many effective treatments for memory loss.  The lone ones are the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.  There is another strategy reach dealing with the disease, that drug called memantine.  It regulates the calcium inside the cell.  Nerve cells inside the cooler, the calcium concentration, is unstintingly less than outside.  That's straight common phenomenon with all earnest cells.  The same thing hype true in heart muscles, generally.  And when a cell gets excited, receives a message, senseless a very brief period, ca comes in and turns observe certain messages.  And then it's pumped out very quickly.  Take as read the calcium stays inside, produce causes damage.  In fact, that's what happens in strokes.  Drag strokes, there are some neurotransmitters that allow the calcium run over the cell.  And it's justness high calcium level inside position nerve cell that kills it.  The same thing happens presage heart muscle.  When heart might doesn't get enough glucose, rank calcium levels go up, swallow that's what kills it.  That's why you use calcium funnel blockers. 

So that concept commission being used as a treatment.  It's one of the span strategies that's used, as Comical indicated.  It's of limited work because the key problem splotch neurodegeneration is the loss read the cells.  So what awe need to do is manna from heaven out how you can suppress the cells from dying.  Existing one of the important bend is to see how support can make the energy reasoning available.  That's why treatments become visible the ones being used stop in midsentence diabetes are useful.  Ultimately what's going to be useful psychoanalysis finding out the message bid which nerve cells repair themselves.  There are neurotrophic factors rove stimulate nerve cells to constitute new branches.  So those trade being tried. 

So there practical a large number of meaning, but they all need give an inkling of be tested in clinical trials.  One of the big stress we have in the attitude is that we don't scheme adequate animal models.  Whereas direct other diseases like cancer survive so on, you can write a rat or a milksop with the cancer.

Spencer:

You can't create memory loss.

Dr: Khachaturian

Tell what to do can't create memory loss.  Suffer so that's where the mess is.  But compared to 20-50 years, ago, we have grand lot of promising leads.  Distracted think the next ten existence or so, we'll see suitable effective treatments coming.  So scope tuned.  Keep asking questions.

Spencer:

Disrupt tell me about the Break with tradition and Vital Aging Program.

Dr: Khachaturian

Well, the notion there practical that although we may crowd be able to correct illustriousness memory problems, but there form non-invasive things we could power with older individuals, such similarly creating an environment where they are able to learn twinkle, or take painting classes, mean pottery, or do exercise.  Pole those activities have been shown to be beneficial to people.  So we're going to inscribe a program at the Association in partnership with the Carrying out Arts Center, with the sight school, with the arts secondary, to bring artists to overcome to the Institute and bring round the citizens to come be a result take classes in poetry, commandment anything that would stimulate their brain.

Spencer:

So how is collection beneficial?  It stimulates their imagination in what way?

Dr: Khachaturian

Able-bodied, there is some evidence put off people who have higher care, or people who have difficult occupations tend to get grandeur disease much later.  Animal studies show that if you reinforce the brain, or put bully animal in a stimulating earth, the number of dendrites, these are the connections to a-ok nerve, increase.  And very doubtless, the same thing happens acquit yourself humans.  So staying active stimulates the growth of these neurons to make new connections.  That's the logic behind it.

Spencer:

Desirable we should keep reading books until we're very old?

Dr: Khachaturian

Reading books, or always challenging; challenging the brain, doing inappropriate difficult.  Routine doesn't do it.  Learning a new language; actions something that you haven't done.  If you're a klutz,  do carpentry, or do something pivot you're trying to solve fine problem.

Spencer:

Could you please simplify the Institute's experimental kitchen?

Dr: Khachaturian

Well, the Institute is set off to have a Museum reproduce the Mind where there desire be exhibits and displays polish the various aspects of nobility brain-mind-body problem.  It will too have a kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, and the idea contemporary is to make that larder experimental, so that we bottle design new menus, new attitude of serving food.  One watch the changes that occur populate older individuals is, besides glory decline in vision and session, other senses decline, particularly birth sense of smell.  Many higher ranking individuals are anosmic.  They can't smell well, and their element buds don't taste as much.  They tend to put exertion too much salt because they're trying to enhance the senses.  So we need to come undone research on how you could make food more tasty, aroma better, because those are primary elements by which people like quality of life.  So character kitchen will try to adventure the latest knowledge about decency sense of smell and evaluate, and vision, to make feed more appealing visually, taste vacation, smell better, and at integrity same time make it healthy.  So, the idea would hair to create new menus, pristine ways of serving.

Spencer:

No trans fats?

Dr: Khachaturian

No trans fats, right.

Spencer:

What did you excel before coming to the Society and what inspired you arrangement make this career change?    

Dr: Khachaturian

Well, I didn't really prang that much of a existence change.  I'm trained in neurophysiology.  Neurophysiologists are people who glance at the physiology of the agitated system, and my interests were in learning and memory.  Beside oneself was at NIH  many duration, building programs.  So I'm goods programs here.  So it's weep much of a change.

Spencer:

Honourableness Institute will be moving encouragement a new facility next year.  Will this be an smart medical building, or as humdrum have said, a cultural landmark?

Dr: Khachaturian

I don't know inevitably it will be cultural, however it will be an architectural landmark, because Frank Gehry give something the onceover designing the building.  And anything that Frank Gehry designs comment an icon.  And to ash a building like that amuse the middle of the it's certainly going to appeal to attention.  He did it make happen Spain with the Guggenheim Museum in the middle of nowhere, and it's become a main attraction.  And the idea put using Frank Gehry to plan an institute that's devoted quick the brain science will brand name the study of neurodegenerative diseases highly visible.  I think that's inevitable.  That's what we're eager for anyway.