Alzheimer's Disease
& Our Founding Mentor's Condition
Improving treatment protocols through UCLA's pioneering multi-faceted systems approach, moving beyond mono-therapy medicines.
Patient
Dr. David Josefowitz, CBE
Dr. David Josefowitz, CBE — at a London concert hall
British Swiss Orchestra conductor and violinist. Retired due to progressive cognitive impairment.
In addition to being a celebrated conductor, he was an MIT alum chemist that had been in business with Roche Pharmaceutical. From his years working with his medical colleagues, he was inspired to work to find a successful treatment for his and others' progressive memory loss.
Dr. Josefowitz was an award-winning classical music producer and is credited as the historical inventor and developer of the modern vinyl LP record. Scientific applications were his forte.
Playing violin since he was a child, he mentored many young musicians in his LSCO London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, and launched their careers worldwide, affording them the debut break they needed as soloists. Conducting well into his 80's, he overcame physical limitations as he was challenged with two hip replacements.
Research Approach
Multi-Point Systems Approach
CMHNR Director Mr. Shapray was musically mentored for many years by his relative Dr. Josefowitz. Together they worked to network with colleagues, comb the scientific literature, and review protocols for cases that had achieved some success with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment), the early form of progressive Alzheimer's.
The application of a complex "multi-point systems approach" was the goal. UCLA is one of the leaders in the systems approach that has recently proven to reverse Alzheimer's in many but the most advanced cases, following the groundbreaking work of Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD.
"A symphony requires many instruments and people to bring the music to life; and a complex neurological condition also presently requires much more than a single 'wonder medicine' to improve the outcome."
Emerging Science
New Insights
The work of Beth Stevens of Boston Children's Hospital in microglial brain immune cell over-activation in Alzheimer's has compelling evidence that the dysfunctional immune system also has a key role, in addition to the other factors being addressed.
There is a tremendous need to educate the professional medical community in how to apply this established new multi-faceted thinking about this condition. We support further research into the refinement and application of a "multi-point systems approach" in treating MCI/Alzheimer's.
Synaptic transmission — the frontier of Alzheimer's research
Important Awareness
Antibiotic-Associated Encephalopathy
Less known among many prescribing physicians is that broad spectrum antibiotics often cause encephalopathy and neurotoxic cognitive changes that mimic Alzheimer's. To treat these cognitive changes as if they are genuine Alzheimer's is all too common, and leads to further decline because the cause is never actually addressed.
Reference: Bhattacharyya et al., "Antibiotic-associated encephalopathy," Journal of Neurology, March 2016.