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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
January 25, 2017 The Skanner Page 9 News By Lauran Neergaard AP Medical Writer S haron Steen dons her tennis shoes and, with two fel- low seniors, walks streets that in her youth were a vibrant center of Portland, Oregon’s Afri- can-American communi- ty. Wasn’t this the corner where an NAACP march began in 1963? Look, the record store is now a fan- cy high-rise. It’s more than a stroll down memory lane. Steen enrolled in a small but unique study to see if jogging memories where they were made can help older African Americans stay mentally sharp and slow early memory loss. “What we find when we walk, all of us, is that there are a lot of things we haven’t had to remem- ber, and that we can’t re- member. And then as we walk and talk, the memo- ries pop up and it’s reas- suring that they’re still there,” Steen said. It’s part of a new and growing effort to unrav- el troubling disparities: Why do Black seniors appear twice as likely as Whites — and Hispanics 1½ times — to develop Alzheimer’s and other dementias? A crucial first step is motivating more un- derrepresented popu- lations to volunteer for research. African Amer- icans make up less than 5 percent of participants in studies of cognitive decline and dementia, Dunkirk cont’d from pg 6 artillery.and Luftwaffe bombs. At 7 p.m. that eve- ning, the desperate Brit- ish prime minister de- cided to issue an urgent appeal to private boat owners to join the rescue effort. By dawn, over 800 hun- dred vessels had been pressed into service. The improbable flotilla in- cluded everything from speed boats and yachts to tugboats and fishing trawlers to ferries and ocean liners. For the next nine days, they negotiated their way back and forth across the U-Boat infested waters of the English Channel. And although about a third of the ships would be sunk by the enemy, the altru- istic patriots managed to save 338,226 troops. Leave it to Winston Churchill to put a posi- tive spin on such a dev- astating military defeat. which claimed the lives according to the Alzhei- mer’s Association. Beyond possibly im- proving their own brain health, the Portland study’s enticement is a chance to help preserve community and cultural memories from histor- ically black neighbor- hoods that are disappear- ing with gentrification. “A lot of our wisdom and stories about what community means comes from our elders,” said Raina Croff, an as- sistant neurology pro- fessor at Oregon Health & Science University. She leads the SHARP study — it stands for Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Pho- to-Imagery. Three times a week, 21 “ being social increasing- ly is thought critical for seniors’ brain health. Adding reminiscence is novel, although some previous research found simply looking through old family photos some- times sparks memories in dementia patients. Some of the SHARP study participants, like Steen, are cognitively normal for their age; others have early memory problems or what’s called mild cog- nitive impairment. Tests of brain function before and after the six-month program will show if it makes a difference. It’s an innovative way to test what’s essential- ly exercising memory “when you still have a lot of brain left,” said Maria There’s something different that happens as you walk through the space and talk about memories seniors gather in groups of three and reminisce during mile-long walks through streets once filled with Black-owned homes and businesses, areas that in the last 20 years have become ma- jority White. Along the way, “memory markers” — signs or historic pho- tos — prompt “do you re- member” conversations about people, events or long-gone landmarks, conversations recorded both for the study and for an oral archive. Walking is healthy, and Carrillo, chief science officer at the Alzhei- mer’s Association, which is funding the SHARP study. Croff ’s theory: “There’s something different that happens as you walk through the space and talk about memories.” It’s not clear why Af- rican-Americans face extra risk of dementia. Higher rates of chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, known to be toxic to the brain, don’t fully explain the dispar- of 68,000 British soldiers and left the country in fear of an imminent inva- sion. On June 4, he took to the floor of the House. of Commons to deliver a rousing speech assuring the alarmed citizenry that there was no doubt that Great Britain would ultimately prevail. “Whatever the cost may be,” he said in a stir- ring summation, “We shall fight on the beach- es... We shall fight on the landing grounds... We shall fight in the fields and in the streets... We shall fight in the hills...” concluding, “We shall never surrender!” All of the above has been chronicled in unique fashion in “Dunkirk,” a visual- ly-captivating, World War II epic directed by Christopher Nolan. No- lan, the best British direc- tor besides Alfred Hitch- cock never to win an Oscar, has made a string of memorable movies that includes “Memento,” “Inception,” “Interstel- lar” and the Batman tril- ogy to name a few. Here, he’s found a nov- el way to recreate the his- toric evacuation. Instead of having the docudrama revolve around a single protagonist or a single unit, he has deftly inter- woven a half-dozen or so discrete storylines high- lighting the different perspectives of a num- ber of unsung heroes. Whether on land, by sea or in the air, many among this patriotic band of brothers survive, but some do make the ulti- mate sacrifice in the val- iant stand against the un- speakable evil spreading across Europe. Shot in 70mm, “Dunkirk” is an instant classic worth the extra investment to catch on an IMAX screen. An in- spirational tribute to Britain’s Greatest Gener- ation that just might be Chris Nolan’s best pic- ture yet. Excellent HHHH Rated PG-13 for intense battle scenes and some profanity AP PHOTOS/GILLIAN FLACCUS Black Seniors Test ‘Power of Reminisce’ to Protect Aging Brain In this photo taken July 6, 2017, from left, Ron Young, Gahlena Easterly and Sharon Steen and reminisce as they take a mile-long walk through North Portland, Oregon, streets that once were full of Black-owned homes and businesses. Researchers are studying whether jogging memories where they were made can help African-American seniors stay sharp and slow early memory loss. ity. Studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Associ- ation International Con- ference last week show a growing interest in the role of social and envi- ronmental influences, from living in disadvan- taged neighborhoods to socioeconomic dispari- ties in early childhood. One particularly strik- ing study suggests high- ly stressful experiences — the death of a child, abuse or severe illness, being fired or divorced — can age the brain be- fore its time. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers tested cog- nitive functions that decline with age in still healthy volunteers in their 50s and 60s. Each particularly traumatic event over a lifetime add- ed the equivalent of 1½ years of age-related de- cline — even more, four years, for African Amer- icans, who experienced disproportionately more See SENIORS on page 10
