At the Library: Audio Reading Service

Michael Kuhn- Jun 16, 2018

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - More than 150 volunteers at the Allen County Public Library read and record everything from daily newspapers to national magazines to help keep customers in the know.

It's part of the library's Audio Reading Program. The program provides services for people who are not able to read for some reason. 

Organizers said many people who are blind, have Parkinson's Disease, or some other impairment use the service. Right now, more than 70,000 people access its various platforms.

The library provides it in a variety of ways, including short-wave radio, online podcasts, and online streaming.

ACPL's Stephanny Smith joined First News Saturday with Jennifer Vaughan, a volunteer, to talk about the importance of the program and what it's like to volunteer. 

If you want to volunteer, you can go to acpl.info or call (260) 421-1375.

http://www.wane.com/news/local-news/at-the-library-audio-reading-service/1243112051

Dancing Parkinson’s disease away

By Adriana Bazzi     June 16, 2018
Corriere della Sera, Italy

A stage is set in one of the exhibition halls of the Museo Civico (Civic Museum) in Bassano del Grappa, near Vicenza, Italy, during a contemporary art exhibition titled In-colore by an Italian artist, Daniele Marcon. Performers are dancing on the stage. Most are people with Parkinson’s disease, but there are also young – and very young – visitors, immigrants, and people from all walks of life dancing. They are invited to draw inspiration from paintings with geometrical patterns, squares and rectangles, mainly in dark colors, with sharp contrasts and well-defined lines. Their goal is to stimulate the audience’s emotional response, precisely because strong colors can convey the flow of life’s energy.

The performers are part of a contemporary dance initiative called “Dance Well,” using dance as a therapy and integration technique for people with Parkinson’s disease. They take one-hour dance lessons in the museum’s exhibition halls each Monday and Friday.

One Monday morning in April, during a lesson at the Marcon exhibition, the teacher-choreographer invites the participants – about 70 strong – to move along imaginary paths in space, following lines that the paintings on the walls seemed to suggest. They move back and forth, left and right, holding their outstretched arms above their heads or lying on the floor, alone or with a partner. Some seek out their own spaces while others create trajectories that cross other dancers’ paths, resulting in physical contact that can be therapeutic.

“It all started from the idea, later confirmed by scientific research, that contemporary dance can help people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease to improve their ability to move, and therefore their quality of life,” says Daniele Volpe, director of the Neuro-Rehabilitation Department at Villa Margherita in Arcugnano (Vicenza), one of six treatment centers at the Fresco Parkinson Institute in Italy.

Their efforts are all the more vital because Parkinson’s disease is fast becoming a pandemic. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder in the brain that causes sufferers to become increasingly hampered in their movement and balance. Experts say there were 6.9 million patients worldwide in 2015 and this number could double by 2040, with devastating economic consequences for health services.

“We need to find new models of treatment and rehabilitation, beyond the conventional methods that have been used so far,” says Volpe. “There is a need to bring on board new professionals, like dance teachers, after undergoing a specific training, of course.”

The Dance Well initiative was launched in 2013 in Bassano del Grappa by Roberto Casarotto, artistic director of the Operaestate Festival Veneto. “This project was inspired by a meeting we had with a Dutch organization called Dance for Health,” explains Casarotto. “But it developed independently, with particular focus on the artistic aspect.”

People generally think of dance therapy as an activity that concentrates exclusively on movement and is carried out in gyms. But in the case of Dance Well, people dance in museum exhibition halls, attempting to translate modern and classic works of art into movement.

“Tango and Irish dancing are invaluable for people affected by Parkinson’s disease,” explains Volpe. “They stimulate specific areas in the brain, such as the motor and sensory cortex, that have an impact on movement. But contemporary dance inspired by art has been shown to stimulate a greater number of cerebral areas such as the limbic system, which enhances emotions and creative processes.”

Eva, 48, has lived with Parkinson’s disease for 15 years. “In the last four years, dance has been a real game changer in my life, and I’ve been able to resume doing what I was doing before the illness,” she says. “But above all, I have overcome the stigma attached to Parkinson’s disease. I don’t feel judged anymore and my self-esteem has increased tremendously.”

Scientific research shows that “the most important aspect is to keep moving,” Volpe says, “because movement can trigger neuroprotective mechanisms in the brain, encourage neuroplasticity and lead to the creation of new synapses. This means we can slow down the disease.”

Some Italian neurologists deplore the excessive use of medication to treat Parkinson’s disease, including dopamine, which can have serious side effects such as uncontrolled movements or even interruption of movement – the so-called freezing effect. Dancing can help reduce the need for drug therapy.

Dance Well focuses primarily on people with Parkinson’s disease, but the project is trying to involve others in the community, namely young people and immigrants. Some 300 people gather every week at the exhibition halls of the Museo Civico.

“Our lessons are open to asylum seekers as well,” says Casarotto. “We believe this initiative can foster integration in the community, and we also have a special project to this end, despite some objections raised by certain politicians.”

After an hour, the dance lesson comes to an end. Some of these performers will have a new audience at the annual Festival Veneto Operaestate Bassano next July. The “Parkinson’s dancers” will step onstage for a short program to show the audience what they have been practicing, proving that disability isn’t always an obstacle. Sometimes it is an opportunity.

https://www.azernews.az/ijd/133426.html

Artist with Parkinson's disease pays tribute to Sutherland Springs shooting victims

Author: Marvin Hurst  June 15, 2018

Despite battling Parkinson's disease, Roy Moore Jr. has created amazing tributes to the victims of the Sutherland Springs mass shooting.

https://youtu.be/MkqQSdMi7N8

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS -- Ron Moore Jr. is not afraid to use a blank canvas to honor the victims of tragedy. His latest project stretched the scale of his talent again.

"I just kept thinking, ‘This could be one of my family members,’" Moore said. "And how would I feel if someone were to try to bless me and heal and comfort me?"

Moore will present portraits of the victims of the Sutherland Springs church shooting to its survivors on Sunday.

In mid-April, he completed sketches of the 26 victims from the shooting. He launched a GoFundMe campaign to get to the church to present the renderings at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.

"This is the only thing I could think of," he said. "I don't send flowers because they wilt."

A self-described artist of memories, Moore calls the victims' portraits quick sketches. He said that one of the hardest to recreate was Annebelle Pomeroy, the daughter of Pastor Frank Pomeroy and his wife Sherri.

The greatest challenge was the unborn child of Crystal Holcombe. She was pregnant when the fatal shooting happened.

"I didn't know how to catch the baby," he said. "I did a sketch of a newborn baby laying in two hands."

The hands have a hole in them. He said that they represent the baby in the hands of Jesus Christ.

"I thought this would be comforting to the family with their faith knowing where the baby would be," he said.

Moore's generosity and compassion are attention-getting. His skills as an artist are eye-catching too. People are amazed at the quality of the work he does because he's battling Parkinson's disease.

His condition has not stopped him from completing projects dedicated to the victims of the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, and the Waffle House shooting in Nashville.

https://www.kens5.com/article/news/crime/sutherland-springs-shooting/artist-with-parkinsons-disease-pays-tribute-to-sutherland-springs-shooting-victims/273-564659809

FoxFeed Blog: New Guide: Talking to Children and Teens about Parkinson's

Posted by  Rachel Dolhun, MD, June 14, 2018

For some families, the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is a defining moment in everyone's life. In others, children never knew a parent or grandparent without Parkinson's. For example, MJFF Patient Council member Bryan Roberts' diagnosis came around the same time as his daughter's birth. She hasn't known him as anything other than her father; PD is just a part of that.

Roberts shares his story in our new guide on Talking to Children and Teens about Parkinson's. No matter when or how Parkinson's enters a child's world, there will be questions about the disease and likely also fears or misinformation that need to be addressed. To encourage productive conversations about PD with the children in your life, The Michael J. Fox Foundation has created a six-step guide.

Developed by a movement disorder specialist, career and professional development consultant, and behavioral health professionals, this resource holds practical tips and information to help you plan for and hold discussions with children of all ages.

Download the guide:

https://www.michaeljfox.org/files/061218_MJFF_TALKING_TO_KIDS.pdf

https://www.michaeljfox.org/foundation/news-detail.php?new-guide-talking-to-children-and-teens-about-parkinson

Parkinson's: Could this 'missing link' be a cause?

Catharine Paddock PhD    June 15, 2018

Scientists have now identified a faulty cell process that may be common to different forms of Parkinson's, and they propose a mechanism through which it might lead to the disease.

Researchers shed new light on the potential cause of Parkinson's.

This process involves a group of lipids or fatty molecules called ceramides, which are found in cell membranes and play important roles in their function and structure.

A paper that is now published in the journal Cell Metabolism describes how the team — at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX — made the unexpected discovery in a fruit fly model of a faulty gene condition with Parkinson's-like symptoms.

Previous studies have identified genes and cell defects linked to Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders with similar symptoms. The researchers suggest that ceramides are the "missing link" than connects them. 

"Numerous genes," claims senior study author Hugo J. Bellen, a professor of molecular and human genetics and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, "have been associated with Parkinson's disease or Parkinson-like diseases; nevertheless, there is still little understanding of how these genes cause these conditions."

Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism

Parkinson's disease affects movement and will get worse over time. Its typical symptoms include tremors, muscle stiffness, and slowness. It can also have nonmotor symptoms, such as sleep disruption, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

There are around 10 million people worldwide with Parkinson's, with around 1 million living in the United States.

While the disease mostly strikes after the age of 50, there is a form called early onset Parkinson's that develops in younger people.

The disease develops because of the destruction of nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls movement. The cells produce a chemical called dopamine that carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body that are important for controlling movement.

Parkinsonism is a general term for conditions that produce symptoms that are similar to those of Parkinson's, particularly slowness of movement, or bradykinesia, which is the "defining feature." Parkinson's disease is the most common cause of Parkinsonism.

Fruit fly model of Parkinsonism

The study began with research into the human gene PLA2GA6. Mutations of the gene are known to cause Parkinsonism and other disorders involving the loss of brain tissue.

Previous studies have shown that the gene contains instructions for making an enzyme called phospholipase. The enzyme acts on phospholipids, a group of fats known to be important components of the nervous system, but apart from this, not much is known about them.

To study the effects of PLA2GA6 in cells, the researchers used a fruit fly model of Parkinsonism that is made by silencing iPLA2-VIA, which is the fly equivalent of the human gene.

Flies that lacked the gene lived a third as long as normal flies, and their cells displayed similar features as human cells with PLA2G6 mutations.

The researchers also confirmed, in line with previous studies, that youthful mutant flies were healthy but gradually developed neurodegeneration as they aged.

Nervous system deficiencies

They also found that lack of the gene had two other effects in the flies: they took longer to recover from physical impacts, and they also showed progressive problems with visual response. Both effects suggested nervous system deficiencies.

When they examined the neurons in the eyes of the mutant flies with electron microscopes, the scientists found that their membranes contained abnormal "inclusions," or lumps, that were not present in the normal flies.

They also found several other abnormalities, including malformed mitochondria and abnormally large lysosomes. Mitochondria are compartments inside cells that make energy for the cell. Abnormalities in mitochondria are often found in Parkinson's disease.

Lysosomes are another type of compartment inside cells that act as recycling centers for worn-out cell materials, including membranes.

When looking at these results all together, they indicate "that the iPLA2-VIA gene is important to maintain proper membrane structure and shape," notes Prof. Bellen.

The researchers assumed that because the iPLA2-VIA gene provides instructions for making the enzyme that acts on phospholipids, they would find problems with phospholipids in the flies without the gene. This would then explain the results.

The role of ceramides

However, to their surprise, the researchers did not find what they expected. The phospholipids in the mutant flies behaved normally.

So, they turned their attention to other lipids, and this is when they noticed abnormally high levels of ceramides in the files that lacked the iPLA2-VIA gene.

They then gave some of the mutant flies drugs that block ceramide production. The team found that, compared with untreated mutant flies, the treated mutant flies had not only lower levels of ceramides in their cells, but they also showed reduced symptoms of neurodegeneration and several other nervous system deficiencies. Their cells also had fewer abnormalities in their lysosomes.

Further investigation revealed that the problem lay in the recovery and recycling of lipids in ceramides. Another cell component called a retromer finds and extracts the lipids before they enter lysosomes for recycling and sends them to the membranes. If the lipids are not extracted, they end up being recycled to produce more ceramide.

If the retromer does not work properly, levels of ceramides will increase, causing stiffness of the cell membranes. This sets up a vicious cycle that further disables the retromer, causing a further rise in ceramide levels. Eventually, this causes neurodegeneration.

Other links and alpha-synuclein

In another part of the study, the team confirmed that the mutant flies had lower levels of retromer proteins called VPS35 and VPS26. In normal flies, these attach to iPLA2-VIA protein and help to stabilize retromer function.

Further tests showed that improving retromer function led to reductions in the defects observed in the mutant fruit flies that lacked the iPLA2-VIA gene. "Interestingly," Prof. Bellen notes, "mutations in the Vps35 gene also cause Parkinson's disease."

The researchers replicated the findings using laboratory-grown animal brain cells. They also found that high levels of a protein often found in the brain in Parkinson's disease, called alpha-synuclein, also causes retromer dysfunction, large lysosomes, and rises in ceramide levels.

The researchers suggest that their findings reveal a new link between previously unconnected features of Parkinson's disease.

"We think that our work is important because it points to a potential mechanism leading to Parkinsonism and perhaps Parkinson's disease."

Prof. Hugo J. Bellen

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322158.php

Light-Activated Therapy Reduced Parkinson’s Symptoms in Mice

JUNE 15, 2018 BY ALICE MELÃO IN NEWS

A new compound that becomes therapeutically active when stimulated by light was able to reverse motor symptoms in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

The distinctive features of this investigational compound, called MRS7145, include more control when delivering the therapy and fewer side effects.

The study about MRS7145, “Remote control of movement disorders using a photoactive adenosine A2A receptor antagonist,” was published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

Levopoda is considered the gold standard to treat Parkinson’s disease, as it counteracts the reduced levels of dopamine caused by the death of brain cells that characterize this disease. However, the inability to specifically deliver the drug to targeted sites, as well as its generalized negative effect on the body, can limit levopoda’s therapeutic activity and effectiveness.

So, for the past two decades, alternative non-dopaminergic drugs, such as adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonists, have emerged as promising anti-Parkinsonian therapies.

A2AR antagonists can modulate the release of key neurotransmitters in the brain, which modulates motor activity. Unfortunately, A2ARs are expressed throughout the body, which can cause A2AR-based drugs to have off-target effects, and limiting the use of A2AR antagonists therapeutically.

To overcome some of these limitations, a new class of compounds that can be activated — or inactivated — using light have emerged. These compounds allow physicians to control the specific location of drug release, leading to targeted administration and, consequently, limiting side effects.

MRS7145 is the first photoactive selective antagonist of adenosine A2A receptor designed for the treatment of Parkinson’s and other disorders characterized by uncontrolled movement (dyskinesia).

MRS7145 is generally chemically inactive. However, when exposed to non-harmful violet light MRS7145 turns “on” and is able to carry out its function.

Using cells in the laboratory, researchers showed that MRS7145 could effectively bind and block the activity of A2A receptors upon light activation.

Next, MRS7145 was put into a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. By applying the violet light directly to the striatum area of the mice’s brains — the region most affected by Parkinson’s disease — the compound was activated in that location only.

Treatment led to significant improvements in mice’s ability to walk, while also reducing tremor and seizures. Importantly, it enhanced the effects of levodopa treatment in these animals.

“A fine time-space precision will enable manipulating the neural circuits in detail and set the functioning of those with therapeutic and neuroprotective purposes,” Francisco Ciruela, PhD, said in a press release. Ciruela is a researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona, and senior author of the study.

“Nowadays, in addition, there are treatments that are based on the implementation of electrodes in the brain of patients with Parkinson’s to control the electric activity of neurons. In the same lines, optical fibers could make light getting to almost any part of the body (spatial resolution), and these organs would be radiated with light controlled by an electronic device that would regulate the intensity and length of radiation (time resolution),” Ciruela said.

“With a slow release system from the photoactive drug, such as a coupled patch with a radiation system remotely controlled by a phone app, the doctor could control in a precise manner the release of the most efficient dose of the active drug in the place of action,” he said.

https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2018/06/15/light-activated-therapy-for-parkinsons-demonstrates-potential-in-mice/

Dementia Conversations

June 12, 2018

As part of continuing education for staff, Springwell recently welcomed Nicole McGurin, MS, CDP from the Alzheimer’s Association to lead a workshop on communication. Our goal is to build our staff capacity to help all caregivers learn strategies and approaches that facilitate better communication with individuals who are at various stages of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. A key point according to Nicole is that, “People miss being able to talk with their loved ones as they used to.”

After first detailing the communication changes that are likely to occur in early, middle and late stage dementia, Nicole then taught strategies, tips and examples of how to more effectively communicate given the particular challenges of each stage. 

Early on in the disease, one on one conversations with no distractions are easier for people, while the phone can be difficult because there are no verbal cues. It is a good idea in early stages to let the individual search for their words rather than trying to finish their thoughts unless they want you to assist. Nicole encourages patience with repetition by reminding that “it is not their fault; it is changes in the brain.”

As the disease progresses, most people will have more changes relative to how they communicated before the dementia. At this stage, most still have emotional awareness of changes in their ability to express themselves and communication challenges can be frustrating for them. Some helpful communication strategies for loved ones and caregivers at this stage include: provide visual cues and gestures, turn negatives into positives, avoid quizzing them about things they likely don’t recall (what did you have for breakfast), and avoid open ended questions. 

In the later stages of the disease, connecting with the individual through senses can be meaningful: touch, sight, sound, smell, taste. Nicole suggested engaging through activities during a visit. Ideas included playing a piece of music that the person liked previously, enjoying a serving of a favorite ice cream, doing a gardening related activity. While the individual may not recognize you, they may be more relaxed or alert during the activity and Nicole noted that can be regarded as a meaningful interaction. It is important that caregivers establish reasonable expectations of their loved ones and of themselves. 

Nicole provided case studies and facilitated discussion about communication strategies for each dementia phase, and techniques to handle difficult, but frequently necessary topics at each stage of disease like: going to the doctor, deciding when it is time to stop driving and making legal and financial decisions. This session concluded with a robust Q& A session that demonstrated the value of the session to Springwell staff, and the importance of the training to better serving the hundreds Springwell families impacted by Alzheimer’s and related dementias. 

http://www.springwell.com/blog/dementia-conversations?platform=hootsuite

Team to study new gene associated with Parkinson’s disease

June 14, 2018

NFE2L1

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Purdue University and the University of Bordeaux in France has received a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease to study a new gene associated with Parkinson’s disease, which was linked to the disease using novel big data methodologies.

The findings from this research could potentially be used to design new therapies to slow neurodegeneration in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other related disorders.

Jean-Christophe Rochet, professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Purdue; Erwan Bezard, research director at the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Bordeaux; Jason Cannon, associate professor of toxicology at Purdue; and Min Zhang, professor of statistics at Purdue, will study the neuroprotective effects of the new gene, known as NFE2L1, in Parkinson’s disease models. Their collaboration was helped by a nearly $107,000 grant from the organization named for the famous actor who has Parkinson’s.

Zhang and Rochet began discussing a potential collaboration 10 years ago because of their common interest in Parkinson’s disease. While analyzing several data sets obtained from one of the National Institutes of Health-Designated Data Repositories, they identified a list of genes associated with the disease.

“While some of the genes on the list were already known, Chris found an interesting gene that has not been reported to be directly associated with Parkinson’s disease yet,” Zhang said.

NFE2L1 is a protein that controls the expression of genes involved in the differentiation and survival of dopamine neurons.

“NFE2L1 levels are reduced in dopamine neurons in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients,” Rochet said. “We recently found in a large-scale genomic study that a minor allele of NFE2L1 can lower Parkinson’s risk. These observations imply that neuron death in Parkinson’s disease may result in part from a loss of the neuroprotective action of NFE2L1.”

The team hypothesizes that an increase of NFE2L1 can alleviate neuron death in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease. The results of the study will shed light on the ability of NFE2L1 to reduce neurotoxicity throughout the brain.

Zhang and Rochet hope that the results of the study will set the stage for developing Parkinson’s disease therapies aimed at increasing NFE2L1 levels in the brain. The next step toward clinical application of the results of this study will be to screen for compounds that increase NFE2L1 levels in the brain, either by stimulating the protein’s expression or blocking the protein’s destruction by the proteasome.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation accelerates research toward breakthroughs for people with Parkinson’s disease. In addition to funding, awardees benefit from working with internal research staff and a broad network of scientific and industry advisors. 

Writer: Kelsey Schnieders Lefever, kschnied@purdue.edu 

Sources: Jenna Rickus, associate vice provost for teaching and learning, rickus@purdue.edu

Min Zhang, minzhang@purdue.edu

Jean-Christophe Rochet, jrochet@purdue.edu

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q2/team-to-study-new-gene-associated-with-parkinsons-disease.html

GRAMMY Museum Grant Program Awards $200,000 For Music Research And Sound Preservation TV News Desk

June 14, 2018

The GRAMMY Museum® Grant Program announced today that $200,000 in grants will be awarded to 14 recipients in the United States and Canada to help facilitate a range of research on a variety of subjects, as well as support a number of archiving and preservation programs. Research projects include a study that will examine how rhythmic cues can improve movement for older adults and people with Parkinson's disease, and a study that will examine how neural integration through music enhances long-term memory, among others. Preservation and archiving initiatives will rescue and organize 400 hours of at-risk reel-to-reel tapes of Native Radio-Bay Area:1973-1978; preserve, digitize, and ensure public access to 316 rare interviews with performers, songwriters, and music executives from the Country Music Hall of Fame; and digitally restore rare kinescopes of the 1950s television series "Stars Of Jazz" (KABC-TV, 1956-58); among others.

"The Recording Academy™ has proudly supported our GRAMMY MUSEUM Grant Program since its inception," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and Chair of the GRAMMY MUSEUM Board. "To date, we have awarded more than $7.3 million to more than 400 grantees. The work we help fund includes an impressive array of projects that are at the forefront of exploring music's beneficial interchange with science, and that maintain our musical legacy for future generations. The initiatives announced today exemplify the Academy's and GRAMMY Museum's pledge to uphold music's value in our lives and shared culture."

Generously funded by the Recording Academy, the GRAMMY MUSEUM Grant Program provides funding annually to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of the recorded sound heritage of the Americas for future generations, in addition to research projects related to the impact of music on the human condition. In 2008, the Grant Program expanded its categories to include assistance grants for individuals and small to mid-sized organizations to aid collections held by individuals and organizations that may not have access to the expertise needed to create a preservation plan. The assistance planning process, which may include inventorying and stabilizing a collection, articulates the steps to be taken to ultimately archive recorded sound materials for future generations. The deadline each year for submitting letters of inquiry to the Grant Program is Oct. 15. Guidelines and the letter of inquiry form for the 2019 cycle are available atwww.grammymuseum.org.

Scientific Research

New York University-New York

Awarded: $20,000

The Behavioral Tagging hypothesis-mainly tested in animals-suggests that the presentation of novel or rewarding stimuli before or after encoding an event will strengthen the memory for that episode. The researchers will use behavioral online testing and brain imaging to assess whether listening to pleasurable and/or novel music boosts memory for independently memorized information. This discovery will guide new educational and clinical strategies to improve learning.

Tufts University-Medford, Mass.

Awarded: $19,557

Memory loss affects more than a third of Americans over 70 and has been linked to changes in neural dynamics and connectivity. Music is known to synchronize brain rhythms and to enhance communication between distinct brain regions. This project will be the first to identify how music creates a more integrated brain in both musicians and populations with memory loss, and how neural integration through music enhances long-term memory.

McGill University-Montréal

Awarded: $20,000

Is the intense pleasure evoked by music modulated by dopaminergic and/or opioid transmission? The researchers from McGill propose a pharmacological approach able to solve the issue. Following a study on dopaminergic transmission, they will administer opioid agonist (oxycodone) and antagonist (naltrexone) during music listening. This would unravel the underpinning neural mechanisms of musical reward, and open important perspectives for music-based paradigms and interventions.

Washington University-St. Louis

Awarded: $11,514

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a movement disorder that causes difficulty with walking. Rhythmic cues can improve gait disturbance for people with PD, but current research is limited to external cues like listening to music, which are impractical for everyday use. Researchers at Washington University will test a novel technique of using one's own singing voice as a cue to guide movement. This method holds promise to transform gait rehabilitation for older adults as well as people with PD.

Preservation Assistance

Tri-Centric Foundation, Inc.-Brooklyn, N.Y.

Awarded: $5,000

The Tri-Centric Foundation seeks support to inventory, identify, and prioritize 300 scores and 1,025 audio and video recordings of Anthony Braxton. These scores and recordings will play a key role in "Braxton75," a project honoring Braxton's 75th birthday in 2020. "Braxton75" partner ensembles and educators will animate these holdings through study and live performance.

Conseil Québécois du Patrimoine Vivant-Quebec City

Awarded: $5,000

From 1965 to 1975, folklorist Jean Trudel travelled across the province of Quebec recording traditional French-Canadian musicians at festivals, concerts, and dances, as well as in their own homes. His collection contains 266 reel-to-reel tapes and documents from many major figures in traditional French-Canadian music. Conseil Québécois du Patrimoine Vivant is seeking support to assess the contents of this collection in preparation for its digitization, dissemination, and preservation.

Native Media Resource Center-Gualala, Calif.

Awarded: $5,000

Native Media Resource Center seeks support to rescue and organize 400 hours of at-risk reel-to-reel tapes from Native Radio-Bay Area:1973-1978, including the KPFA-FM series, "Living On Indian Time." This project will assess; inventory/catalog; rehouse tapes in archival boxes; seek partner institutions for long-term storage, maintenance, and accessibility; and plan for future preservation. Inventory will be disseminated to public media and archival communities.

Preservation Implementation

Arhoolie Foundation-El Cerrito, Calif.

Awarded: $20,000

The Arhoolie Foundation will digitally preserve and make selectively available online, in streaming audio more than 300 hours of recordings made by folklorist Dr. HARRY Oster between 1957 and 1980 in Louisiana, Iowa, Memphis, England, and Mexico. This one-of-a-kind collection exists only on original tapes in the Arhoolie Foundation vault, and features well-known regional musicians such as Gary Davis, Son House, Robert Pete Williams, Fred McDowell, and many obscure deep tradition artists.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum-Nashville, Tenn.

Awarded: $15,000

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHFM) will preserve, digitize, and ensure public access to 316 rare interviews with performers, songwriters, and music executives from one of the world's most significant country music oral history collections. CMHFM will make these singular recordings searchable and accessible via their online digital archive and via the Museum's onsite Collections' Reading Room.

Columbia University Libraries-New York

Awarded: $20,000

Columbia University Libraries (CUL) will digitize and preserve 400 hours of unique recordings of early electro-acoustic music. The digital copies will meet international standards of capture at 96kHz/24 bit, will be preserved in CUL's long-term archive, and will be made accessible in the Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library.

Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology-Berkeley, Calif.

Awarded: $12,280

The Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology will transfer 150 hours of sound recordings from Native North American performers spanning the years 1940 to 1980 to digital formats. The recordings' significance lies in their documentation of Native North American languages that are today known by a limited number of speakers. The new versions will be made accessible to researchers, public audiences, and, most importantly, Native American communities.

The Juilliard School-New York

Awarded: $15,112

Throughout its long history, the name Juilliard has been synonymous with the highest standards of excellence in the education of performing artists. "Digitizing Juilliard's History" seeks to preserve 483 reel tapes from its first decade of audio recordings, 1951 to 1959. Access to this archive of notable and rare performances will be of benefit to music, dance, and performance scholars, as well as to the general public.

UCLA Film & Television Archive-Los Angeles

Awarded: $17,073.25

UCLA Film & Television Archive will digitally restore rare kinescopes of the historically important 1950s television series "Stars Of Jazz" (KABC-TV, 1956-58). The innovative program featured top musical artists performing classic and modern jazz live for TV audiences. RESTORED programs will be made available for public access locally at UCLA and nationally via the Archive's extended network of museum and repertory partners.

T. Christopher Aplin-Pasadena, Calif.

Awarded: $14,463.75

The Fort Sill Chiricahua/Warm Springs Apache Tribe's Apache Prisoner of War Audio Collection Digitization and Processing Project will catalogue, process, and establish appropriate access for the recorded sound heritage of the Apache prisoners of war seized with Geronimo in 1886. These recordings are fundamental documents of Apache prisoner of war history and culture that address Chihene Apache experiences on the Warm Springs reservation (circa 1870-1878, in what was later called New Mexico); in the Mexican Sierra Madres with the Nednai Apaches (1881-1883); and after seizure as prisoners of war (1886-1914).

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Established in 2008 as a partnership between the Recording Academy and AEG, the GRAMMY MUSEUM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form-from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity. In 2017, the Museum integrated with its sister organization, the GRAMMY Foundation®, to broaden the reach of its music education and preservation initiatives. As a unified organization, today, the GRAMMY MUSEUM fulfills its mission of making music a valued and indelible part of our society through exhibits, education, grants, and public programming.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/GRAMMY-Museum-Grant-Program-Awards-200000-For-Music-Research-And-Sound-Preservation-20180614