Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

New clues for the understanding of dementia

Researchers at the Medical Research Council MRC Prion Unit and the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease at the Institute of Neurology, University College London - in collaboration with groups from Copenhagen, Aarhus, Lund and Cambridge - have identified a gene that, when mutated, causes an early onset dementia.

24 Jul 2005

UK medical watchdog wants more proof on value of Alzheimer's drugs

In the UK the country's watchdog for cost-effectiveness in medical treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has asked drug makers for more evidence about the benefits of their Alzheimer's medicines.

21 Jul 2005

Definitive proof that Ab42 is the culprit molecule that underlies the pathology of Alzheimer's disease

One puzzle in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research is why mice engineered to have the abnormal protein underlying the disease in humans show little pathology of the disease. Specifically, such mice are genetically altered to overproduce mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP).

21 Jul 2005

New research suggests that accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides in cerebral blood vessels causes vascular damage in Alzheimer's disease

New research suggests that accumulation of amyloid-â peptides in cerebral blood vessels, as opposed to the brain itself, may be a more important pathological mediator of Alzheimer's disease. Two independent yet related articles describe such findings in the August issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

21 Jul 2005

Eighty-three percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic condition

Eighty-three percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic condition, such as congestive heart failure, Alzheimer's disease or diabetes. Two-thirds of Medicare spending is incurred by the 9.5 million beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions. These percentages suggest that the Medicare program needs to address chronic conditions rather than the acute, episodic illnesses that have been the focus of the Medicare program since it began in 1966.

20 Jul 2005

Research examines the effect of visual impairment on Alzheimer's disease patients in nursing homes

One in three nursing home residents who have Alzheimer’s disease are not getting their vision corrected so they can see clearly, according to new Saint Louis University research in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

20 Jul 2005

Researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed

University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions certain mental disorders.

18 Jul 2005

Lipid helps cell wall protein fold into proper shape

A protein that provides a vital passage through a bacterium's outer cell wall will misfold and malfunction if that wall is built of the 'wrong' material, scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston report in a finding that has long-term implications for understanding diseases caused by misfolded proteins such as cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, and mad cow disease.

17 Jul 2005

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing Glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) affects three out of 100,000 people, a rate that quadruples to 13 out 100,000 among people who are 65 and older. The average five-year survival rate from the time of diagnosis for GBM is only 3.3 percent, and is lower for people 65 and older.

15 Jul 2005

Statins not effective in reducing dementia risk

According to a recently published study, the use of statins and other lipid-lowering agents by older adults is not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

12 Jul 2005

New insights into brain cell metabolism from PET and MRI scans

By discovering a crucial piece of submicroscopic information about how the brain converts fuel into energy for neurons, Cornell University biophysicists have gleaned new insights into brain cell metabolism that will allow neurologists to better interpret data from such diagnostic tests as positron emission tomography (PET) scans and a specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test.

12 Jul 2005

Outer lining of the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells

CellResearch Corporation in Singapore and its team of scientists, headed by Chief Scientist, Dr Phan Toan Thang, have recently made a revolutionary discovery: that the outer lining of the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells.

12 Jul 2005

Statins not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia

The use of statins and other lipid-lowering agents by older adults was not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Neurology.

11 Jul 2005

New understanding of degeneration of brain cells in patients with Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases

A ground-breaking new research approach to understanding the cellular processes of Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases has revealed a promising pathway to the development of new types of drugs for these diseases.

11 Jul 2005

Teenage IQ linked to risk of dementia

Your IQ and extracurricular interests as a teenager may forecast your memory and thinking abilities decades later.

6 Jul 2005

University of Michigan receives $10m grant for Alzheimer's research

Alzheimer’s disease research at the University of Michigan is getting a $10 million boost: a major grant that will fund a broad array of efforts aimed at finding and fighting the causes of the disease and other memory conditions.

1 Jul 2005

Myriad Genetics issued new patent under license

Myriad Genetics has announced the issuance of Patent No. 6,911,466 entitled, "AB42 Lowering Agents". Myriad holds exclusive rights to the patent under a licensing agreement with Mayo Clinic. The patent covers methods of using a broad class of compounds known as selective amyloid beta 42 lowering agents (SALAs) to lower levels of the toxic peptide.

29 Jun 2005

Pomegranate juice may help babies resist brain injuries from low oxygen

Expectant mothers at risk of premature birth may want to consider drinking pomegranate juice to help their babies resist brain injuries from low oxygen and reduced blood flow, a new mouse study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests.

28 Jun 2005

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have successfully isolated stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory and coaxed them into becoming fat, muscle and bone cells.

27 Jun 2005

Light used to regulate protein synthesis

Proteins are the puzzle-pieces of life, involved in how organisms grow and flourish, but studying their complex biological processes in living systems has been extremely difficult.

27 Jun 2005

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

New clues for the understanding of dementia

UK medical watchdog wants more proof on value of Alzheimer's drugs

Definitive proof that Ab42 is the culprit molecule that underlies the pathology of Alzheimer's disease

New research suggests that accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides in cerebral blood vessels causes vascular damage in Alzheimer's disease

Eighty-three percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic condition

Research examines the effect of visual impairment on Alzheimer's disease patients in nursing homes

Researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed

Lipid helps cell wall protein fold into proper shape

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing Glioblastoma multiforme

Statins not effective in reducing dementia risk

New insights into brain cell metabolism from PET and MRI scans

Outer lining of the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells

Statins not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia

New understanding of degeneration of brain cells in patients with Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases

Teenage IQ linked to risk of dementia

University of Michigan receives $10m grant for Alzheimer's research

Myriad Genetics issued new patent under license

Pomegranate juice may help babies resist brain injuries from low oxygen

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Light used to regulate protein synthesis

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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