Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

New dementia vaccine may proceed to clinical trials after successful testing

A preventive treatment for dementia may proceed to clinical trials after successful animal testing.

31 Dec 2019

Amyloid plaques may not necessarily come first in Alzheimer's disease, suggests new study

The scientific community has long believed that beta-amyloid, a protein that can clump together and form sticky plaques in the brain, is the first sign of Alzheimer's disease. Beta-amyloid then leads to other brain changes including neurodegeneration and eventually to thinking and memory problems. But a new study challenges that theory.

30 Dec 2019

Study measures brain injury from boxing, MMA in younger and older fighters

For boxers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, is there a safe level of exposure to head trauma? A new study shows different effects in the brain for younger, current fighters compared to older, retired fighters.

23 Dec 2019

NIH awards $1.2 million grant for studying biomolecular interactions to inform better drug design

Biomolecules -- carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids -- form the foundation of life and are responsible for carrying out every process that occurs in our bodies.

23 Dec 2019

National veteran dataset will help dissect the relationship between mental illness and prostate cancer

There appears to be an unhealthy synergy between mental illness and prostate cancer, and researchers are working to dissect the relationship by first assembling the largest dataset ever of veterans with either condition or both.

23 Dec 2019

McGill study finds new role of apolipoprotein E4 gene in Alzheimer’s disease

For years, physicians have been aware that patients carrying the apolipoprotein E4 (APOEε4) gene are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. New research from McGill University has now found the gene plays an even greater role in dementia.

21 Dec 2019

Genomic data can accurately and reliably predict stroke risk

Estimates based on genomic data predict stroke risk with an accuracy similar to, or greater than those based on clinical risk factors. This result implies that persons at high risk might benefit from more rigorous preventive measures.

21 Dec 2019

Artificial intelligence can detect AML with high reliability

Artificial intelligence can detect one of the most common forms of blood cancer - acute myeloid leukemia (AML) - with high reliability.

20 Dec 2019

Researchers locate brain biomarkers for detecting Alzheimer's disease

From the detection of functional brain changes that occur during Alzheimer's Disease, a research team from the Complutense University of Madrid has located a set of biomarkers that could predict which patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment have a higher risk of developing dementia.

20 Dec 2019

New genetic score is similar or more predictive than common risk factors for stroke

A group of investigators from Australia, Germany, and the UK have shown that genetic data obtained from a single blood draw or saliva sample can be used to identify individuals at a 3-fold increased risk of developing ischemic stroke, a devastating condition and one of the leading causes of disability and death world-wide.

20 Dec 2019

Links between most human diseases and genetics are shaky at best

In most cases, your genes have less than five per cent to do with your risk of developing a particular disease, according to new research by University of Alberta scientists.

20 Dec 2019

Artistic interest lengthens the lifespan

Go ahead, plan those trips to the museum or a concert, to feed your longing for beauty and art. Not only will it give you a few hours of delight, it could contribute to a longer life. This is the striking conclusion reached by a study on older adults, published in December 2019 in the British Medical Journal.

19 Dec 2019

Connection between herpes virus and Alzheimer’s refuted

A new study has shown that unlike previous claims, there is no association between getting herpes infections and developing Alzheimer’s disease. The study from the researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine was titled, “Are HHV-6A and HHV-7 really more abundant in Alzheimer’s disease?” and was published in the journal Neuron.

19 Dec 2019

Medicinal cannabis substitute may help unlock new treatment for Parkinson's disease

A drug that provides the benefits obtained from medicinal cannabis without the "high" or other side effects may help to unlock a new treatment for Parkinson's disease.

19 Dec 2019

Parenting your aging parents when they don’t want help

David Solie's 89-year-old mother, Carol, was unyielding. "No, I will not move," she told her son every time he suggested that she leave her home and relocate to a senior living residence.

19 Dec 2019

Declining dementia rates may be due to generational differences in lifetime lead exposure

To the medical community's surprise, several studies from the US, Canada, and Europe suggest a promising downward trend in the incidence and prevalence of dementia. Important risk factors for dementia, such as mid-life obesity and mid-life diabetes, have been increasing rapidly, so the decline in dementia incidence is particularly perplexing.

19 Dec 2019