Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Hospitalization for an acute event can lead to long-term institutionalization

Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care.

4 Oct 2011

Tight blood sugar control fails to improve memory in diabetics

A new study has shown that those with type 2 diabetes do not show slowing of the decline in thinking skills with intense blood sugar control. In fact such intense therapy raises risk of death.

2 Oct 2011

Planned clinical trial of Adeona's zinc-based therapy for ALS patients to be featured at ALS Summit

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, announced today that its planned clinical trial of the Company's proprietary zinc-based therapy for patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, will be featured during the Hot Topics session at the 2011 California ALS Research Summit on Saturday, October 1, 2011.

1 Oct 2011

OCC applauds political parties for introducing policies to support caregivers

With just a week to go, the Ontario election is making history. All three major parties (Liberals, New Democratic Party and Progressive Conservatives) have named policies in their election platforms to support caregivers.

1 Oct 2011

Amorfix achieves 85% specificity and sensitivity with EP-AD CSF Diagnostic Test for AD

Amorfix Life Sciences, a product development company focused on diagnostics and therapeutics for misfolded protein diseases, today announced it has achieved 85 percent specificity and sensitivity with its EP-AD CSF Diagnostic Test.

1 Oct 2011

Experts to discuss issues related to stroke at Canadian Stroke Congress

More than 900 of the top stroke researchers, clinicians and policy experts from across Canada and around the world are gathering at the Canadian Stroke Congress in Ottawa Oct. 3 and 4 to tackle issues related to stroke, a leading cause of death and disability in this country.

1 Oct 2011

Hospital readmission rates reflect problem in addressing hospital failures

If you're a Medicare patient admitted to the hospital, the odds are about one in six that you'll end up back in the hospital within a month. And there was very little progress made in reducing that rate between 2004-09.

30 Sep 2011

GSA, NAM select 16 reporters for MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 16 reporters for the MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, now in its second year.

30 Sep 2011

AstraZeneca settles SEROQUEL XR patent infringement litigation

AstraZeneca today announced it has entered into a settlement agreement in its U.S. SEROQUEL XR patent infringement litigation against Handa Pharmaceuticals, LLC regarding Handa's proposed generic version of AstraZeneca's SEROQUEL XR extended-release tablets.

30 Sep 2011

Intensive blood glucose control therapy provides no added benefit against cognitive decline in older diabetics

Intensive control of blood sugar levels beyond standard targets provides no additional protection against cognitive decline in older people with diabetes than standard treatment, according to a national study coordinated by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

29 Sep 2011

Researchers discover kibra protein controls sculpting of brain circuitry

Researchers working with adult mice have discovered that learning and memory were profoundly affected when they altered the amounts of a certain protein in specific parts of the mammals' brains.

29 Sep 2011

New report finds little evidence to support off-label use of atypical antipsychotics

There is little evidence to support the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs for some treatments other than their officially approved purposes, even though many clinicians continue to commonly prescribe these drugs for so-called "off label" uses, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

29 Sep 2011

Prehypertension may increase risk of stroke

Even people with blood pressure that is slightly above normal may be at an increased risk of stroke, according to a review of studies published in the September 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Sep 2011

Older women destined to develop AD have high blood levels of pregnancy protein

In an advance toward a much-needed early diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease (AD), scientists have discovered that older women destined to develop AD have high blood levels of a protein linked to pregnancy years before showing symptoms.

29 Sep 2011

Congress must not make cuts to crucial government-funded aging research

America's experts on aging are headed for meetings with their senators and representatives to underscore the needs of the country's senior population, spurred by the first-ever Take Action Week organized by The Gerontological Society of America - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging.

28 Sep 2011

Adamas begins ADS-5102 Phase 2/3 clinical trial in Parkinson's disease

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of its proprietary investigational drug ADS-5102 (amantadine HCl extended release) for the treatment of levodopa induced dyskinesia (LID) in patients with Parkinson's disease.

28 Sep 2011

Benefits and harms vary among atypical antipsychotics for off-label use

A review of previous studies suggests that even though atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for off-label conditions such as behavioral symptoms of dementia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these medications are effective for only a few off-label conditions, and that the benefits and harms of these medications for these uses vary, according to an article in the September 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Sep 2011

Low vitamin B12 raises risk of dementia in the elderly: Study

According to a latest study the elderly with low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood may be more likely to develop problems with their thinking skills and have more brain shrinkage. The study points to a link between low B12 and early cognitive decline, a condition that often leads to dementia. Previous research has found that those people with high levels of vitamin B12 in their blood have lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, which some studies have linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, and stroke.

27 Sep 2011

NYU Langone to lead NVVLS on long-term effects of PTSD

NYU Langone Medical Center announced that Charles R. Marmar, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Psychiatry and chair of the Department of Psychiatry, was selected to lead the clinical evaluation component of a national survey — the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study (NVVLS) — on the long-term effects of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related health conditions on Vietnam veterans.

27 Sep 2011

Prenatal exercise improves brain plasticity and prevents Alzheimer's in offspring

If you are pregnant, here's another reason to work out: you will reduce the chances of your new baby developing neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, later in life.

27 Sep 2011