Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Alzheimer's disease becomes center of discussion at the World Economic Forum

For the first time ever, Alzheimer's disease is a focus at the World Economic Forum. Today more than 35 million people worldwide have dementia and those numbers will double every 20 years to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050, according to the World Alzheimer's Report from Alzheimer's disease International (ADI), a London-based, nonprofit, international federation of 71 national Alzheimer organizations.

28 Jan 2010

Pfizer's new pipeline shows growth and diversity in research and development

Pfizer Inc. today provided an update to its pipeline for the first time since the close of the acquisition of Wyeth in October, 2009. The new development pipeline, composed of assets from both legacy companies, includes 133 programs from phase 1 through registration, and shows growth and increased diversity in each of the areas where the company invests in research and development.

28 Jan 2010

Transdermal estrogen therapies: Effective alternatives to oral estrogen and compounded bioidentical hormones

Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that non-patch, transdermal estrogen therapies, such as Divigel® (estradiol gel 0.1%), prescribed for the management of moderate-to-severe hot flashes, including night sweats, associated with menopause are effective alternatives to oral estrogen and compounded bioidentical hormones.

28 Jan 2010

Down Syndrome, menopause, dementia and death

Women experiencing an early onset of menopause could develop dementia at a younger age. Research by Tonnie Coppus of Erasmus MC has indicated this. She studied women with Down Syndrome, who are known to have an early onset of menopause. The results of her research can be translated to apply to the general population. Her results will be published in the Journal of Alzheimer Disease today.

28 Jan 2010

Patients with epilepsy who take Ginkgo herbal medicines face increased risk of seizures

Restrictions should be placed on the use of Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) - a top-selling herbal remedy - because of growing scientific evidence that Ginkgo may increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy and could reduce the effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs, a new report concludes.

28 Jan 2010

Scientists uncover a key cellular mechanism that alters brain cell function in Huntington's disease

Scientists at the Brain Research Centre and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics have uncovered a key cellular mechanism that alters brain cell function in Huntington's disease, and identified a possible treatment for the disease.

28 Jan 2010

IRSF announces first 2010 ANGEL Grant for testing potential Rett Syndrome therapies

Today, the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) announced that it will commit $446,000 in 2010 to fund a large translational research program to test potential therapeutics for Rett Syndrome in mouse models of the disease. The funds will be awarded through the IRSF's new Advanced Neurotherapeutic Grant of Excellence (ANGEL) mechanism which seeks to provide funds for translational research. IRSF is the world's largest private source of Rett syndrome research funding, supporting nearly $21 million in research programs to date. This is the first ANGEL Grant supported by IRSF in 2010.

28 Jan 2010

Women experiencing early menopause could develop dementia at a younger age

28 Jan 2010

Abbott declares quarterly dividend of 40 cents per share

Abbott today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009.

27 Jan 2010

Mayo Clinic achieves new levels of excellence in service to humanity

Mayo Clinic announced today that it raised $1.35 billion in its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, surpassing the goal of $1.25 billion.

27 Jan 2010

Souvenaid slows worsening of memory difficulties in persons with mild to moderate Alzheimer's

Rush University Medical Center is leading a nationwide clinical trial of a nutritional drink to determine whether it can improve cognitive performance in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

27 Jan 2010

Researchers identify new drugs to protect brain cells from neurological disease

Researchers have identified a compound that mimics one of the brain's own growth factors and can protect brain cells against damage in several animal models of neurological disease.

27 Jan 2010

Findings provide new insight into factors causing neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the Babraham Institute have discovered a novel survival factor whose rapid transport along nerve cells is crucial for keeping them alive. The same factor seems likely to be needed to keep our nerves healthy as we age.

27 Jan 2010

Geron collaborates to explore hESC-based product for Alzheimer’s disease

Geron Corporation today announced that it has entered into a collaboration jointly funded by Geron and a University of California Discovery Research and Training Grant to investigate the therapeutic potential of its human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based product, GRNOPC1, for Alzheimer’s disease. The company is currently developing GRNOPC1 for the potential treatment of spinal cord injury.

27 Jan 2010

Resveratrol supplements may offer potential benefits for cancer patients

For years, consumers and natural health advocates have been convinced of the benefits of resveratrol, the healthy by-product of red-wine grapes, but recently, the National Cancer Institute decided it was time to investigate further.

27 Jan 2010

Scott & White conducts DBS research for Parkinson's patients

At Scott & White Memorial Hospital, a multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologist, neuropsychologists and a movement disorders specialist are offering hope to some Parkinson's patients with a treatment called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS involves placing a thin wire that carries electrical currents deep within the brain on Parkinson's patients who are no longer benefitting from medications, and have significant uncontrollable body movements called dyskinesia. Scott & White is also performing research into the effects of DBS on the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease including "drenching sweats," bladder dysfunction, depression, hallucination, anxiety, and dementia as well as intestinal disorders, loss of sense of smell, and sleep disturbances.

27 Jan 2010

AAN guideline finds diazepam drug is effective for treating children with cerebral palsy

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society finds botulinum toxin type A to be an effective treatment for spasticity, muscle tightness that interferes with movement, in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, but poses some risk.

27 Jan 2010

Florida, California, Kansas eyeing cuts in Medicaid funding

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that as the recession continues to increase the number of people without jobs, many more are seeking health care through the state's Medicaid program, "driving up costs and playing a major role in a potential $3 billion state budget shortfall next year.

27 Jan 2010

The American Journal of Pathology: Highlights from February 2010 issue

A group led by Dr. Peter Lloyd Jones at the University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland; the University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA has demonstrated that tenascin-C affects proto-oncogene function in breast cancer. Their report can be found in the February 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

22 Jan 2010

Emeritus Senior Living and Parentgiving.com launch annual awards to honor caregivers

Emeritus Senior Living (http://www.emeritus.com), a national provider of assisted living and Alzheimer's and related dementia care services to seniors, announced today that it has partnered with online resource center Parentgiving.com to launch the First Annual Parentgivers of the Year Awards.

22 Jan 2010