Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Mini-strokes linked to uric acid levels

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that high-normal uric acid (UA) levels may cause barely detectable mini strokes that potentially contribute to mental decline in aging adults.

2 Oct 2007

Notch gene may lead to new methods of beating breast cancer

University of Manchester researchers will reveal new ways of controlling and treating breast cancer at the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham today (Monday 1 October 2007).

From The University of Manchester 2 Oct 2007

Conscientiousness and Alzheimer's disease

Individuals who are more conscientious - in other words, those with a tendency to be self-disciplined, scrupulous and purposeful - appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Oct 2007

Worm study sheds light on how the human body ages

Microscopic worms used for scientific research are living longer despite cellular defects, a discovery that is shedding light on how the human body ages and how doctors could one day limit or reverse genetic mutations that cause inherited diseases, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

2 Oct 2007

Tree bark compound gambogic amide stimulates growth, survival of brain cells

Researchers have identified a compound in tree bark that mimics the chemical reactions of a naturally occurring molecule in the brain responsible for stimulating neuronal cell signaling.

2 Oct 2007

Loss of TDP-43 gene found to be related to age-related neurological disorders

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville have discovered how loss of a gene can lead to accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, resulting in a common dementia, and they say this mechanism may be important in a number of age-related neurological disorders.

27 Sep 2007

High school footballers wearing special helmets to monitor brain injuries

As they root for the home team from the bleachers this fall, high school gridiron fans in the small Illinois town of Tolono don't necessarily see anything out of the ordinary down on the field.

27 Sep 2007

In vivo imaging of hydrogen peroxide with chemiluminescent nanoparticles

Most people think of hydrogen peroxide as a topical germ killer, but the medicine cabinet staple is gaining steam in the medical community as an early indicator of disease in the body.

27 Sep 2007

Discovery of new pathway causing cell death related to frontotemporal dementia and ALS

Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer from a form of dementia and other neurological disorders.

27 Sep 2007

Discovery supports theory of Alzheimer's disease as form of diabetes

Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body.

27 Sep 2007

Biologists link Huntington's disease to health benefits in young

For years researchers in neurology have believed that people with Huntington's disease have more children than the general population because of behavioral changes associated with the disease that lead to sexual promiscuity.

26 Sep 2007

Coping with urinary incontinence

For older adults, increased urinary frequency is fairly common.

26 Sep 2007

A blood test for concussions - aim of new research

The University of Rochester Medical Center received $1.5 million to develop a blood test for concussions by isolating proteins that can predict memory loss, chronic headaches or other neurological problems.

26 Sep 2007

fMRI helps identify early brain marker of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have found a new marker which may aid in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the October issue of Radiology.

26 Sep 2007

New skin patch treatment for Alzheimer's approved by the European Commission

A skin patch to treat Alzheimer's disease has been approved by the European Commission.

25 Sep 2007

AstraZeneca and UT Southwestern agree to a three-year collaboration to combat psychiatric illness

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, affecting approximately 14.8 million adults or about 6.7 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year(1).

25 Sep 2007

Prana completes enrolment in phase IIa trial of PBT2 in Alzheimer's disease patients

Prana Biotechnology Limited today announced it has completed patient enrollment in its Phase IIa clinical trial of PBT2 in patients with early Alzheimer's disease.

24 Sep 2007

Research shows how genetic mutation causes epilepsy in infants

New research from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne has shown why mutation in a single gene can cause epilepsy in infants.

24 Sep 2007

New UK stem cell and regenerative medicine research centre

The new Wolfson Centre for Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering and Modelling (STEM) will be officially opened at the University of Nottingham on the 21st September, 2007 by Sir Keith O’Nions, Director General Science and Innovation at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

24 Sep 2007

Process of necrosis redefined in landmark study

A new study led by investigators from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine demonstrates that the process of necrosis, long thought to be a chaotic, irreversible pathway to cell death, may actually be triggered as part of a regulated response to stress by a powerful protein, SRP-6, that can potentially halt necrosis in its path.

21 Sep 2007