Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Study finds large number of new proteins implicated in Huntington's disease

Researchers from four organizations have identified more than 200 new proteins that bind to normal and mutant forms of the protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD).

11 May 2007

Omega-3 fatty acids may lower risk of Alzheimer's

Nutritionists have long endorsed fish as part of a heart-healthy diet, and now some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil of certain fish may also benefit the brain by lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

10 May 2007

Sigma-Aldrich acquires Molecular Medicine BioServices

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation has announced that it has acquired Molecular Medicine BioServices Inc. (MMB), a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing organization (CMO) located in Carlsbad, California, to further enhance the biologics capabilities within its SAFC Pharma business segment.

9 May 2007

Research sheds light on memory by erasing it

For years, scientists have studied the molecular basis of memory storage, trying to find the molecules that store memory, just as DNA stores genetic memory.

9 May 2007

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes similar at the molecular level

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, the human version of mad cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), and other degenerative diseases are more closely related at the molecular level than many scientists realized, an international team of researchers, including an ESRF researcher, report in the journal Nature.

8 May 2007

New compounds promising candidates for neurodegenerative disease drug development

Scientists have developed a novel strategy for tackling neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease: encouraging an individual's own cells to "eat" the malformed proteins that lead to the disease.

8 May 2007

Brain scans of people with mild cognitive impairment show signs of early Alzheimer's disease

For the study, PET scans were performed on the brains of 13 elderly men and women with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 14 elderly people without memory problems.

8 May 2007

Cut down on salt to cut down your high blood pressure

Researchers in Canada say if every Canadian cut their salt intake in half high blood pressure would be eliminated in one million people.

8 May 2007

Hypertension drugs offer a double whammy

Researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the U.S. suggest that some medications taken for high blood pressure may have other uses.

7 May 2007

"Cup of joe" found to have more health benefits

According to a new study drinking coffee may offer protection from type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

7 May 2007

Oral vaccine prevents prion disease in mice

An oral vaccine can prevent mice from developing a brain disease similar to mad cow disease, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston.

4 May 2007

Reducing levels of the protein tau can prevent seizures and neurological deficits related to Alzheimer's disease

The findings, reported in the journal Science, demonstrate that when tau is removed from mice genetically engineered to simulate Alzheimer's disease, their memory function is retained and they live a normal lifespan. Reducing tau levels also made mice more resistant to epileptic seizures.

4 May 2007

Phase III data on Safinamide in Parkinson's disease

Merck Serono S.A. has announced that Phase III data on safinamide, a new agent in Phase III development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease symptoms, were presented by Professor Fabrizio Stocchi at the American Academy of Neurology 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

4 May 2007

Scientists film pairs of molecules during recognition process

The body is an almost perfect machine. For it to function properly, each individual component, that is each molecule, must reliably fulfill its specific function. Each molecule must thus "recognize" other molecules and work with them.

4 May 2007

Women who use estrogen hormone therapy before 65 reduce likelihood of Alzheimer's or dementia

Women who use hormone therapy before the age of 65 could cut their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

4 May 2007

Just to confuse you even more - HRT now linked to Alzheimer's!

To add to the utter confusion many women are feeling with regard to Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), new research is now suggesting HRT may reduce a woman's risk of Alzheimer's disease.

3 May 2007

Higher calcium and vitamin D intake linked to brain lesions in seniors

Elderly men and women who consumed higher levels of calcium and vitamin D are significantly more likely to have greater volumes of brain lesions, regions of damage that can increase risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, depression and stroke.

2 May 2007

Green tea shows potential for HIV-associated dementia prevention

A compound derived from green tea greatly diminished the neurotoxicity of proteins secreted by the human immunodeficiency virus, suggesting a new approach to the prevention and treatment of HIV-associated dementia, also known as AIDS dementia complex.

2 May 2007

Seniors are being stereotyped as grouchy

A study of caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and non-caregivers done by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada revealed that seniors are being stereotyped as grouchy, inflexible to change, and mostly living in nursing homes, when the opposite is true.

2 May 2007

Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke increases the risk of developing dementia

Based on preliminary results, the study authors found that elderly people with high lifetime exposure to secondhand smoke were approximately 30 percent more likely to develop dementia than those with no lifetime secondhand smoke exposure.April 28, May 5, 2007.

2 May 2007