Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Brain area that only processes spoken, not written words identified

Patients in a new Northwestern Medicine study were able to comprehend words that were written but not said aloud. They could write the names of things they saw but not verbalize them.

22 Mar 2019

Alzheimer's patients using antiepileptic drugs have twice the risk of pneumonia, study shows

People with Alzheimer's disease using antiepileptic drugs have twice the risk of pneumonia compared to non-users, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.

21 Mar 2019

Isolated seniors chat online to prevent cognitive decline

Right now, Gene Gilmer is as sharp as ever at 90 years of age. A retired school superintendent who earned his doctorate in math decades ago, Gilmer lives alone and worries about losing the memories that defined his life.

21 Mar 2019

New algae-based treatment could reduce need for limb amputation

A new algae-based treatment could reduce the need for amputation in people with critical limb ischaemia, according to new research funded by the British Heart Foundation, published today in the journal npj Regenerative Medicine.

21 Mar 2019

Study finds link between depression in 20s linked to memory loss in 50s

A new large-scale longitudinal study carried out by University of Sussex psychologists has found a clear link between episodes of depression and anxiety experienced by adults in their twenties, thirties and forties, with a decrease in memory function by the time they are in their fifties.

21 Mar 2019

Older people living in retirement communities benefit from improved health

A new report shows older people benefit from improved physical and mental health in retirement communities, resulting in cost savings to the NHS.

20 Mar 2019

Researchers measure brain metabolite levels in people with mild memory problems

Using strong and targeted but noninvasive magnets at specific sites in the brains of people with and without mild learning and memory problems, Johns Hopkins researchers report they were able to detect differences in the concentrations of brain chemicals that transmit messages between neurons.

20 Mar 2019

Nut consumption could be key to better cognitive health in older people

Long-term, high nut consumption could be the key to better cognitive health in older people according to new research from the University of South Australia.

19 Mar 2019

Low levels of certain eye proteins could serve as predictor for Alzheimer’s

Researchers at Boston Medical Center have found that low eye-fluid levels of two proteins associated with Alzheimer’s could serve as a potential predictor of the disease.

19 Mar 2019

Proteins in the eye may be potential source for cost-effective test to predict Alzheimer's disease

Low levels of amyloid-β and tau proteins, biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, in eye fluid were significantly associated with low cognitive scores, according to a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

19 Mar 2019

New robot-guided video game may be effective and low-cost solution for caregivers

Two residents of Elmcroft Senior Living sat side-by-side facing a large screen, raising their hands in tandem as the watch-style devices on their wrists controlled the avatars in front of them.

18 Mar 2019

Dementia caregivers design robots for alleviating stress and increasing joyful moments

Building robots that can help people with dementia has been a longtime goal for roboticists. Yet until now, no one has sought to survey informal caregivers, such as family members, about what characteristics and roles these robots should have.

18 Mar 2019

People with chronic periodontitis have higher risk for dementia

Gum disease that goes untreated can become periodontitis. When this happens, the infection that affected your gums causes loss in the bone that supports your teeth.

15 Mar 2019

Bioactive compounds in mushrooms may fight neurodegeneration in later life

New research suggests that mild cognitive impairment could be prevented in people over the age of 60 by simply eating mushrooms more than twice a week.

15 Mar 2019

Patient monitoring technology helps mental health trust to reduce falls and save time

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust saw falls at night drop by a third on two wards that introduced the Oxehealth Digital Care Assistant technology, a clinical study has shown.

15 Mar 2019

Study: More vitamin D may boost memory but too much could lead to slower reaction time

How much vitamin D can boost memory, learning and decision-making in older adults, and how much is too much?

15 Mar 2019

Oral bacteria in pancreas associated with tumor severity

The presence of oral bacteria in so-called cystic pancreatic tumours is associated with the severity of the tumour, a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal Gut reports. It is hoped that the results can help to improve diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

14 Mar 2019

New study aims to detect Parkinson's at much earlier stage

A large study jointly led by Queen Mary University of London and UCL aims to identify people at risk of developing Parkinson's, years before the condition is currently detected, with a view to treating and alleviating it at a much earlier stage.

13 Mar 2019

“Fail Fast, But More Confidently”: Developing Organoids for Drug Development and Discovery

Richard Eglen discusses the use of organoids in drug discovery, including the screening of candidate compounds for efficacy, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics.

From Corning Life Sciences 13 Mar 2019

Study unravels how cancer medication works in brains of Parkinson's patients

Laboratory analysis from the first arm of a phase II clinical trial testing the use of nilotinib in patients with Parkinson's disease demonstrates precisely how the agent increases levels of dopamine in the brains of study participants, says a research team at Georgetown University Medical Center. Symptoms of Parkinson's, such as motor dysfunction, are a result of a dopamine loss.

13 Mar 2019