Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

In silico drug design may lead to new approach in treatment of Alzheimer's

Researchers at Dalhousie University have discovered a new technique using "computer-aided" drug design that may lead to an entirely new approach in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

8 Nov 2012

Researchers develop new kind of intracranial pressure sensor

An increase in cerebral pressure may cause dementia and could destroy the brain. Companies have been seeking to find monitoring sensors that can be implanted into the brain, and read from outside the body. A tiny sensor may provide the help needed.

7 Nov 2012

Any hospice better than none at end of life

Nursing home residents with advanced dementia who receive any hospice care during the last 90 days of life receive fewer aggressive treatments and are less likely to die in hospital than their counterparts who do not receive such care, show US study results.

6 Nov 2012

Studies shake up Alzheimer’s hypotheses

Two studies in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease reveal very early changes in brain structure and function that may actually precede amyloid beta deposition.

6 Nov 2012

Comprehensive overview of vascular risk factors to Alzheimer's disease

Over the last 15 years, researchers have found a significant association between vascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes type 2, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

6 Nov 2012

Researchers analyse hydrogen bonds in tiny fibrils of amyloid-beta peptide

Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, researchers at Luleå University of Technology in collaboration with Warwick University in the UK for the first time in the world managed to analyse hydrogen bonds in tiny fibrils of Amyloid-beta peptide , which probably causes Alzheimer's disease.

5 Nov 2012

Treatments and outcomes vary for nursing home residents who use Medicare SNF care: Study

A Medicare rule that blocks thousands of nursing home residents from receiving simultaneous reimbursement for hospice and skilled nursing facility care at the end of life may result in those residents receiving more aggressive treatment and hospitalization, according a new analysis.

3 Nov 2012

PET scans allow scientists to study link between caffeine and neurodegenerative disorders

Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) has enabled scientists for the first time to visualize binding sites of caffeine in the living human brain to explore possible positive and negative effects of caffeine consumption.

2 Nov 2012

Longer looks: Searching for a dementia gene; The trouble with medical device patents; Blue dog Matheson's re-election quest

When it comes to preparing for a natural disaster like superstorm Sandy, hospitals drill for such evacuations and activate emergency command centers to manage any increase in patients. Still, events like superstorm Sandy are hard to prepare for. "It's been an unprecedented situation that has required an unprecedented response from the whole tri-state health care system," says Jim Mandler, assistant vice president for public affairs for Continnum Health Partners hospitals.

2 Nov 2012

Study identifies monoacylglycerol lipase as new therapeutic target to treat Alzheimer's

Research led by Chu Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has identified an enzyme called Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) as a new therapeutic target to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

2 Nov 2012

FDA accepts Sunovion’s two LATUDA sNDAs for review

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review two supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) for the use of LATUDA as 1) monotherapy and 2) adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate, both to treat adult patients with depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (bipolar depression).

31 Oct 2012

Intravenous catheter replacement: an interview with Claire Rickard

Peripheral intravenous catheters (“IV drips”) are small plastic tubes inserted into veins, most frequently in the hand or arm.

30 Oct 2012

TTP488 slows cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's

A novel, orally administered drug candidate, TTP488, has demonstrated clinical evidence of slowing of cognitive decline over 18 months of therapy in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

30 Oct 2012

Stay active to keep a healthy mind in very old age

Poor physical performance, especially a slow walking speed, is significantly associated with dementia in individuals aged over 90 years, show study results.

29 Oct 2012

Study demonstrates role of IRX4204 in alleviating cognitive decline in animal models of AD

New research presented in October at the 6th Neurodegenerative Conditions Research and Development Conference in San Francisco demonstrates the role of the investigational compound IRX4204 in alleviating cognitive decline in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

29 Oct 2012

Study describes how Dbr1 gene halts toxic buildup of TDP-43-a protein

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered how modifying a gene halts the toxic buildup of a protein found in nerve cells. These findings point to a potential new tactic for treating a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease)-a fatal disease for which there is no cure.

29 Oct 2012

Anterior insular cortex associated with human empathy

An international team led by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has for the first time shown that one area of the brain, called the anterior insular cortex, is the activity center of human empathy, whereas other areas of the brain are not. The study is published in the September 2012 issue of the journal Brain.

25 Oct 2012

Dementia: A National Crisis – a review of the Manchester 2012 conference

It was clear from the title – Dementia: A National Crisis – that the conference would focus on the important challenges facing many people living with dementia in the country today.

24 Oct 2012

U.S. Marshals seize dietary supplements and unapproved drugs from Confidence

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals recently seized dietary supplements and unapproved drugs from Confidence, Inc., of Port Washington, N.Y.

24 Oct 2012

Study still implicates amyloid beta in causing Alzheimer's dementia

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a key difference in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and those who are cognitively normal but still have brain plaques that characterize this type of dementia.

23 Oct 2012