Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Decaffeinated coffee may improve brain energy metabolism linked with type 2 diabetes

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered that decaffeinated coffee may improve brain energy metabolism associated with type 2 diabetes.

1 Feb 2012

Study finds no link between BDV and psychiatric illness

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus (BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but study results have been inconsistent. Now, the first blinded, case-control study to examine this issue finds no association between the virus and psychiatric illness.

1 Feb 2012

Caffeine intake may change a woman’s estrogen levels: Study

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, looked at more than 250 women ages 18 to 44, and found that for white women, caffeine appeared to lower estrogen levels, while in Asian women it seemed to raise them.

31 Jan 2012

Differences in systolic blood pressure between arms indicate possibility of vascular risk, death: Study

A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death.

30 Jan 2012

Breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s disease research

Researchers are closer to understanding Alzheimer’s disease using a new stem cell technique. They have successfully replicated Alzheimer’s disease neurons with stem cells for the first time.

26 Jan 2012

Alzheimer’s disease may be kept at bay with regular brain stimulation: Study

A new study shows that regularly doing puzzles and reading books could be linked to a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. It says that these activities reduce the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain.

24 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 24, 2012

In today's news, a new survey shows that the percentage of Americans lacking health insurance coverage rose for the fourth straight year in 2011.

24 Jan 2012

Possible link between vascular lesions and Alzheimer's disease

Approximately 20 percent of all stroke survivors will develop cognitive problems later in life, including vascular dementia. Experts with the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston say recent research showing a possible link between vascular lesions and Alzheimer's disease is yet another reason to be more vigilant in our efforts to prevent a stroke.

24 Jan 2012

Pets help women manage HIV/AIDS: Study

A spoonful of medicine goes down a lot easier if there is a dog or cat around. Having pets is helpful for women living with HIV/AIDS and managing their chronic illness, according to a new study from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.

24 Jan 2012

Three-parent children may be born in near future in an effort to combat mitochondrial diseases

In the next couple of years the scientific community may witness creation of children with genetic material from three parents. British scientists want to start testing a new IVF technique to try to eradicate incurable genetic diseases such as muscular dystrophy. The concept took a leap forward yesterday after the Government announced a public consultation on whether the law should be changed to allow the technique.

22 Jan 2012

SSRI use raises risk of fall among elderly with dementia: Study

A new study reveals that nursing home residents with dementia who use selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have an increased risk of having a fall that causes injury compared with those who do not use SSRIs. Additionally those using average doses have 3 times the risk compared with nonusers, the authors, led by Carolyn S. Sterke, from Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, report. Authors write, “Even at low doses, SSRIs are associated with increased risk of an injurious fall in nursing home residents with dementia.”

22 Jan 2012

MSC-mediated RNAi transfer holds promise for Huntington's disease

A team of researchers at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures has developed a technique for using stem cells to deliver therapy that specifically targets the genetic abnormality found in Huntington's disease, a hereditary brain disorder that causes progressive uncontrolled movements, dementia and death.

20 Jan 2012

Study: Up to 30% of patients hospitalized after a stroke develop delirium

Up to 30 per cent of patients hospitalized after a stroke develop delirium, according to a new study from St. Michael's Hospital.

20 Jan 2012

Banner Alzheimer's Institute presents results from Navidea AZD4694 study at 6th Annual HAI

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ, made two presentations of results from an AstraZeneca-sponsored study on the assessment of Navidea's late-stage radiopharmaceutical imaging candidate, AZD4694, at the 6th Annual Human Amyloid Imaging Meeting (HAI), in Miami, FL.

20 Jan 2012

SSRIs increase risk of falling in nursing home residents with dementia

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have an injurious fall than similar people who don't use these drugs. The association can be seen in people who use low doses of SSRIs and the risk increases as people take higher doses. The results are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

19 Jan 2012

Older adults with dementia can benefit from exergames

Virtual reality-enhanced exercise, or "exergames," combining physical exercise with computer-simulated environments and interactive videogame features, can yield a greater cognitive benefit for older adults than traditional exercise alone, according to a new study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

17 Jan 2012

Study shows how new electronic medication management system reduces drug administration errors

Errors in administration of medication are a serious problem in long-term residential care. New research completed by the University of Warwick and the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) shows how a new electronic medication management system developed in the UK specifically for use in residential and nursing homes, has been shown to significantly reduce drug administration errors.

12 Jan 2012

Exposure to light appears to have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's patients

Exposure to light appears to have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's disease patients, a Wayne State University researcher has found.

12 Jan 2012

UCLA researchers identify chemical changes in brains of patients with early-onset Alzheimer's

With a lack of effective treatments for Alzheimer's, most of us would think long and hard about whether we wanted to know years in advance if we were genetically predisposed to develop the disease. For researchers, however, such knowledge is a window into Alzheimer's disease's evolution.

11 Jan 2012

Nicotine patch may help those with mild dementia

The nicotine patch designed to help people quit smoking can also improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a small clinical trial found.

10 Jan 2012