Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Researchers reduce production of alpha-synuclein in the brain - offers hope for Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a method to reduce the production of alpha-synuclein in the brain.

17 Nov 2008

New research reveals key steps in HIV's assault on the brain

Scientists have unraveled in unprecedented detail the cascade of events that go wrong in brain cells affected by HIV, a virus whose assault on the nervous system continues unabated despite antiviral medications that can keep the virus at bay for years in the rest of the body.

16 Nov 2008

Discovery of key contributor to Alzheimer's disease process

Walter J. Lukiw, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the lead author of a paper identifying, for the first time, a specific function of a fragment of ribonucleic acid (RNA), once thought to be no more than a byproduct, in regulating inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease.

16 Nov 2008

Swiss approval for Zevtera in treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections

Swissmedic, the Swiss agency for therapeutic products, has approved Zevtera (ceftobiprole medocaril) for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections, including diabetic foot infections which have not spread to the bone.

13 Nov 2008

Isoflurane induces Alzheimer's-associated changes in mouse brains

For the first time researchers have shown that a commonly used anesthetic can produce changes associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brains of living mammals, confirming previous laboratory studies.

12 Nov 2008

One in five U.S. hospital admissions are for patients with mental disorders

According to the latest figures from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States, one in five hospital admissions are for patients with mental disorders.

11 Nov 2008

Education delays onset of the dementia

A test that reveals brain changes believed to be at the heart of Alzheimer's disease has bolstered the theory that education can delay the onset of the dementia and cognitive decline that are characteristic of the disorder.

10 Nov 2008

Greater thinking, learning and memory abilities delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Individuals with higher education levels appear to score higher on cognitive tests despite having evidence of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Neurology , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Nov 2008

Education lessens the effects of Alzheimer's

The scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, say their research supports the 'cognitive reserve' hypothesis and individuals with levels of higher education levels score higher on cognitive tests despite having Alzheimer's disease.

10 Nov 2008

Study finds 25% of family caregivers of AD patients go to ER or are hospitalized

One quarter of all family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients succumb to the stress of providing care to a loved one and become hospital patients themselves, according to an Indiana University study published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

10 Nov 2008

Significant weakness found in dementia screening method

A research team led by Dr Alisoun Milne, a Senior Lecturer at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, has identified weaknesses in the most widely employed dementia screening instrument currently used in primary care.

7 Nov 2008

Artificial intelligence coaching system lessens dementia load

An artificial intelligence coaching system has been developed that will help carers of older adults with moderate dementia.

7 Nov 2008

Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, reduces Alzheimer's symptoms

An over-the-counter vitamin in high doses prevented memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease, and UC Irvine scientists now are conducting a clinical trial to determine its effect in humans.

5 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's + diabetes + high blood pressure = a shorter life

A study has found that people with Alzheimer's disease who also suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure may die earlier.

4 Nov 2008

Diabetes and high blood pressure shorten lifespan in Alzheimer's disease

People with Alzheimer's disease who also have diabetes or high blood pressure may die sooner than people without such disorders, according to a study published in the November 4, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Nov 2008