Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate diet may improve brain function and memory in older adults

In a pilot study of 14 older adults with mild cognitive problems suggestive of early Alzheimer's disease, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet may improve brain function and memory.

28 Jun 2019

Sleep quality could be indicator for later Alzheimer’s disease finds study

A new study from the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley has shown that progressively declining quality of sleep among those in their 50s and 60s could be indicative of protein tangles within their brains that could lead to later development of Alzheimer’s disease.

28 Jun 2019

Scientists reveal insights into how a common Alzheimer's risk gene disrupts brain cells

Insights into how a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease disrupts brain cells have been revealed by scientists.

27 Jun 2019

Sleep decline in one's 50s, 60s increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

People who report a declining quality of sleep as they age from their 50s to their 60s have more protein tangles in their brain, putting them at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, according to a new study by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley.

27 Jun 2019

Study finds link between high BMI and lower risk of ALS

People who have a high body mass index or who gain weight as they get older may have a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a large study published in the June 26, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Jun 2019

Machine learning can be a modern approach in cognitive brain health assessment

Worldwide, about 44 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.

26 Jun 2019

UAB scientists identify new target for drug intervention in Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified an enzyme in the brain that may be an intriguing target for interventions against Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

26 Jun 2019

Researchers develop simple blood test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers from Lund University, together with the Roche pharmaceutical company, have used a method to develop a new blood marker capable of detecting whether or not a person has Alzheimer's disease.

25 Jun 2019

Researchers reveal fundamental role of protein associated with Alzheimer's

Researchers from the University of Seville, the Seville Biomedicine Institute and Lund University have been able to describe how the body responds to a component present in the brain in Alzheimer's patients.

25 Jun 2019

Researchers identify missing link between amyloid plaques and tau tangles in Alzheimer's

Years before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease appear, two kinds of damaging proteins silently collect in the brain: amyloid beta and tau. Clumps of amyloid accumulate first, but tau is particularly noxious.

25 Jun 2019

Researchers discover early biomarker for degenerative neurologic disease

Researchers have discovered a novel radioligand that can effectively differentiate progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) from similar brain disorders, allowing for earlier and more reliable diagnosis of the disease.

24 Jun 2019

New blood test could potentially diagnose Alzheimers even before symptoms appear

Doctors may one day be able to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of severe dementia, and monitor a patient's response to treatment by doing a simple blood test.

24 Jun 2019

Largest study finds CTE in 6% of athletes and non-athletes

Nearly 6% of athletes and non-athletes were found to have the neurodegenerative disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the largest, and broadest, study conducted of the disease to date.

23 Jun 2019

New swine model helps scientists to better understand human brain

For the first time, researchers in the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center have used an imaging method normally reserved for humans to analyze brain activity in live agricultural swine models, and they have discovered that pig brains are even better platforms than previously thought for the study of human neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

21 Jun 2019

People with family history of Alzheimer's do not perform as well as their peers

Results from a study of nearly 60,000 individuals suggest those at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to family history may demonstrate changes in memory performance as early as their 20s.

21 Jun 2019

McMaster researchers map toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's

A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease.

20 Jun 2019

Study shows risk of sudden death may apply even to people with well-controlled epilepsy

People with epilepsy have a rare risk of sudden death. A new study shows that risk may apply even to people whose epilepsy is well-controlled, which is contrary to previous, smaller studies that showed the risk was highest among those with severe, difficult-to-treat epilepsy.

20 Jun 2019

Sleep patterns can predict Alzheimer’s pathology later in life

Sleep patterns can predict the accumulation of Alzheimer’s pathology proteins later in life, according to a new study of older men and women published in JNeurosci. These findings could lead to new sleep-based early diagnosis and prevention measures in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

From Society for Neuroscience 19 Jun 2019

Researchers propose new model for studying age-related cognitive decline

People are living longer than ever before, but brain health isn't keeping up. To tackle this critical problem, a team of researchers has proposed a new model for studying age-related cognitive decline - one that's tailored to the individual.

18 Jun 2019

Antioxidant protecting the brain linked to deterioration in areas susceptible to Alzheimer's

New research may explain why an antioxidant that protects the brain is also associated with deterioration in areas susceptible to Alzheimer's disease.

18 Jun 2019