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.

Osaka University researchers find way for early detection of AD

Kichitaro Nakajima, a graduate student at the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Hirotsugu Ogi, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering Science, and Yuji Goto, Professor at Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University succeeded in increasing the velocity constant for a reaction in which proteins causing Alzheimer disease (AD) turn into toxic substances to 1,000 times by using optimum frequency of ultrasonic irradiation.

11 May 2016

Depression course predicts dementia risk

Patients with late-life depression have an increased risk of dementia if their symptoms increase over time, whereas a single episode of depression, even if severe, does not carry a significant risk, study findings indicate.

10 May 2016

New research on epigenetics of lactose intolerance unravels understanding of schizophrenia

A new study on the epigenetics of lactose intolerance may provide an approach to understanding schizophrenia and other complex, serious illnesses

10 May 2016

CoSTREAM project aims to find common mechanisms, pathways in stroke and Alzheimer's disease

Stroke and Alzheimer's disease are major diseases imposing a huge burden on aging societies. It has long been recognized that stroke and Alzheimer's disease often co-occur, and it has been speculated that the two disorders have an overlapping pathogenesis.

10 May 2016

New eye scan may detect onset of Alzheimer's disease

Early structural changes in the back of the eye — now visible with a newly developed eye scan — may indicate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology this week in Seattle, Wash.

6 May 2016

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

A new study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, Warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

5 May 2016

LBDA director emphasizes need for open national dialog on dementia at ADRD Summit

Angela Taylor, Director of Programs for The Lewy Body Dementia Association recently addressed attendees at the National Institutes of Health's 2016 Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementia Summit on the need for an open national dialog on changing the nomenclature frequently used to describe different forms of dementia.

4 May 2016

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Aging takes its toll on the brain, and the cells of the hippocampus--a brain region with circuitry crucial to learning and memory--are particularly vulnerable to changes that can lead to Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. With the hope of counteracting the changes that can lead to these two conditions, researchers at Rockefeller University and their colleagues have begun examining the effects of a drug known to affect this circuitry.

4 May 2016

Study shows cannabinoid type 2 receptor plays vital role in signal processing of the brain

The cannabinoid type 2 receptor - also called "CB2 receptor" - is a special membrane protein. Its function is to receive chemical signals that control cellular activity. "Until now, this receptor was considered part of the immune system without function in nerve cells.

3 May 2016

Snapshots of NMDA receptor activation may help in novel drug design

Structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Janelia Research Campus/HHMI, have obtained snapshots of the activation of an important type of brain-cell receptor. Dysfunction of the receptor has been implicated in a range of neurological illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, seizure, schizophrenia, autism, and injuries related to stroke.

3 May 2016

Researchers one step closer to understanding disease origin

Researchers are one step closer to understanding the genetic and biological basis of diseases like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and rheumatoid arthritis - and identifying new drug targets and therapies - thanks to work by three computational biology research teams from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University.

30 Apr 2016

Discovery of shared biological properties among DNA variants may help identify new therapeutic targets

The discovery of shared biological properties among independent variants of DNA sequences offers the opportunity to broaden understanding of the biological basis of disease and identify new therapeutic targets, according to a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona Health Sciences, and Vanderbilt University. The group published their findings this month in npj Genomic Medicine.

29 Apr 2016

People with TBI may have long-term sleep disturbances

People who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may still have sleep problems a year and a half after being injured, according to a study published in the April 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition, people with TBI may also be unaware of just how much their sleep is disturbed.

28 Apr 2016

New study reveals increased risk of dementia in patients with rosacea

A new study has uncovered an increased risk of dementia--in particular Alzheimer's disease--in patients with rosacea. Importantly, the risk was highest in older patients and in patients where rosacea was diagnosed by a hospital dermatologist. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.

28 Apr 2016

Rapamycin drug could target neural damage linked to Leigh syndrome

Salk Institute scientists showed how an FDA-approved drug boosts the health of brain cells by limiting their energy use. Like removing unnecessary lighting from a financially strapped household to save on electricity bills, the drug--called rapamycin--prolongs the survival of diseased neurons by forcing them to reduce protein production to conserve cellular energy.

27 Apr 2016

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Researchers testing the potential positive effects of "micro-injury" by brief insertion of a small needle into the hippocampal region of mice modeled with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have found that the procedure not only stimulated the hippocampus into regenerative activity, but also reduced β-amyloid plaques, a hallmark of AD.

27 Apr 2016

University of Leicester-led study finds way to reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

A five-year study by an international team led from the University of Leicester has found a way of ‘reversing’ symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – using fruit flies as test subjects.

26 Apr 2016

Single season of contact sports can cause measurable brain changes

Repeated impacts to the heads of high school football players cause measurable changes in their brains, even when no concussion occurs, according to research from UT Southwestern Medical Center's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

26 Apr 2016

Study on HDAC enzymes could lead to development of better drugs for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s

New knowledge about the mechanism of specific protein complexes in the body could help in the development of better drugs for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, according to research led by the University of Leicester.

25 Apr 2016

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

A range of diseases -- from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer's disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- are linked to changes to genes in the brain. A new study by UCLA life scientists has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that's common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.

25 Apr 2016

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Osaka University researchers find way for early detection of AD

Depression course predicts dementia risk

New research on epigenetics of lactose intolerance unravels understanding of schizophrenia

CoSTREAM project aims to find common mechanisms, pathways in stroke and Alzheimer's disease

New eye scan may detect onset of Alzheimer's disease

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

LBDA director emphasizes need for open national dialog on dementia at ADRD Summit

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Study shows cannabinoid type 2 receptor plays vital role in signal processing of the brain

Snapshots of NMDA receptor activation may help in novel drug design

Researchers one step closer to understanding disease origin

Discovery of shared biological properties among DNA variants may help identify new therapeutic targets

People with TBI may have long-term sleep disturbances

New study reveals increased risk of dementia in patients with rosacea

Rapamycin drug could target neural damage linked to Leigh syndrome

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

University of Leicester-led study finds way to reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

Single season of contact sports can cause measurable brain changes

Study on HDAC enzymes could lead to development of better drugs for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

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