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.

Physical exercise can enhance development of new brain cells

Exercise can enhance the development of new brain cells in the adult brain, a process called adult neurogenesis. These newborn brain cells play an important role in learning and memory. A new study has determined that mice that spent time running on wheels not only developed twice the normal number of new neurons, but also showed an increased ability to distinguish new objects from familiar objects.

25 Nov 2015

Older adults who take more steps per day perform better on memory tasks

Could staying physically active improve quality of life by delaying cognitive decline and prolonging an independent lifestyle? A new study has found that older adults who take more steps either by walking or jogging perform better on memory tasks than those who are more sedentary.

25 Nov 2015

Brain ageing acceleration ‘nearly inevitable’ with age

A large longitudinal study has charted the ages and rates at which people develop amyloidosis and neurodegeneration.

23 Nov 2015

Olfactory testing uses extended to Alzheimer’s disease

A simple olfactory test may help to identify people at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia, suggest findings from a population-based study.

20 Nov 2015

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

20 Nov 2015

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

University of Florida Health researchers have made a new discovery about Huntington's disease, showing that the gene that causes the fatal disorder makes an unexpected "cocktail" of mutant proteins that accumulate in the brain.

19 Nov 2015

Researchers develop simple visual test to identify individuals' level of executive cognitive abilities

University of Georgia researchers have developed a simple technique to measure an individual's visual processing speed--the speed at which an individual can comprehend visual information--in order to identify whether or not they may have cognitive issues.

19 Nov 2015

College courses may increase cognitive capacity, reduce debilitating effects of dementia for older adults

Older adults who take college courses may increase their cognitive capacity and possibly reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

19 Nov 2015

Drug prevents onset of cognitive and cellular effects in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

In a novel animal study design that mimicked human clinical trials, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that long-term treatment using a small molecule drug that reduces activity of the brain's stress circuitry significantly reduces Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and prevents onset of cognitive impairment in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition.

17 Nov 2015

Health care costs for Alzheimer's disease patients increase a year before diagnosis

The health care costs of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) start to increase already one year before the diagnosis, shows a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

17 Nov 2015

Researchers find molecular mechanism that may be responsible for development of amyloidoses

A team of local researchers has proposed a molecular mechanism that may be responsible for the development of life-threatening diseases called amyloidoses. The best known of such diseases is Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there are many others that are receiving increased scrutiny, in part because of mounting evidence linking them to atherosclerosis and aging.

13 Nov 2015

Experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has anti-aging effects

Salk Institute researchers have found that an experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has a host of unexpected anti-aging effects in animals.

13 Nov 2015

TGen: PPF drug could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer

In a significant breakthrough, the Translational Genomics Research Institute has identified a drug, propentofylline or PPF, that could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer.

13 Nov 2015

Reproductive history associated with cognitive impairment risk in postmenopausal women

Researchers led by Professor Jun-Fen Lin at Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention have found that reproductive history, an important modifier of estrogen exposure across women's lifetime, is associated with risk of cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women.

13 Nov 2015

Older populations in rural areas face special health care challenges

A new study of adults ages 85 or older has found that rural residents have significantly higher levels of chronic disease, take more medications, and die several years earlier than their urban counterparts.

13 Nov 2015

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus awarded NIH grant to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus was awarded a $5.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia, and translate that knowledge into studying potential targets for treatment.

12 Nov 2015

Berkeley Lab scientists identify genetic factors that influence neurological disorders and body weight

Many neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, are marked by impaired motor skills. In addition, growing evidence suggests there's a link between some neurodegenerative diseases and body weight. A recent NIH study, for example, found that adults who are obese or overweight at midlife may be at risk for earlier onset of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2015

Brain scans may predict possibility of recovering from coma

Brain scans of people in a coma may help predict who will regain consciousness, according to a study published in the November 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at connections between areas of the brain that play a role in regulating consciousness.

12 Nov 2015

ApoE4-carrying men with Alzheimer's disease at risk of brain bleeds

A common genetic variation, ApoE4, linked to Alzheimer's disease greatly raises the likelihood of tiny brain bleeds in some men, scientists have found.

12 Nov 2015

New progenitor cells differentiate into mature cell types, prevent risk of unwanted tumors

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) can become any type of cell in the adult body, offering great potential in disease modeling, drug discovery and creating replacement cells for conditions ranging from cardiovascular to Alzheimer's disease.

11 Nov 2015

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Physical exercise can enhance development of new brain cells

Older adults who take more steps per day perform better on memory tasks

Brain ageing acceleration ‘nearly inevitable’ with age

Olfactory testing uses extended to Alzheimer’s disease

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

Researchers develop simple visual test to identify individuals' level of executive cognitive abilities

College courses may increase cognitive capacity, reduce debilitating effects of dementia for older adults

Drug prevents onset of cognitive and cellular effects in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Health care costs for Alzheimer's disease patients increase a year before diagnosis

Researchers find molecular mechanism that may be responsible for development of amyloidoses

Experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has anti-aging effects

TGen: PPF drug could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer

Reproductive history associated with cognitive impairment risk in postmenopausal women

Older populations in rural areas face special health care challenges

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus awarded NIH grant to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia

Berkeley Lab scientists identify genetic factors that influence neurological disorders and body weight

Brain scans may predict possibility of recovering from coma

ApoE4-carrying men with Alzheimer's disease at risk of brain bleeds

New progenitor cells differentiate into mature cell types, prevent risk of unwanted tumors

Human iPSCs: A Full Guide to Advanced in Vitro Models and Applications eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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