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.

Prana's PBT2 receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for treatment of Huntington disease

Prana Biotechnology has today announced the US Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug designation to PBT2 for the treatment of Huntington Disease.

5 Sep 2014

Longer looks: Alzheimer's and a marriage; racism in medicine; abortion restrictions in Texas

The US, which has a mostly private health-care system, manages to spend more on its public health-care system than countries where the health-care system is almost entirely public. America's government spends more, as a percentage of the economy, on public health care than Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan or Australia. And then it spends even more than that on private health care.

5 Sep 2014

Researchers examine link between sleep difficulties and brain volume

Sleep difficulties may be linked to faster rates of decline in brain volume, according to a study published in the September 3, 2014, online issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Sep 2014

Researchers examine risk of MCI and diabetes mellitus type 2 in middle-aged people

In a large population-based study of randomly selected participants in Germany, researchers found that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurred twice more often in individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2.

3 Sep 2014

Study for better understanding of neural circuitry and dynamic mechanisms controlling memory

A study just published in the prestigious Nature Neuroscience journal by, Sylvain Williams, PhD, and his team, of the Research Centre of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University, opens the door towards better understanding of the neural circuitry and dynamic mechanisms controlling memory as well of the role of an essential element of the hippocampus - a sub-region named the subiculum.

1 Sep 2014

Research roundup: Benefits of hip surgery; preventing surgical infections; assessing ACOs' predecessors

Surgical treatment of hip fractures can achieve better survival and functional outcomes than nonoperative treatment, but less is known about its economic benefits. ... We estimated the effects of surgical treatment for displaced hip fractures through a Markov cohort analysis of patients 65 years and older. ... Estimated average lifetime societal benefits per patient exceeded the direct medical costs of hip fracture surgery by $65,000 to $68,000 for displaced hip fractures. With the exception of the assumption of nursing home use, the sensitivity analyses show that surgery produces positive net societal savings (Gu, Koenig, Mather and Tongue, 8/5).

30 Aug 2014

Bariatric surgery can provide valuable benefits to the brain

At bariatric facilities like Dr. Feiz and Associates, the life-changing benefits of bariatric surgery, including reduced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endocrine disorders are well established.

30 Aug 2014

New study reveals psychosocial health benefits for older adults who volunteer

Older adults who stay active by volunteering are getting more out of it than just an altruistic feeling - they are receiving a health boost!

29 Aug 2014

Freiburg biochemists discover new mechanisms of brain disease

The failing in the work of nerve cells: An international team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Chris Meisinger from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Freiburg has discovered how Alzheimer's disease damages mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell.

29 Aug 2014

New MS treatment found safe, tolerable in phase I clinical trials

A new treatment under investigation for multiple sclerosis (MS) is safe and tolerable in phase I clinical trials, according to a study published August 27, 2014, in Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, a new online-only, freely accessible, specialty medical journal.

28 Aug 2014

THC may slow or halt progression of Alzheimer's disease

Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists at the University of South Florida shows.

28 Aug 2014

Cognitive impairment communication: an interview with Marc Wortmann, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)

Cognitive impairment is the loss of brain functions like short and long term memory, the ability to plan ahead or conduct more complicated intellectual tasks.

27 Aug 2014

Mindfulness training can brighten outlook on life for person with memory loss and caregiver

Mindfulness training for individuals with early-stage dementia and their caregivers together in the same class was beneficial for both groups, easing depression and improving sleep and quality of life, reports new Northwestern Medicine study.

26 Aug 2014

Study sheds new light on sleep drunkenness disorder

A study is shining new light on a sleep disorder called "sleep drunkenness". The disorder may be as prevalent as affecting one in every seven people. The research is published in the August 26, 2014, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Aug 2014

Finding suggests that retina acts as type of window to the brain

Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes and University of California, San Francisco have shown that a loss of cells in the retina is one of the earliest signs of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in people with a genetic risk for the disorder-even before any changes appear in their behavior.

25 Aug 2014

New mouse model to open door to research on epilepsy, Alzheimer's

University of Utah scientists have developed a genetically engineered line of mice that is expected to open the door to new research on epilepsy, Alzheimer's and other diseases.

22 Aug 2014

Understanding neuron development: an interview with Dr. Brock Grill, The Scripps Research Institute

There’s a big difference between understanding coordination and actually building connectivity. In terms of building connectivity, several molecules have been identified that control this process and a lot has been learned from both genetic and biochemical research in a variety of different systems, particularly studies in the nematode C. elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila and mice.

22 Aug 2014

Three commonly used NSAIDs affect cell membranes, produce unwanted side effects

Researchers have discovered that three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes. Their finding suggests that, if taken at higher-than-approved doses and/or for long periods of time, these prescription-level NSAIDs and other drugs that affect the membrane may produce wide-ranging and unwanted side effects.

22 Aug 2014

Researchers uncover reasons for decreasing sleep quality as we age

Researchers from the United States have shed light on why people experience more fragmented sleep as they grow older.

21 Aug 2014

Investigational drug focuses on slowing Alzheimer's disease progression

Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease currently have no treatment options to slow brain cell deterioration. Researchers at Houston Methodist's Nantz National Alzheimer Center are studying an investigational drug that proposes to do just that.

21 Aug 2014

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Prana's PBT2 receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for treatment of Huntington disease

Longer looks: Alzheimer's and a marriage; racism in medicine; abortion restrictions in Texas

Researchers examine link between sleep difficulties and brain volume

Researchers examine risk of MCI and diabetes mellitus type 2 in middle-aged people

Study for better understanding of neural circuitry and dynamic mechanisms controlling memory

Research roundup: Benefits of hip surgery; preventing surgical infections; assessing ACOs' predecessors

Bariatric surgery can provide valuable benefits to the brain

New study reveals psychosocial health benefits for older adults who volunteer

Freiburg biochemists discover new mechanisms of brain disease

New MS treatment found safe, tolerable in phase I clinical trials

THC may slow or halt progression of Alzheimer's disease

Cognitive impairment communication: an interview with Marc Wortmann, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)

Mindfulness training can brighten outlook on life for person with memory loss and caregiver

Study sheds new light on sleep drunkenness disorder

Finding suggests that retina acts as type of window to the brain

New mouse model to open door to research on epilepsy, Alzheimer's

Understanding neuron development: an interview with Dr. Brock Grill, The Scripps Research Institute

Three commonly used NSAIDs affect cell membranes, produce unwanted side effects

Researchers uncover reasons for decreasing sleep quality as we age

Investigational drug focuses on slowing Alzheimer's disease progression

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