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.

Researchers study link between vision loss and Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers studying the link between vision loss and Alzheimer's disease report that the loss of a particular layer of retinal cells not previously investigated may reveal the disease's presence and provide a new way to track disease progression.

14 Nov 2013

Single dose of intranasal insulin can help improve cognitive function in diabetes patients

In recent years, the link between type 2 diabetes and dementia has become widely recognized. Older individuals with diabetes develop Alzheimer's disease at an earlier age, and are more likely to develop vascular dementia than people who do not have diabetes.

14 Nov 2013

New view can give scientists better understanding of how antidepressants work in human brain

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Vollum Institute, published in the current issue of Nature, is giving scientists a never-before-seen view of how nerve cells communicate with each other.

13 Nov 2013

Aerobic exercise helps healthy aging adults improve memory, brain health and physical fitness

A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas published online in the open-access journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found that engaging in a physical exercise regimen helps healthy aging adults improve their memory, brain health and physical fitness.

13 Nov 2013

Researchers receive $7.5 million NIH grant to develop novel therapies for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, the University of Florida in Gainesville, and the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle have received a $7.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to take a new and more expanded approach to identifying drug targets to treat and possibly prevent Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2013

Researchers develop model that predicts earlier prediction of Alzheimer's disease in older adults

Using scores obtained from cognitive tests, Johns Hopkins researchers think they have developed a model that could help determine whether memory loss in older adults is benign or a stop on the way to Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2013

Arizona professor receives 2013 Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award

November is National Caregivers Month, a time to acknowledge the important role family and friends play in caring for their ailing and elderly family members. Aptly timed, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving recently named David W. Coon, PhD, associate vice provost and professor in the College of Nursing & Health Innovation at Arizona State University, and his fellow experts the 2013 Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award.

11 Nov 2013

Scientists receive $1.2M grants to explore development of AD in individuals with Down syndrome

Donna Wilcock of the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is the lead investigator on a recently-funded project exploring the links between Alzheimer's disease and Down Syndrome. Elizabeth Head, also of Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, is a co-investigator on the project.

10 Nov 2013

Researchers clinically validate new method for predicting Alzheimer's progression

A Columbia University Medical Center-led research team has clinically validated a new method for predicting time to full-time care, nursing home residence, or death for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

8 Nov 2013

Study: Speaking a second language may delay onset of three types of dementias

In the largest study on the topic to date, research shows that speaking a second language may delay the onset of three types of dementias. The research is published in the November 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Nov 2013

New research explores neuropathology behind hippocampal sclerosis

As the population of older adults continues to grow, researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging are engaged in work to understand the mechanisms of a variety of diseases that predominately affect those of advanced age.

6 Nov 2013

State highlights: Calif. hospital chain settles anesthesia billing suit; study shows graduate medical education funding imbalance

A major California hospital chain, Sutter Health, agreed to pay $46 million and disclose more pricing information to consumers to resolve a whistle-blower complaint alleging false and misleading charges for anesthesia. Sutter Health, which runs 24 acute-care hospitals in Northern California, said it reached the settlement Monday just prior to a trial starting this month over the allegations that it added thousands of dollars for "Code 37x" anesthesia charges that were already covered by other billing for the hospital operating room (Terhune, 11/4).

6 Nov 2013

Home Instead CAREGivers offer advice for families caring for seniors at home

This November, in recognition of National Family Caregivers Month, Home Instead Senior Care® has some helpful advice for the 43 million Americans currently caring for family members.* The leading global provider of home care services for seniors polled its top professional CAREGivers(SM) – recipients of its annual CAREGiver of the Year award – for their best caregiving tips.

5 Nov 2013

Magnesium deficiency may play important role in cognitive impairment

November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month and the serious issues of cognitive health will be in the spotlight in the coming weeks. The medical community agrees that cognitive impairment, ranging from mild to severe, is almost epidemic in the U.S. as the Baby Boomer generation is aging and living longer. Scientists believe one reason is that the human brain begins shrinking after age 25. Structural changes and loss of brain synapses lead to rapid decline in cognitive health.

5 Nov 2013

Discovery may lead to curing of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease via photo therapy

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, together with researchers at the Polish Wroclaw University of Technology, have made a discovery that may lead to the curing of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (the so called mad cow disease) through photo therapy.

3 Nov 2013

S14G-humanin: New effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Humanin is a potential therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease, and its derivative, S14G-humanin, is 1 000-fold stronger in its neuroprotective effect against Alzheimer's disease-relevant insults. Al-though effective, the detailed molecular mechanism through which S14G-humanin exerts its effects remains unclear.

31 Oct 2013

New DNA vaccine effective against plaques in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid-beta (Aβ) active immunization in Alzheimer's disease can increase the rate of Aβ clearance, and delay cognitive dysfunction, but it is easy to induce meningoencephalitis, which may be related to activation of Th1 lymphocytes.

30 Oct 2013

Alzheimer's patients more prone to heart disease, but undergo fewer related surgeries

Persons with Alzheimer's disease suffer from ischaemic heart diseases more frequently than others, yet they undergo related procedures and surgery less frequently than persons with no diagnosed AD, according to a nation-wide register-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland.

30 Oct 2013

Study: Glucose levels, vascular damage contribute to dementia

High blood-sugar levels, such as those linked with Type 2 diabetes, make beta amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's disease dramatically more toxic to cells lining blood vessels in the brain, according to a new Tulane University study published in latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

29 Oct 2013

Study shows how wrong levels of protein linked with AD can lead to dangerous blockages in brain cells

Scientists have known for some time that a protein called presenilin plays a role in Alzheimer's disease, and a new study reveals one intriguing way this happens.