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 pinpoint catalytic trigger for onset of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer's disease - when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons in the brain.

21 May 2013

Television actor hosts latest free patient education DVD and guidebook on epilepsy

Television actor and "Dancing with the Stars" winner John O'Hurley is the host of Epilepsy: A Guide for Patients and Families, the latest free patient education DVD and guidebook produced by the American Academy of Neurology and its foundation, the American Brain Foundation.

20 May 2013

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation, shown to improve memory.

20 May 2013

Study examines effects of smoking on cognitive functioning in AD individuals

Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic.

18 May 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapies for stroke and other brain diseases

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival.

18 May 2013

Insero Health announces top-line Phase Ib trial results of INS001 in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy

Insero Health, Inc., a company developing natural compounds to address unmet medical needs in epilepsy and related neurological disorders, is today reporting top-line results from a Phase Ib trial of its lead compound INS001 in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

17 May 2013

Controversy lurks as cloning technique yields embryos with eye on stem cell therapies

Political and ethical fights over human cloning may follow the latest stem cell therapy advance after scientists created embryos that are genetic copies of living people in an effort to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's.

17 May 2013

Research: People with skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

People who have skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research published in the May 15, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The link does not apply to melanoma, a less common but more aggressive type of skin cancer.

17 May 2013

Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function, say life scientists from UCLA and Australia who have pinpointed the regions of the brain involved in creating those alternate pathways - often far from the damaged site.

17 May 2013

First Edition: May 16, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Senate confirmation of Acting Chief Marilyn Tavenner to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

16 May 2013

Exercise is good for us - no matter what our age

The red double-decker buses that are symbolic of the city of London have an altogether different significance if you study heart disease. Sixty years ago, these iconic buses helped a Scottish medical doctor named Jerry Morris discover the link between physical activity and heart attacks.

15 May 2013

Scientists identify Alzheimer's biomarkers that predict start of cognitive impairment

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have helped identify many of the biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that could potentially predict which patients will develop the disorder later in life.

15 May 2013

Lifting weights, doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, say researchers

Forget apples - lifting weights and doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

15 May 2013

Renaissance in drug development for rare diseases

Once famously described as "orphan diseases, too small to be noticed, too small to be funded" in the Hollywood drama Lorenzo's Oil, rare diseases are getting unprecedented attention today among drug manufacturers, who are ramping up research efforts and marketing new medicines that promise fuller lives for children and other patients with these heartbreaking conditions.

14 May 2013

Research findings may pave way to new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans

A drug developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, known as J147, reverses memory deficits and slows Alzheimer's disease in aged mice following short-term treatment.

14 May 2013

Mouse study shows leukemia halts accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.

10 May 2013

Longer looks: A wife's Alzheimer's, Obamacare and workers' hours, doctors and drug companies

When his wife got Alzheimer's disease, lawyer Ken Chiate invested all his hopes in an unorthodox treatment. Nothing, it seems, could make him give up on it. ... Jeannette's difficulties seemed to emerge out of nowhere. She couldn't grasp the rules of a dice game. She kept asking questions her husband had just answered. ... in 2001, at age 58, she was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. As months and years passed, she fell into an angry haze that was determined to be Alzheimer's disease.

10 May 2013

Missing link between over-stimulation and destruction of brain tissue identified

In many neurodegenerative diseases the neurons of the brain are over-stimulated and this leads to their destruction. After many failed attempts and much scepticism this process was finally shown last year to be a possible basis for treatment in some patients with stroke. But very few targets for drugs to block this process are known.

9 May 2013

Scientists reexamine gene strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease

Scientists' picture of how a gene strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease harms the brain may have to be revised, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. People with harmful forms of the APOE gene have up to 12 times the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with those who have other variations of the gene.

8 May 2013

Memory problems in older adults may stem from inability to process everyday events

Some memory problems common to older adults may stem from an inability to segment daily life into discrete experiences, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

8 May 2013

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers pinpoint catalytic trigger for onset of Alzheimer's disease

Television actor hosts latest free patient education DVD and guidebook on epilepsy

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Study examines effects of smoking on cognitive functioning in AD individuals

Research findings could lead to new therapies for stroke and other brain diseases

Insero Health announces top-line Phase Ib trial results of INS001 in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy

Controversy lurks as cloning technique yields embryos with eye on stem cell therapies

Research: People with skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

First Edition: May 16, 2013

Exercise is good for us - no matter what our age

Scientists identify Alzheimer's biomarkers that predict start of cognitive impairment

Lifting weights, doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, say researchers

Renaissance in drug development for rare diseases

Research findings may pave way to new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans

Mouse study shows leukemia halts accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease

Longer looks: A wife's Alzheimer's, Obamacare and workers' hours, doctors and drug companies

Missing link between over-stimulation and destruction of brain tissue identified

Scientists reexamine gene strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease

Memory problems in older adults may stem from inability to process everyday events

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

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

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