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.

Blocking single tiny blood vessel in the brain can harm neural tissue and even alter behavior

Blocking a single tiny blood vessel in the brain can harm neural tissue and even alter behavior, a new study from the University of California, San Diego has shown. But these consequences can be mitigated by a drug already in use, suggesting treatment that could slow the progress of dementia associated with cumulative damage to miniscule blood vessels that feed brain cells.

17 Dec 2012

Cognitive test used in Alzheimer's drug trials is flawed: Study

New research led by Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry suggests that the cognitive test used in Alzheimer's drug trials is flawed.

16 Dec 2012

States getting arms around Medicaid expansion, challenges in own Medicaid programs

The health law's treatment of using Medicaid to expand coverage to more Americans is examined in Georgia -- where a doctor pay raise in the program has stirred discontent -- and in Oregon, where 200,000 stand to qualify under the program's expansion.

15 Dec 2012

Research provides broader understanding of processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 35 million people worldwide. It is generally assumed that the clumping of beta-amyloid (Aβ) protein causes neuronal loss in patients.

15 Dec 2012

MDx, Amarantus sign license agreement for LymPro Alzheimer's disease diagnostic blood test

Amarantus BioScience, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments for diseases associated with protein misfolding and apoptosis, today announced that it has licensed the LymPro Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Blood Test (LymPro) from Memory Dx, LLC (MDx), formerly known as Provista Life Sciences, Inc.

14 Dec 2012

Eli Lilly provides update on solanezumab Phase 3 clinical study for mild Alzheimer's

Eli Lilly and Company today provided an update on the next steps planned for solanezumab, its Phase 3 monoclonal antibody being studied as a potential therapy for patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

13 Dec 2012

Activated astrocytes could play a harmful role in Alzheimer's disease

A research team composed of University of Kentucky researchers has published a paper which provides the first direct evidence that activated astrocytes could play a harmful role in Alzheimer's disease.

12 Dec 2012

Zucker Hillside Hospital celebrates opening of new $120 million inpatient pavilion

Zucker Hillside Hospital today celebrated the opening of a new 130,000-square-foot, $120 million inpatient pavilion. Constructed with the generous support of North Shore-LIJ Health System trustees Donald and Barbara Zucker and other donors, the 130,000-square-foot building will consolidate outdated living quarters dispersed across the psychiatric facility's campus, significantly improving the coordination of services and treatment along the continuum of care.

12 Dec 2012

AC253 drug appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a drug intended for diabetes appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells.

11 Dec 2012

Dementia therapy: an interview with Assoc Prof. Olivier Piguet and Sharon Savage

Dementia is the umbrella term used to describe a number of neurodegenerative brain disorders that cause progressive changes in thinking abilities and behaviour. The kind of deficits experienced by individuals diagnosed with dementia depends on the location and severity of the pathology in the brain.

11 Dec 2012

Lack of TDP-43 protein can lead to frontotemporal dementia/ALS

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have uncovered a toxic cellular process by which a protein that maintains the health of neurons becomes deficient and can lead to dementia.

11 Dec 2012

Combination of imaging and biomarker tests helps predict Alzheimer's in patients with MCI

Employing a combination of imaging and biomarker tests improves the ability of doctors to predict Alzheimer's in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

11 Dec 2012

Combination of diagnostic tests can predict conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's

A combination of diagnostic tests, including imaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers can improve prediction of conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

11 Dec 2012

JPND invites proposals from researchers to understand the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases

The EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) is inviting calls for proposals from research teams across Europe to increase understanding of the factors that put people at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases (ND) such as Alzheimer's and also to evaluate health and social care strategies for people living with these debilitating illnesses.

10 Dec 2012

Novel antidepressant targets brain receptors responsible for learning and memory

A first-of-its-kind antidepressant drug discovered by a Northwestern University professor and now tested on adults who have failed other antidepressant therapies has been shown to alleviate symptoms within hours, have good safety and produce positive effects that last for about seven days from a single dose.

7 Dec 2012

Longer looks: The frustrations of academic medicine; Small business owners fear health law changes; A doctor struggles to save his mother

Like many franchisees, Robert U. Mayfield, who owns five Dairy Queens in and around Austin, Tex., is always eager to expand and - no surprise - has had his eyes on opening a sixth DQ. But he said concerns about the new federal health care law had persuaded him to hold off.

7 Dec 2012

Advance Study to evaluate safety and benefit of DBS-f for patients with mild Alzheimer's

The first U.S. patient to enroll in Functional Neuromodulation's ADvance Study was successfully implanted with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system. ADvance will evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of DBS of the fornix (DBS-f), a major inflow and output pathway in the brain's memory circuit, for patients with mild Alzheimer's.

7 Dec 2012

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a novel mechanism by which a type of low-carb, low-calorie diet-called a "ketogenic diet"-could delay the effects of aging. This fundamental discovery reveals how such a diet could slow the aging process and may one day allow scientists to better treat or prevent age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and many forms of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Investigators describe process by which apoE4 protein promotes development of Alzheimer's

Despite researchers' best efforts, no drug exists that can slow, halt or reverse the onslaught of Alzheimer's disease. A progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's has stolen the memories and livelihoods of millions-leaving patients and their families struggling to cope with the disease's devastating consequences. But today, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes propose a new research avenue that has the potential to change all that.

6 Dec 2012

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in November surgically implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the first such operation in the United States. The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

6 Dec 2012

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Blocking single tiny blood vessel in the brain can harm neural tissue and even alter behavior

Cognitive test used in Alzheimer's drug trials is flawed: Study

States getting arms around Medicaid expansion, challenges in own Medicaid programs

Research provides broader understanding of processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease

MDx, Amarantus sign license agreement for LymPro Alzheimer's disease diagnostic blood test

Eli Lilly provides update on solanezumab Phase 3 clinical study for mild Alzheimer's

Activated astrocytes could play a harmful role in Alzheimer's disease

Zucker Hillside Hospital celebrates opening of new $120 million inpatient pavilion

AC253 drug appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells

Dementia therapy: an interview with Assoc Prof. Olivier Piguet and Sharon Savage

Lack of TDP-43 protein can lead to frontotemporal dementia/ALS

Combination of imaging and biomarker tests helps predict Alzheimer's in patients with MCI

Combination of diagnostic tests can predict conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's

JPND invites proposals from researchers to understand the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases

Novel antidepressant targets brain receptors responsible for learning and memory

Longer looks: The frustrations of academic medicine; Small business owners fear health law changes; A doctor struggles to save his mother

Advance Study to evaluate safety and benefit of DBS-f for patients with mild Alzheimer's

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Investigators describe process by which apoE4 protein promotes development of Alzheimer's

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

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