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.

New way to stimulate transplanted human stem cell-derived neurons into a rodent hippocampus

Researchers and patients look forward to the day when stem cells might be used to replace dying brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Scientists are currently able to make neurons and other brain cells from stem cells, but getting these neurons to properly function when transplanted to the host has proven to be more difficult.

17 Nov 2012

Study shows how Parkinson's spreads and leads to nerve cell death

Understanding how any disease progresses is one of the first and most important steps towards finding treatments to stop it. This has been the case for such brain-degenerating conditions as Alzheimer's disease. Now, after several years of incremental study, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have been able to piece together important steps in how Parkinson's disease (PD) spreads from cell to cell and leads to nerve cell death.

17 Nov 2012

Researchers discover health similarities between humans and pigs

An international scientific collaboration that includes two Kansas State University researchers is bringing home the bacon when it comes to potential animal and human health advancements, thanks to successfully mapping the genome of the domestic pig.

17 Nov 2012

S100A4 protein triggers repair processes in the brain after injury

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have found that a protein, known for causing cancer cells to spread around the body, is also one of the molecules that trigger repair processes in the brain.

17 Nov 2012

CLR01 effectively inhibits synaptotoxicity in mice with Alzheimer's

Last March, researchers at UCLA reported the development of a molecular compound called CLR01 that prevented toxic proteins associated with Parkinson's disease from binding together and killing the brain's neurons.

16 Nov 2012

New AAN book for people with primary and metastatic brain tumors

It is estimated that every 30 minutes, someone is diagnosed with brain cancer. Published in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology as part of the Neurology Now Books series, NAVIGATING LIFE WITH A BRAIN TUMOR provides readily accessible information and encouragement for the thousands of people living with primary and metastatic brain tumors.

16 Nov 2012

D737 compound restores motor function and longevity in fruit flies with Alzheimer's

An efficient, high-volume technique for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease, according to new research that could help put the search for an effective Alzheimer's drug on a faster track.

16 Nov 2012

Tanshinones protect against sepsis: Study

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that tanshinones, which come from the plant Danshen and are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, protect against the life-threatening condition sepsis. The findings are published in the December issue of Biochemical Pharmacology.

16 Nov 2012

International research team discovers gene that nearly triples risk of Alzheimer's disease

A gene so powerful it nearly triples the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by an international team including researchers from Mayo Clinic. It is the most potent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's identified in the past 20 years. The findings were reported Wednesday in the online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Nov 2012

Researchers discover rare genetic mutation that increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from Nottingham have played their part in the discovery of a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, in a study with major implications for understanding the causes of the disease.

15 Nov 2012

Feinstein seeks NDA approval for Fluorodopa F 18 PET scan to diagnose parkinsonian syndromes

The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research announced today the submission of a New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Fluorodopa F 18 positron emission tomography (PET) scan used to diagnose parkinsonian syndromes.

15 Nov 2012

Scientists discover link between mutation in immune system gene and Alzheimer's disease

An international research team including scientists from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine has discovered a link between a mutation in an immune system gene and Alzheimer's disease.

15 Nov 2012

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

I may get Alzheimer's disease, I was told after getting my DNA analyzed. I could suffer the consequences of an abnormal blood clot in my heart or my brain. Or perhaps I'll suffer from a disease called primary myelofibrosis that's caused by an overactive bone marrow. All of these were possible outcomes, based on my genetic profile. In each case, the test only gives an increased risk for disease, not a definitive diagnosis.

9 Nov 2012

Dopamine improves long-term memory

The feel-good hormone dopamine improves long-term memory. This is the finding of a team lead by Emrah D-zel, neuroscientist at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the University of Magdeburg.

9 Nov 2012

UIC researchers develop transgenic Alzheimer's mouse with apoE4 gene

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have developed a transgenic mouse that carries a human gene known to increase risk of Alzheimer's 15-fold. This new mouse mimics the genetics of the human disease more closely than any of the dozen existing mouse models and may prove more useful in the development of candidate drugs to prevent or treat the disease.

9 Nov 2012

Lack of vitamin D2 associated with Alzheimer's

Scientists at London's Kingston University have uncovered evidence that lack of a particular form of vitamin D is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

8 Nov 2012

Physical activity reduces dementia risk in elderly

Physical activity reduces the risk for cognitive impairment, particularly vascular dementia, in older people who have developed white matter changes, shows research.

8 Nov 2012

Early clues regarding progression of Alzheimer's disease found in brain's metabolism

When it comes to Alzheimer's disease, scientists usually - and understandably - look to the brain as their first center of attention. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University say that early clues regarding the progression of the disease can be found in the brain's metabolism.

8 Nov 2012

ACS Prized Science video features advances in personalized medicine

Personalized medicine - the promise of customizing treatments that will work best for each individual patient - could get a boost from advances in understanding how the proteins that help determine health and disease take the three-dimensional shapes needed to work in the body. That's the message of the latest episode of the 2012 edition of a popular video series from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

8 Nov 2012

In silico drug design may lead to new approach in treatment of Alzheimer's

Researchers at Dalhousie University have discovered a new technique using "computer-aided" drug design that may lead to an entirely new approach in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

8 Nov 2012

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

New way to stimulate transplanted human stem cell-derived neurons into a rodent hippocampus

Study shows how Parkinson's spreads and leads to nerve cell death

Researchers discover health similarities between humans and pigs

S100A4 protein triggers repair processes in the brain after injury

CLR01 effectively inhibits synaptotoxicity in mice with Alzheimer's

New AAN book for people with primary and metastatic brain tumors

D737 compound restores motor function and longevity in fruit flies with Alzheimer's

Tanshinones protect against sepsis: Study

International research team discovers gene that nearly triples risk of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers discover rare genetic mutation that increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

Feinstein seeks NDA approval for Fluorodopa F 18 PET scan to diagnose parkinsonian syndromes

Scientists discover link between mutation in immune system gene and Alzheimer's disease

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

Dopamine improves long-term memory

UIC researchers develop transgenic Alzheimer's mouse with apoE4 gene

Lack of vitamin D2 associated with Alzheimer's

Physical activity reduces dementia risk in elderly

Early clues regarding progression of Alzheimer's disease found in brain's metabolism

ACS Prized Science video features advances in personalized medicine

In silico drug design may lead to new approach in treatment of Alzheimer's

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

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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