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.

Being lonely when you're older doubles the risk of Alzheimer's

According to a large study carried out in the United States older people who are lonely are far more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

6 Feb 2007

Loneliness linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

Lonely individuals may be twice as likely to develop the type of dementia linked to Alzheimer's disease in late life as those who are not lonely, according to a study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center.

6 Feb 2007

Apolipoprotein E gene raises newborns' cerebral palsy risk

Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a gene associated with heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease in adults, can also increase the likelihood that brain-injured newborns will develop cerebral palsy, researchers at Children's Memorial Research Center have discovered.

5 Feb 2007

Calpain-mediated mGluR1-alpha truncation

Tricking a key enzyme can soothe over-excited receptors in the brain, say neuroscientists, calling this a possible strategy against stroke, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

31 Jan 2007

Startling results from first study of HIV dementia on the Africa

An international study led by Johns Hopkins suggests that the rate of HIV-associated dementia is so high in sub-Saharan Africa that HIV dementia along with Alzheimer's disease and dementia from strokes may be among the most common forms of dementia in the world.

30 Jan 2007

Stroke treatment helps victims recover brain function

A small but significant study in the U.S. has found that a treatment which was designed to clear blocked carotid arteries and prevent stroke has also improved brain function.

29 Jan 2007

Multiple sclerosis far more common than previously thought

A new review of hundreds of research articles has shown that the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) is far higher than previously thought amongst the U.S. population.

29 Jan 2007

Molecular mechanism behind aggregation of amyloid beta peptide due to anesthetics

Inhaled anesthetics commonly used in surgery are more likely to cause the aggregation of Alzheimer's disease-related plaques in the brain than intravenous anesthetics say University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in a journal article published in Biochemistry.

28 Jan 2007

Minor mistake in protein production at the cellular level may lead to serious neurological diseases

But exactly how the cell avoids such mistakes has remained unclear until now. Researchers at Ohio State University found the mechanism that prevents such errors, and explain their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

28 Jan 2007

An active mind delays the onset of Alzheimer's

Learning appears to slow the development of two brain lesions that are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at UC Irvine have discovered. The finding suggests that the elderly, by keeping their minds active, can help delay the onset of this degenerative disease.

23 Jan 2007

Single protein plays a major role in prion diseases

A single protein plays a major role in deadly prion diseases by smashing up clusters of these infectious proteins, creating the "seeds" that allow fatal brain illnesses to quickly spread, new Brown University research shows.

23 Jan 2007

Variations in SORL1 gene may factor in development of Alzheimer's disease

Variations in a gene known as SORL1 may be a factor in the development of late onset Alzheimer's disease, an international team of researchers has discovered. The genetic clue, which could lead to a better understanding of one cause of Alzheimer's, is reported in Nature Genetics online, and was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

14 Jan 2007

Herpes appears to play a role in bringing about Alzheimer's disease

A gene known to be a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease puts out the welcome mat for the virus that causes cold sores, allowing the virus to be more active in the brain compared to other forms of the gene.

3 Jan 2007

Major Alzheimer’s test for highest resolution clinical PET camera in the world

The University of Manchester's Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre will carry out its first positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan on a patient volunteer this Friday (24 November 2006) at 10.00.

From The University of Manchester 23 Nov 2006

Whoever said people were much the same was wrong!

An international research team have come up with a new genetic map which could demand a fundamental shift in how we think genes work.

22 Nov 2006

Nestle about brain power as well as chocolate

The food giant Nestlé has struck a deal with a Swiss university to conduct a five year programme of research into the relationship between nutrition and the brain.

22 Nov 2006

BACE 1 gene may hold the key to Alzheimer's

Canadian scientists have found a specific gene which they believe may hold the key to the degenerative brain disorder Alzheimer's disease.

21 Nov 2006

Prana Biotechnology raises U.S.$6 Million to fund trial of PBT2 in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Prana Biotechnology today announced it has entered into agreements to raise approximately A$7.77 million (US$6 million) from new institutional investors in Australia, existing institutional investors in the United States and a founding member of the Company.

20 Nov 2006

Furore over who gets Alzheimer's drug in the UK

A furore has erupted in Britain over a decision by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), not to recommend the use of an Alzheimer's drug for newly diagnosed patients.

20 Nov 2006

Yeast model system may provide a means for treating the earliest stage of Alzheimer's

A century ago this month, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer formally described characteristics of the neurodegenerative disease which ultimately came to bear his name. While international efforts to learn about Alzheimer's disease and develop treatments have progressed significantly in recent years, a cure remains an elusive goal.

19 Nov 2006