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.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapies targeted by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent letters warning seven pharmacy operations that the claims they make about the safety and effectiveness of their so-called "bio-identical hormone replacement therapy," or "BHRT" products are unsupported by medical evidence, and are considered false and misleading by the agency.

10 Jan 2008

FDA says claims about benefits of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy are false and misleading

Health officials in the United States have issued a warning regarding so-called "bio-identical" hormone therapy (BHRT).

10 Jan 2008

A look at China's most innovative health biotechnology companies

Government funds innovation but venture capital needed; Wary investors 'need to be shown the exits'; Returning 'sea turtles' bring expertise, international credibility

8 Jan 2008

Biochemist wins grant to develop cellular molecular probes capable of measuring cholesterol levels

Alejandro P. Heuck, a biochemist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has received a four-year, $308,000 grant from the American Heart Association to develop molecular probes capable of measuring cholesterol levels in the membranes of individual cells.

7 Jan 2008

Scientists link depression to a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands

Can't smell the roses? Maybe you're depressed. Smell too much like a rose yourself? Maybe you've got the same problem.

4 Jan 2008

Novel mechanism for long-term learning identified

Practice makes perfect - or at least that's what we're told as we struggle through endless rounds of multiplication tables, goal kicks and piano scales - and it seems, based on the personal experience of many, to be true.

4 Jan 2008

New clue found to the cause of Parkinson's disease

A glitch in the mechanism by which cells recycle damaged components may trigger Parkinson's disease, according to a study by scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

3 Jan 2008

Boost for Fragile X research

The 2008 Omnibus Budget, signed by President George Bush on Monday, includes $1,860,000 for the CDC Fragile X Public Health Initiative, more than double the current program funding level.

3 Jan 2008

Fish oil benefits

It's good news that we are living longer, but bad news that the longer we live, the better our odds of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

28 Dec 2007

Variant of COMT gene linked to impulsive decisions

People with clinical addictions know first-hand the ravages the disease can take on almost every aspect of their lives.

28 Dec 2007

Brain imaging shows there may be a cognitive difference in people with addictions

Scientists have for the first time identified brain sites that fire up more when people make impulsive decisions.

28 Dec 2007

Seniors who walk regularly lower their risk for dementia

Seniors who walk regularly and also do other forms of moderate exercise are protecting themselves against a certain form of dementia.

20 Dec 2007

The blood-brain barrier: A misunderstood key to finding life-saving cures to brain disease

An international team of scientists that includes a Saint Louis University researcher suggest several strategies to propel research for treatments of brain diseases that include multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, obesity and stroke in the January issue of the Lancet Neurology.

20 Dec 2007

Depletion of antioxidant glutathione linked to Parkinson's in mice

Scientists at the Buck Institute have shown that mice suffering from a depletion of the antioxidant glutathione in dopamine-producing neurons developed nerve damage and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans.

20 Dec 2007

Researchers spearhead key genome initiative

The complete collection of genes - the genome - of a moss has been sequenced, providing scientists an important evolutionary link between single-celled algae and flowering plants.

17 Dec 2007

Complex path to cell death shown by identification of new genes

Can a tiny winged insect's salivary glands really tell us about processes relevant to human disease? Yes, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), who gained new insights into autophagy - a cellular degradation process associated with a form of programmed cell death - by studying the salivary gland cells of the fruit fly.

17 Dec 2007