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.

Donepezil may have short-term benefit for mild cognitive impairment

People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) taking the drug donepezil were at reduced risk of progressing to Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the first 18 months of a 3-year study when compared with their counterparts on placebo

26 Jul 2004

Drug used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders appears effective at treating Alzheimer’s disease

Doctors are reporting some success in treating one of the most troubling symptoms of dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. A drug commonly used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders appears effective at reducing actions like screaming at or slapping caregivers – agitated behaviors that occur in as many as half of patients.

23 Jul 2004

First well-conducted studies of use of antipsychotics in people with Alzheimer’s

A member of a class of drugs that are widely prescribed for abnormal behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer’s – but not often studied in people with the degenerative brain disease – proved to be effective and well tolerated in treating agitation in people with severe Alzheimer’s

23 Jul 2004

Effects of Huntington's disease mutation more complex than originally thought

Competing theories about why brain cells die in Huntington's disease may not be competitors after all, according to a report published July 21, 2004, in the online edition of the Annals of Neurology.

22 Jul 2004

Several key findings from clinical trial of an investigational Alzheimer's disease treatment

Elan Corporation and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals have announced several key findings from their Phase IIa clinical trial of an investigational Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, AN-1792, which were presented in Philadelphia at the 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.

22 Jul 2004

Difficulties in performing day to day tasks could indicate the presence of mild cognitive impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment, forgetfulness without dementia being present, is a term described as a subtle decline in thinking abilities. A person with MCI, for example, may experience memory problems greater than normally expected with aging, but that person does not show other symptoms of dementia, such as impaired judgment or reasoning, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

21 Jul 2004

Donepezil may have short-term benefit for mild cognitive impairment

21 Jul 2004

Mustard greens, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts help to preserve cognitive abilities in ageing women

Harvard Medical School researchers have found that women who eat lots of mustard greens, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower or brussels sprouts in middle age preserved more of their cognitive abilities as they entered their 70s.

20 Jul 2004

ARICEPT® delays the onset of Alzheimer's among people with mild cognitive impairment

ARICEPT® a popular Alzheimer's drug has been shown to delay the onset of the disease among people with mild cognitive impairment.

19 Jul 2004

Statins may help prevent memory loss connected to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease

Statins, drugs widely used to lower cholesterol in patients with heart disease, may also help prevent memory loss connected to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

19 Jul 2004

Drug slows the progression of mild cognitive impairment

For the first time, a drug appears to have a slowing effect - though limited - on the progression from mild cognitive impairment, a memory disorder considered a strong early predictor of Alzheimer’s disease, to Alzheimer’s.

19 Jul 2004

Dementia often goes undiagnosed in primary care

Many older patients showing signs of dementia are not being diagnosed for the progressive brain disorder by their primary care physicians, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

16 Jul 2004

Dietary niacin may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease

Dietary niacin (vitamin B3 ) may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease and the cognitive decline associated with ageing in older people, suggests research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

15 Jul 2004

Study shows that in older age, myelin insulation breaks down, resulting in a decline in the speed and efficiency of our brain

UCLA neuroscientists using a new MRI analysis technique to examine myelin sheaths that insulate the brain's wiring report that as people age, neural connections that develop last degenerate first.

12 Jul 2004

Russian dictator Stalin suffered from dementia following a series of strokes

If Stalin had taken the trouble to visit a psychiatrist, millions of Russians might have been saved from death in the purges of the early twentieth century.

10 Jul 2004

HHS has announced $6.78 million to develop innovative approaches to provide care for people with Alzheimer’s disease

HHS has announced $6.78 million to develop innovative approaches to provide care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and support for their family caregivers.

9 Jul 2004

California church coalition lends support to Proposition 71 for stem cell research

Supporters of Proposition 71 today announced the measure has been endorsed by California Church IMPACT, the legislative advocacy sister organization of the California Council of Churches. Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative

9 Jul 2004

Researchers shed new light on the function of huntingtin, the protein whose mutation underlies Huntington’s disease

CNRS and Inserm research scientists at the Institut Curie have shed new light on the function of huntingtin, the protein whose mutation underlies Huntington’s disease.

8 Jul 2004

Research to unravel exactly what is going on chemically, when Alzheimer's sets in

Science understands Alzheimer's disease as the progressive decline of a particular region of the brain. But the underlying mechanisms leading to this decline are still very much a mystery.

7 Jul 2004

Gene therapy may provide a treatment for a group of incurable, progressive neurological diseases called polyglutamine-repeat diseases

Researchers from the University of Iowa have have shown for the first time that gene therapy delivered to the brains of living mice can prevent the physical symptoms and neurological damage caused by an inherited neurodegenerative disease that is similar to Huntington's disease (HD).

5 Jul 2004

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Donepezil may have short-term benefit for mild cognitive impairment

Drug used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders appears effective at treating Alzheimer’s disease

First well-conducted studies of use of antipsychotics in people with Alzheimer’s

Effects of Huntington's disease mutation more complex than originally thought

Several key findings from clinical trial of an investigational Alzheimer's disease treatment

Difficulties in performing day to day tasks could indicate the presence of mild cognitive impairment

Donepezil may have short-term benefit for mild cognitive impairment

Mustard greens, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts help to preserve cognitive abilities in ageing women

ARICEPT® delays the onset of Alzheimer's among people with mild cognitive impairment

Statins may help prevent memory loss connected to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease

Drug slows the progression of mild cognitive impairment

Dementia often goes undiagnosed in primary care

Dietary niacin may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease

Study shows that in older age, myelin insulation breaks down, resulting in a decline in the speed and efficiency of our brain

Russian dictator Stalin suffered from dementia following a series of strokes

HHS has announced $6.78 million to develop innovative approaches to provide care for people with Alzheimer’s disease

California church coalition lends support to Proposition 71 for stem cell research

Researchers shed new light on the function of huntingtin, the protein whose mutation underlies Huntington’s disease

Research to unravel exactly what is going on chemically, when Alzheimer's sets in

Gene therapy may provide a treatment for a group of incurable, progressive neurological diseases called polyglutamine-repeat diseases

Aneuro: A Year of Neuroscience in Review eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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