Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Brain ageing acceleration ‘nearly inevitable’ with age

A large longitudinal study has charted the ages and rates at which people develop amyloidosis and neurodegeneration.

23 Nov 2015

Olfactory testing uses extended to Alzheimer’s disease

A simple olfactory test may help to identify people at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia, suggest findings from a population-based study.

20 Nov 2015

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

20 Nov 2015

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

University of Florida Health researchers have made a new discovery about Huntington's disease, showing that the gene that causes the fatal disorder makes an unexpected "cocktail" of mutant proteins that accumulate in the brain.

19 Nov 2015

Researchers find mechanism to repair communication between neurons

A team of researchers led by professor Patrik Verstreken (VIB/KU Leuven) has exposed the fine details of a mechanism that provides more insight in the communication between neurons. The research has clarified how damaged synapses - the connection points between neurons - are repaired to keep communication between neurons at an optimal level.

19 Nov 2015

Researchers develop simple visual test to identify individuals' level of executive cognitive abilities

University of Georgia researchers have developed a simple technique to measure an individual's visual processing speed--the speed at which an individual can comprehend visual information--in order to identify whether or not they may have cognitive issues.

19 Nov 2015

NIH-led collaboration details research strategy to address brain disorders

Infants are starved of oxygen during difficult births. Children's cognitive function is permanently damaged due to malnutrition or exposure to infections or toxins. Adults suffer from crippling depression or dementia. The breadth and complexity of these and other brain and nervous system disorders make them some of the most difficult conditions to diagnose and treat, especially in the developing world, where there are few resources.

19 Nov 2015

College courses may increase cognitive capacity, reduce debilitating effects of dementia for older adults

Older adults who take college courses may increase their cognitive capacity and possibly reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

19 Nov 2015

Scientists explain the evolutionary roots of language in the brain

A team led at Newcastle University, UK, has shed light on the evolutionary roots of language in the brain. Publishing in Nature Communications, the team led by Dr Ben Wilson and Professor Chris Petkov explain how using an imaging technique to explore the brain activity in humans and monkeys has identified the evolutionary origins of cognitive functions in the brain that underpin language and allow us to evaluate orderliness in sequences of sounds.

18 Nov 2015

Collaborative approach could help reduce hospital readmissions due to falls in older adults

A comprehensive care program that involves a team of specialists from multiple medical disciplines for treating injuries sustained from falls in older adults could help reduce hospital readmissions, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

18 Nov 2015

Drug prevents onset of cognitive and cellular effects in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

In a novel animal study design that mimicked human clinical trials, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that long-term treatment using a small molecule drug that reduces activity of the brain's stress circuitry significantly reduces Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and prevents onset of cognitive impairment in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition.

17 Nov 2015

Health care costs for Alzheimer's disease patients increase a year before diagnosis

The health care costs of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) start to increase already one year before the diagnosis, shows a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

17 Nov 2015

Researchers find molecular mechanism that may be responsible for development of amyloidoses

A team of local researchers has proposed a molecular mechanism that may be responsible for the development of life-threatening diseases called amyloidoses. The best known of such diseases is Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there are many others that are receiving increased scrutiny, in part because of mounting evidence linking them to atherosclerosis and aging.

13 Nov 2015

Older adults with dementia make more frequent visits to emergency departments

Older adults with dementia are more frequent visitors to emergency departments, returning at higher rates and incurring greater costs than older adults without dementia, according to a new study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research. The study is one of the first to explore long-term patterns of healthcare use and mortality rates of elders with cognitive impairment who visit the emergency department.

13 Nov 2015

Experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has anti-aging effects

Salk Institute researchers have found that an experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has a host of unexpected anti-aging effects in animals.

13 Nov 2015

TGen: PPF drug could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer

In a significant breakthrough, the Translational Genomics Research Institute has identified a drug, propentofylline or PPF, that could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer.

13 Nov 2015

Reproductive history associated with cognitive impairment risk in postmenopausal women

Researchers led by Professor Jun-Fen Lin at Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention have found that reproductive history, an important modifier of estrogen exposure across women's lifetime, is associated with risk of cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women.

13 Nov 2015

Older populations in rural areas face special health care challenges

A new study of adults ages 85 or older has found that rural residents have significantly higher levels of chronic disease, take more medications, and die several years earlier than their urban counterparts.

13 Nov 2015

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus awarded NIH grant to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus was awarded a $5.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia, and translate that knowledge into studying potential targets for treatment.

12 Nov 2015

Berkeley Lab scientists identify genetic factors that influence neurological disorders and body weight

Many neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, are marked by impaired motor skills. In addition, growing evidence suggests there's a link between some neurodegenerative diseases and body weight. A recent NIH study, for example, found that adults who are obese or overweight at midlife may be at risk for earlier onset of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Nov 2015

Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Brain ageing acceleration ‘nearly inevitable’ with age

Olfactory testing uses extended to Alzheimer’s disease

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

UF Health investigators make new discovery about Huntington's disease

Researchers find mechanism to repair communication between neurons

Researchers develop simple visual test to identify individuals' level of executive cognitive abilities

NIH-led collaboration details research strategy to address brain disorders

College courses may increase cognitive capacity, reduce debilitating effects of dementia for older adults

Scientists explain the evolutionary roots of language in the brain

Collaborative approach could help reduce hospital readmissions due to falls in older adults

Drug prevents onset of cognitive and cellular effects in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Health care costs for Alzheimer's disease patients increase a year before diagnosis

Researchers find molecular mechanism that may be responsible for development of amyloidoses

Older adults with dementia make more frequent visits to emergency departments

Experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has anti-aging effects

TGen: PPF drug could help treat patients with deadly brain cancer

Reproductive history associated with cognitive impairment risk in postmenopausal women

Older populations in rural areas face special health care challenges

Mayo Clinic's Florida campus awarded NIH grant to identify vascular risk factors in aging and dementia

Berkeley Lab scientists identify genetic factors that influence neurological disorders and body weight

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Newsletters you may be interested in