Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Anticholinergic medications associated with pneumonia risk in older people

Taking commonly used medications with anticholinergic effects is associated with a significantly higher risk for developing pneumonia in a study of more than 3,000 older Group Health patients living in the community--not in nursing homes.

3 Mar 2015

New genetic discovery may lead to effective treatments for Huntington's disease

A new genetic discovery in the field of Huntington's disease (HD) could mean a more effective way in determining severity of this neurological disease when using specific treatments. This study may provide insight for treatments that would be effective in slowing down or postponing the death of neurons for people who carry the HD gene mutation, but who do not yet show symptoms of the disease.

2 Mar 2015

People with diabetes more prone to depression, anxiety

People with diabetes are more prone to anxiety and depression than those with other chronic diseases that require similar levels of management. The reasons for this aren't well understood, but Joslin Diabetes Center researchers have discovered one potential explanation.

2 Mar 2015

Transition completes enrolment of patients in ELND005 Phase 2 study for treatment of AD patients

Transition Therapeutics Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Transition Therapeutics Ireland Limited completed enrolment of the Phase 2 clinical study evaluating neuropsychiatric drug candidate ELND005 as a treatment for agitation and aggression in patients with mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease ("AD").

2 Mar 2015

Scientists discover amyloid accumulation in young human brains

Amyloid -- an abnormal protein whose accumulation in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease -- starts accumulating inside neurons of people as young as 20, a much younger age than scientists ever imagined, reports a surprising new Northwestern Medicine study.

2 Mar 2015

New technology could help researchers advance blood biomarker capabilities for TBI

New technology being introduced at NYU Langone Medical Center could help researchers advance blood biomarker capabilities that show changes in low concentrations of specific proteins present following a neurological injury.

28 Feb 2015

New pharmacological compounds block nerve cell damage in mouse models of MS

A newly characterized group of pharmacological compounds block both the inflammation and nerve cell damage seen in mouse models of multiple sclerosis, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published online this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

28 Feb 2015

UC San Diego Health System's Movement Disorder Center joins NPF Center of Excellence network

The Movement Disorder Center at UC San Diego Health System has been designated the 41st Center of Excellence in the National Parkinson Foundation's global network. This designation is the highest recognition offered by NPF to a Parkinson's specialty clinic. It represents the consensus of leaders in the field that the UC San Diego program is among the world's leading centers for Parkinson's research, outreach and care.

27 Feb 2015

Drinking coffee may lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis

Drinking coffee may be associated with a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

27 Feb 2015

Sleeping more than eight hours a night could increase risk of stroke

People who sleep more than eight hours a night may have an increased risk of stroke, according to a new study published in the February 25, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Feb 2015

Intrinsically disordered proteins have ability to alter their configuration

Like the shape-shifting robots of "Transformers" fame, a unique class of proteins in the human body also has the ability to alter their configuration. These so-named intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a fixed or ordered three-dimensional structure, which can be influenced by exposure to various chemicals and cellular modifications.

26 Feb 2015

New online and telephone service launched to help people take part in dementia research

A NEW nationwide online and telephone service helping people take part in dementia research studies has been launched - the first of its kind in the UK.

26 Feb 2015

New skin test may help detect abnormal proteins in patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

Scientists have discovered a skin test that may shed new light on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, according to a study released today will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 18 to 25, 2015.

25 Feb 2015

‘Still Alice’ movie portrays young onset dementia

"An Academy Award for this movie would be a triumph," says Brian Appleby, MD, geriatric psychiatrist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center about the movie, "Still Alice," starring Julianne Moore.

25 Feb 2015

People who exhibit resistance to aspirin may be at risk of more severe strokes

People who exhibit a resistance to aspirin may be more likely to have more severe strokes than people who still respond to the drug, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

24 Feb 2015

Study identifies small loop in human prion protein that resists chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) — an infectious disease caused by prions — affects North American elk and deer, but has not been observed in humans. Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined why the human proteins aren't corrupted when exposed to the elk prions.

24 Feb 2015

LSU Health New Orleans finalizes deal with CB BioSciences

The Office of Technology Management at LSU Health New Orleans has finalized a deal with CB BioSciences, Inc., a startup drug development company to build a platform around the intellectual property portfolio of Chu Chen, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Neuroscience.

23 Feb 2015

Diabetes, depression linked to higher risk of dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment

People with mild cognitive impairment are at higher risk of developing dementia if they have diabetes or psychiatric symptoms such as depression, finds a new review led by UCL researchers.

23 Feb 2015

Neuronetrix announces FDA approval of COGNISION System for clinical use

Neuronetrix today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance (K141316) from the United States Food and Drug Administration to market the COGNISION System for clinical use.

21 Feb 2015

Virus that causes chicken pox and shingles linked to giant cell arteritis

A new study developed at the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus links the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles to a condition that inflames blood vessels on the temples and scalp in the elderly, called giant cell arteritis.

20 Feb 2015