Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Elevation of stress steroids in the brain speeds up Alzheimer disease

Why does chronic stress lead to increased risk for dementia? The answer may lie in the elevation of stress steroids that is seen in the brain during stress, Sara K. Bengtsson suggests in the thesis she is defending at Umeå University in Sweden on March 22nd.

16 Mar 2013

Alzheimer's research demonstrates cell-to-cell transmission of neurodegenerative proteins

Injecting synthetic tau fibrils into animal models induces Alzheimer's-like tau tangles and imitates the spread of tau pathology, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013.

16 Mar 2013

New medical records software provides more personalized health care for older adult patients

Innovative medical records software developed by geriatricians and informaticians from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research will provide more personalized health care for older adult patients, a population at significant risk for mental health decline and disorders.

16 Mar 2013

Luminex collaborates with Merck to design companion diagnostic device for Alzheimer’s disease

WHITEHOUSE STATION known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Luminex Corporation have signed a collaboration and license agreement to develop a companion diagnostic device that will be evaluated to help screen patients for recruitment into Merck's clinical development program for MK-8931, a novel oral beta amyloid precursor protein site cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor and Merck's lead investigational candidate for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

From Luminex 15 Mar 2013

Promising studies for Parkinson's to be presented at 65th AAN meeting

Three studies released today present possible positive news for people with Parkinson's disease. The studies, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013, report on treatments for blood pressure problems, the wearing-off that can occur when people have taken the main drug for Parkinson's for a long time, and for people early in the disease whose symptoms are not well-controlled by their main drugs.

15 Mar 2013

Fast-progressing hearing impairment linked to fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Rapid hearing loss in both ears may be a symptom of the rare but always-fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and should be considered a reason for clinicians to test for the disorder.

15 Mar 2013

Hispanics in Texas may be at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease: Research

Hispanics are the fastest growing population in the U.S. as well as the fastest growing segment of the aging population --- especially in Texas.

15 Mar 2013

Prescribing attention-boosting drugs for healthy kids is misguided

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world's largest professional association of neurologists, is releasing a position paper on how the practice of prescribing drugs to boost cognitive function, or memory and thinking abilities, in healthy children and teens is misguided.

14 Mar 2013

VCP gene mutations cause neurological conditions including IBMPFD and ALS

New research, published in Neuron, gives insight into how single mutations in the VCP gene cause a range of neurological conditions including a form of dementia called Inclusion Body Myopathy, Paget's Disease of the Bone and Frontotemporal Dementia (IBMPFD), and the motor neuron disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

14 Mar 2013

Iron imbalance caused by prion proteins leads to cell death in CJD, researchers find

An iron imbalance caused by prion proteins collecting in the brain is a likely cause of cell death in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found.

14 Mar 2013

Brain imaging can detect tiny lesions that may provide target for treating people with mTBI: Study

Brain imaging soon after mild traumatic brain injury or mild concussion can detect tiny lesions that may eventually provide a target for treating people with mTBI, according to a study released today and that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

13 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to new sleep therapies to improve memory disorders

A team of sleep researchers led by UC Riverside psychologist Sara C. Mednick has confirmed the mechanism that enables the brain to consolidate memory and found that a commonly prescribed sleep aid enhances the process.

13 Mar 2013

Sleep problems may be indicator of early Alzheimer's disease

Sleep is disrupted in people who likely have early Alzheimer's disease but do not yet have the memory loss or other cognitive problems characteristic of full-blown disease, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report March 11 in JAMA Neurology.

12 Mar 2013

Results from Orion Pharma’s ORM-12741 phase IIa study on AD

A new drug may improve memory problems in people with moderate Alzheimer's disease, according to a phase IIa study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. The drug is called ORM-12741.

12 Mar 2013

Darapladib can significantly reduce leaks in the blood brain barrier

A research team led by Robert Nagele, PhD, of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging (NJISA) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine, has demonstrated that the anti-atherosclerosis drug darapladib can significantly reduce leaks in the blood brain barrier.

12 Mar 2013

Buphenyl may protect memory and prevent progression of Alzheimer's

Buphenyl, an FDA-approved medication for hyperammonemia, may protect memory and prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Mar 2013

Antipsychotic drugs associated with increased risk of stroke in the elderly

Antipsychotic administration in the elderly is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular accident, more commonly known as stroke; a new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides additional insight into this important relationship.

12 Mar 2013

Researchers develop new approach to screening potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease

According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, over 35 million people worldwide currently have dementia, a number that is expected to double by 2030 (66 million) and triple by 2050 (115 million).

11 Mar 2013

Early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels

The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

11 Mar 2013

Adrenocorticotropic hormone may help treat people with multiple sclerosis

A new study suggests that treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

11 Mar 2013