Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Curcumin emerges as prime candidate for less expensive AD treatment

The spice compound that gives curry dishes their yellow color and pungent flavor is emerging as a prime candidate for a less expensive treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

2 Aug 2012

Diacetyl intensifies damaging effects of beta-amyloid proteins linked to Alzheimer's

A new study raises concern about chronic exposure of workers in industry to a food flavoring ingredient used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn, margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods and other products.

2 Aug 2012

High maternal choline intake may reduce risk of hypertension and diabetes in babies

New research from Cornell University indicates that pregnant women who increase choline intake in the third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of the baby developing metabolic and chronic stress-related diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes later in life.

2 Aug 2012

Heart pumping exercises may reduce risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment

The physical benefits of the Olympic sports are pretty obvious: strength, endurance and agility, to name a few. But did you know they also can help the brain? Mayo Clinic research shows that any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment -- and slow those conditions if they start. Aerobic exercise also can boost your mood.

1 Aug 2012

Brain protein changes in PD with dementia differ from those in AD

Amyloid beta protein accumulation without neocortical tau deposition is a common pathologic feature of Parkinson’s disease with dementia, according to study findings.

1 Aug 2012

Deficit form of bipolar disorder supported

Results from a Japanese study support the existence of a bipolar disorder subtype characterized by pervasive negative symptoms.

1 Aug 2012

Head impacts, concussions may speed up brain's natural aging process

Concussions and even lesser head impacts may speed up the brain's natural aging process by causing signaling pathways in the brain to break down more quickly than they would in someone who has never suffered a brain injury or concussion.

1 Aug 2012

Specific autoantibodies associated with blood vessel damage in the brain

The presence of specific autoantibodies of the immune system is associated with blood vessel damage in the brain. These findings were made by Marion Bimmler, a graduate engineer of medical laboratory diagnostics at the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Dr. Peter Karczewski of the biotech company E.R.D.E.-AAK-Diagnostik GmbH in studies on a rat model.

31 Jul 2012

Alseres enters agreement with Navidea to license Altropane imaging agent

Alseres Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. to license, [123I]-E-IACFT Injection (CFT), also called Altropane, an Iodine-123 radiolabeled imaging agent, being developed as an aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and movement disorders.

31 Jul 2012

Australia's top medical researchers for 2012 announced

Finalists for one of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for medical research were announced today. This year’s winner will join a list of alumni winners that includes many of the country’s most respected scientists.

31 Jul 2012

Latrepirdine appears effective in treating Alzheimer's disease in animals

An international team of scientists led by researchers at Mount Sinai School Medicine have discovered that a drug that had previously yielded conflicting results in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease effectively stopped the progression of memory deterioration and brain pathology in mouse models of early stage Alzheimer's disease.

31 Jul 2012

Smoking poses less risk for dyslipidemia in very elderly

Smoking does not have a detrimental effect on lipid profiles in individuals aged 90 years or more, report Chinese researchers.

31 Jul 2012

Advanced understanding of neurodegenerative diseases achieved by Trophos

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology, announces today the conclusion of the pan-European MitoTarget Project, the EU funded orphan disease project, with submission of the final report to the EC.

31 Jul 2012

Scientists identify new gene responsible for genetic form of blindness in newborns

One of the mysteries of blindness has been solved. A team of international scientists in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) identified a new gene responsible for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a devastating genetic form of blindness in newborns.

30 Jul 2012

Neurotez receives U.S. patent for Leptin to treat Alzheimer's

Neurotez, Inc. today announced the grant of U.S. Patent number 8,227,408 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering the company's lead product candidate, Leptin. The patent protects use of the hormone Leptin for treating a progressive cognitive disease, disorder or condition, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulting from accumulation of an amyloid peptide or for improving resilience of cognitive function by modulating the accumulation of the amyloid peptide in brain.

30 Jul 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

FDA grants priority review to GSK’s Promacta sNDA for treatment of thrombocytopenia

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its partner GlaxoSmithKline has been granted priority review from the US Food and Drug Administration for the supplemental new drug application for Promacta to treat thrombocytopenia in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

26 Jul 2012

AHAF announces glaucoma and macular degeneration research grants

The American Health Assistance Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a history of funding breakthrough research on age-related vision diseases, announced today that it has awarded 21 new grants totaling $2.1 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world.

26 Jul 2012

Census Bureau releases report on disability status in the U.S.

About 56.7 million people ─ 19 percent of the population ─ had a disability in 2010, according to a broad definition of disability, with more than half of them reporting the disability was severe, according to a comprehensive report on this population released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

26 Jul 2012

Everyday words that describe feelings lost in dementia

Dementia can affect a person’s ability to recognise the meaning of common emotional words such as ‘thrilled’ and ‘annoyed’, according to new research.

25 Jul 2012