Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Investigators identify cell replacement/tissue repair potential in adult bone marrow stem cells

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland report promising results from using adult stem cells from bone marrow in mice to help create tissue cells of other organs, such as the heart, brain and pancreas - a scientific step they hope may lead to potential new ways to replace cells lost in diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

4 Jul 2012

Nottingham scientists to develop world's first atlas of the Asian brain

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading research that will develop the world's first 'atlas' of the Asian brain.

4 Jul 2012

Social interventions may help slow or treat age-related dementia

Scientists at Arizona State University have discovered that older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take on nest responsibilities typically handled by much younger bees.

4 Jul 2012

July issue of Neurosurgery provides update on Human Connectome Project

A research effort called the Human Connectome Project is seeking to explore, define, and map the functional connections of the human brain. An update on progress in and upcoming plans for the Human Connectome Project appears in the July issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

3 Jul 2012

Cells close to death from toxin exposure can survive when toxins are removed

The vast majority of cells that appear to be on a one-way track to death after exposure to toxins can bounce back completely after those toxins are removed, Johns Hopkins scientists report in a new study. The finding, published in the June 15 issue of Molecular Biology of the Cell, is not only a testament to the indomitable cellular spirit, but could also offer some practical insight on how to save dying tissues after heart attacks or strokes as well as prevent cancer in cells transiently exposed to toxins.

3 Jul 2012

Botulinum toxin may help prevent arm tremor in people with MS

Botulinum toxin may help prevent shaking or tremor in the arms and hands of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research published in the July 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2012

EvergreenHealth, King County EMS collaborate to prevent future falls among older adults

The risk of suffering a serious injury from a fall is an unfortunate reality for many elderly people in King County, with more than 14 percent of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responses for patients age 65 and older attributed to falls in the home. In order to prevent future falls, EvergreenHealth and King County EMS are collaborating to provide assistance to elderly community members.

3 Jul 2012

USPTO issues notice of allowance to Avanir for NUEDEXTA

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed a new patent that covers Avanir's product NUEDEXTA, further expanding the intellectual property portfolio for the company's lead commercial asset.

2 Jul 2012

State roundup: Bumpy managed care transition in Calif.

A selection of health policy stories from California, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Minnesota.

2 Jul 2012

Hearing loss linked to Alzheimer's, heart disease, chronic kidney diseases and diabetes

Ear plug retailer, All Ear Plugs, urges Brits to take more care in protecting their ears following the release of data from the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) in the US linking hearing loss to chronic diseases.

2 Jul 2012

Current diagnosis and treatment approaches for rheumatoid arthritis

In the realm of deadly and disabling diseases, conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's seem to attract the most media attention. But there are others that take a similarly high toll, and rheumatoid arthritis is one of them, Mayo Clinic researchers say. It is a common cause of disability: 1 of every 5 rheumatoid arthritis patients is unable to work two years after diagnosis, and within five years, that rises to one-third. Life expectancy drops by up to five years.

2 Jul 2012

Chronic inflammation can predispose the brain to develop Alzheimer's disease

Research published today in Biomed Central's open access journal Journal of Neuroinflammation suggests that chronic inflammation can predispose the brain to develop Alzheimer's disease.

2 Jul 2012

Rapamycin enhances learning and memory in young mice

Cognitive skills such as learning and memory diminish with age in everyone, and the drop-off is steepest in Alzheimer's disease. Texas scientists seeking a way to prevent this decline reported exciting results this week with a drug that has Polynesian roots.

30 Jun 2012

Longer looks: Native American rehab facility helps families in Ore.; Growing popularity of home births; Sexuality in the nursing home

Pearl Scott lifts the baby from the crib and balances the child on her hip, just as someone did with her when she was a baby 20 years ago. Her mom went through addiction treatment here in the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest's residential center. Now Scott works for NARA, operated by and for Native Americans. She helps care for the 10 children, all 5 years old and younger, of parents in treatment.

30 Jun 2012

Enlightening risk factor findings for REM sleep behavior disorder

Cigarette smoking, head injury, farming, pesticide exposure, and a lower level of education may be risk factors for idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, researchers report.

29 Jun 2012

FOXO1 gene may play an important role in pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's

A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) revealed that the FOXO1 gene may play an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease.

29 Jun 2012

Researchers identify genes that influence degeneration of the hippocampus

In a genome-wide association (GWA) study, researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health (BUSPH) have identified several genes which influence degeneration of the hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with Alzheimer disease (AD).

29 Jun 2012

New laboratory model for Huntington's disease

Cedars-Sinai scientists have joined with expert colleagues around the globe in using stem cells to develop a laboratory model for Huntington's disease, allowing researchers for the first time to test directly on human cells potential treatments for this fatal, inherited disorder.

29 Jun 2012

Researchers create 'Huntington's disease in a dish' to enable search for treatment

Johns Hopkins researchers, working with an international consortium, say they have generated stem cells from skin cells from a person with a severe, early-onset form of Huntington's disease (HD), and turned them into neurons that degenerate just like those affected by the fatal inherited disorder.

29 Jun 2012

Potential risk factors for disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep

Smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep, according to a study published in the June 27, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2012