Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Lumbar puncture, PET scan not useful to establish diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Investigators from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, have shown that in most elderly patients invasive and expensive techniques, i.e. lumbar puncture and PET scan, are not useful to establish the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They arrived at this conclusion after analysis of data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a large collaborative research project of medical centers in the USA and Canada.

30 Mar 2012

Bilingualism can offer protection from symptoms of dementia

New research explains how speaking more than one language may translate to better mental health. A paper published by Cell Press in the March 29th issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences examines how being bilingual can offer protection from the symptoms of dementia, and also suggests that the increasing diversity in our world populations may have an unexpected positive impact on the resiliency of the adult brain.

30 Mar 2012

Dementia numbers to triple by 2050: Australian Report

In a discussion paper given to the State Government, Alzheimer's Australia NSW estimates the number of Australians diagnosed with dementia will rise from 280,000 to around 943,000 by 2050. Of these, 303,500 people will be from NSW.

29 Mar 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Meso Scale Discovery collaborate to advance AD research

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Meso Scale Discovery today announced they have entered an agreement to develop diagnostic assays that will measure cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for use in Alzheimer's disease research.

29 Mar 2012

Stem Cells reports results of Neuralstem ALS Phase I trial

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that safety results from the first 12 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) to receive its stem cells were reported online in the peer-reviewed publication, Stem Cells, on March 13th.

29 Mar 2012

AHF calls on FDA Commissioner Hamburg to step down

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest HIV/AIDS organization, today called on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to step down in response to the agency's gross mismanagement of new product reviews and a lack of transparency.

29 Mar 2012

Mylan receives FDA approval for generic Seroquel ANDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Quetiapine Fumarate Tablets, 25 mg.

29 Mar 2012

Cracking Your Genetic Code raises bioethics issues

Will genetic testing and personalized medicine change the way you think about your life? Should it? What can you really learn about your future from direct-to-consumer genetic tests-or even from whole genome scanning, which is becoming increasingly affordable? And what about your privacy: how well is your genetic information protected?

28 Mar 2012

Stress response reduces memory during tests in older adults

Your mother had a doctor's appointment for a memory test. The results are conclusive: she presents with the first signs of Alzheimer type dementia. Now, to get to her appointment, your mother, who is no longer used to driving in town, took her car, looked for a parking space for 15 minutes, got lost in a labyrinth of one-way streets, had never used those new electronic parking meters before and is convinced that the "machine" stole her credit card number.

28 Mar 2012

Data supports links between AD and diabetes: New study

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with the disease, and another American develops it every 69 seconds.

28 Mar 2012

Mount Sinai researchers present 86 abstracts and plenary sessions at ACC meeting

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers presented 86 abstracts and plenary sessions at the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 61st Annual Scientific Session, including ground-breaking research on aggressive statin therapy, the prevalence of unrecognized cardiovascular disease symptoms in women, and morbidity associated with non-adherence to medication after stent implantation. The meeting took place March 23-27, 2012 in Chicago.

28 Mar 2012

Cigarette smoke responsible for spread of cancer cells

Cigarette smoke cannot only cause cancer, but it's also responsible for the spread of it, according to research by UC Merced biochemistry Professor Henry Jay Forman.

28 Mar 2012

Dementia research gets a boost in the UK

The UK has seen a rise in the number of dementia sufferers by 50,000 in the past year, new figures have revealed. There are now more than 800,000 victims in Britain, with three out of four becoming anxious or depressed and six out of 10 feeling lonely, according to a new survey.

27 Mar 2012

Vermillion fourth quarter total revenues increase 152% to $868,000

Vermillion, Inc., a leading molecular diagnostics company, reported financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011.

From Quest Diagnostics 27 Mar 2012

GE Healthcare, DiaGenic enter research collaboration to develop blood-based test for MCI

DiaGenic ASA today announced a research agreement to collaborate with GE Healthcare to develop a blood-based test using DiaGenic's peripheral gene expression profiling in patients with mild cognitive impairment, a disorder associated with risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

27 Mar 2012

Intravenous immune globulin effective treatment for GBS, CIDP

Intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is an effective treatment for certain disorders of the nerve and muscles, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and a form of neuropathy called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), according to a guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Mar 2012

Repeated stress triggers tau protein aggregates inside brain cells

Repeated stress triggers the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein aggregates inside the brain cells of mice, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new study published in the March 26 Online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

27 Mar 2012

Study reveals mechanism by which AD may cause memory loss

Alzheimer's disease (AD) steals memory and ruins lives. Despite near-daily reports of promising new therapies, AD remains unchecked. Now a new study reveals the mechanism by which AD may cause memory loss, suggesting new therapies.

26 Mar 2012

Newly enhanced version of Brain Swaggle released

"The newly enhanced version 2 of Brain Swaggle, the quick thinking word game that requires strategy and offers 12 levels of play has just been released," said Gary Downing, founder of the game and company of the same name. This new version is literally explosive from the first page and will challenge people of all ages and skill levels. Plus, we guarantee that the more difficult levels will take even the most adept wordsmiths to task, Downing continues.

26 Mar 2012

Theracurmin shows positive impact on human diastolic functions

The research group led by Dr. Koji Hasegawa, Director of the Translational Research Division at the National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center and Dr. Tatsuya Morimoto, Professor at the Molecular Medicine School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, announced today based on the recent human clinical trials, that Theracurmin has continuously shown positive impact on human diastolic functions.

26 Mar 2012