Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Web-based video game players contribute to analysis of DNA sequences

Thousands of video game players have helped significantly advance our understanding of the genetic basis of diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer over the past year. They are the users of a web-based video game developed by Dr. J-r-me Waldispuhl of the McGill School of Computer Science and collaborator Mathieu Blanchette.

7 Dec 2011

Circadian activity rhythm linked to subsequent development of dementia or MCI

Older women with weaker circadian rhythms, who are less physically active or are more active later in the day are more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment than women who have a more robust circadian rhythm or are more physically active earlier in the day. That's the finding of a new study in the latest issue of the Annals of Neurology.

7 Dec 2011

Alzheimer's Australia, Bupa Health launch brain health app in the UK

The Bupa Health Foundation and Alzheimer's Australia have announced the UK launch of a world-first brain health app, the latest digital tool to help in the fight against dementia.

6 Dec 2011

Biosensors can detect oxidant production in living organism

Arterial calcification and coronary heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, cancer and even the aging process itself are suspected to be partially caused or accelerated by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises in tissues when there is an excess of what are called reactive oxygen species.

6 Dec 2011

Study looks at how severely low birth weight impacts attention and memory during adulthood

Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a study published in the December 6, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Dec 2011

Bold move by Astra Zeneca to share 22 early stage potential drugs with MRC

Drug maker AstraZeneca will be sharing 22 of its early-stage research compounds with the Medical Research Council as part of a make over of life sciences research. This would speed up patients’ access to breakthrough drugs and arrest the decline of research and development in the UK.

6 Dec 2011

EnVivo presents positive EVP-6124 Phase 2b trial data on schizophrenia at 50th ACNP meeting

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing a broad range of novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, announced today that it is presenting the comprehensive analysis of a recently completed Phase 2b clinical trial of EVP-6124, a novel, orally bioavailable nicotinic alpha-7 agonist, in schizophrenia at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting.

5 Dec 2011

Study shows new biochemical disturbances in the brains of children with ADHD

A new study at örebro University in Sweden shows that children with ADHD have nearly 50 percent less of a protein that is important for attention and learning. The finding may mean that there are other biochemical disturbances in the brains of individuals with ADHD than was previously believed.

5 Dec 2011

Dye derived from Canary Island lichens may help treat Alzheimer's disease

A red dye derived from lichens that has been used for centuries to color fabrics and food appears to reduce the abundance of small toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. The dye, a compound called orcein, and a related substance, called O4, bind preferentially to small amyloid aggregates that are considered to be toxic and cause neuronal dysfunction and memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2011

Einstein, Montefiore receive NINDS grant to establish clinical site for NeuroNEXT

In a development that could pave the way for treatment for rare neurological diseases and clues to more common ones, physician-scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein, have secured a grant to establish a clinical site for the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials.

2 Dec 2011

Enrollment complete in Ceregene's CERE-120 Phase 2b trial for Parkinson's

Ceregene, Inc. reported today that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2b trial of CERE-120, a gene therapy product expressing the neurturin (NRTN) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

1 Dec 2011

Government inspectors to lawmakers: More must be done to stop prescription of powerful psych drugs to nursing home patients

Government inspectors told lawmakers Wednesday that Medicare officials need to do more to stop doctors from prescribing powerful psychiatric drugs to nursing home patients with dementia, an unapproved practice that has flourished despite repeated government warnings.

1 Dec 2011

New marker may provide more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's, FTLD

New research finds a marker used to detect plaque in the brain may help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis between two common types of dementia - Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

1 Dec 2011

Alzheimer's disease affects women more than men

Many women suffer memory loss and/or confusion at some point in their lives, but as many as 5 million Americans suffer from a much more serious disease, Alzheimer's. According to statistics from the National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in older people. Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease; it is irreversible and causes a decline in memory and cognitive skills.

1 Dec 2011

Hospice family caregivers require unique care needs

A study led by the University of Kentucky researcher Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles found that hospice family caregivers are "second order patients" themselves and require their own unique care needs.

1 Dec 2011

Removing amyloid beta can restore sense of smell in mouse model of Alzheimer's

One of the earliest known impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease - loss of sense of smell - can be restored by removing a plaque-forming protein in a mouse model of the disease, a study led by a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher finds.

30 Nov 2011

Eating fish and avoiding violent video games could be prescriptions for a healthier brain

Two new studies presented Wednesday at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual conference in Chicago find that eating plenty of fish and not playing violent video games can keep a person’s brain healthy.

30 Nov 2011

Study highlights importance of diagnosing 'overlap syndrome' in sufferers of ALS, FTD

In order to better counsel patients, it is key for clinicians of different disciplines to be aware of, and diagnose, the 'overlap syndrome' between two medical disorders - ALS and FTD - since it significantly affects patient survival. In her new study, Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, from the University of California San Francisco in the US, also highlights that from a research perspective, identifying the syndrome early is an opportunity to study damaged nerve cells and understand more about the early stages of both ALS and FTD.

30 Nov 2011

Direct link between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk

People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Caregivers have stress reactions that put them at greater risk for physical health problems

When a person with mild cognitive impairment is agitated or restless, caregivers can expect to find they are more edgy as well. According to research conducted at Virginia Tech, the more a caregiver's day is disrupted by the unsettled behaviors of their loved one, the more they find themselves unable to meet or balance their own home and family work loads.

29 Nov 2011