Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Researchers discover biomarker for earlier diagnosis of MS

Researchers from the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center identified for the first time that changes in the tissue located at the junction between the outer and inner layers of the brain, called "blurring", may be an important, non-invasive biomarker for earlier diagnosis and the development of new therapies for degenerative brain conditions, such as multiple sclerosis.

1 Nov 2011

Research into new Alzheimer's medication

Several potential drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's have worked well on mice - but none of them on humans. A leading researcher from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is now launching brand new methods for diagnosing Alzheimer's and monitoring treatment.

1 Nov 2011

Dementia people with stroke more likely to become disabled and not return home

New research shows people with dementia who have a stroke are more likely to become disabled and not return home compared to people who didn't have dementia at the time they had a stroke.

1 Nov 2011

Avanir seeks EMA marketing authorization for NUEDEXTA to treat pseudobulbar affect

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency seeking marketing authorization for NUEDEXTA (dextromethorphan HBr and quinidine sulfate) for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect.

31 Oct 2011

Scientists discover how toxic form of htt protein causes Huntington's symptoms

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how a form of the protein linked to Huntington's disease influences the timing and severity of its symptoms, offering new avenues for treating not only this disease, but also a variety of similar conditions.

31 Oct 2011

GPS enabled shoes for “wandering seniors”

Now there are shoes with integrated GPS devices to help track down dementia-suffering seniors who wander off and get lost. This comes from manufacturer GTX Corp. Other devices such as bracelets or pendants can provide similar protection but seniors often reject these.

30 Oct 2011

Study: Many fetal expression changes are reversed immediately after birth

The "switching on" or expression of specific genes in the human genome is what makes each human tissue and each human being unique. A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, and the National Institute of Mental Health found that many gene expression changes that occur during fetal development are reversed immediately after birth.

29 Oct 2011

Study: Reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals beginning of Alzheimer's

For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head.

29 Oct 2011

Special hospital team reduces cumulated risk of stroke in TIA patients

Patients who had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a "mini stroke", were much less likely to experience further vascular events in the first year if their care was co-ordinated by a special hospital team.

28 Oct 2011

DiaGenic reports operating revenue of NOK 276 thousand for third quarter 2011

DiaGenic has successfully finalized the first clinical study in collaboration with Pfizer, the market leader for Alzheimer's therapeutics sales and Pfizer has confirmed DiaGenic's findings resulting in a press release October 14th.

28 Oct 2011

AD risk genes impact Aβ toxicity in neurons

In a development that sheds new light on the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a team of Whitehead Institute scientists has identified connections between genetic risk factors for the disease and the effects of a peptide toxic to nerve cells in the brains of AD patients.

28 Oct 2011

Microglia plays a key role in memory and learning

Immune system cells of the brain, which scavenge pathogens and damaged neurons, are also key players in memory and learning, according to new research by Duke neuroscientists.

27 Oct 2011

Elan's third quarter total revenue increases 17% to $328.5 million

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its third quarter and first nine months 2011 financial results.

27 Oct 2011

Three dry days a week reduces risk of alcohol related liver disease

The Royal College of Physicians said the present official guidance on healthy drinking limits is ‘extremely dangerous’ and must be rewritten – because it implies that drinking every day is fine. Government advice states men should drink no more than four units a day and women no more than three.

24 Oct 2011

Abzyme Therapeutics licenses SUMOpro from LifeSensors

Abzyme Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company dedicated to developing methods to generate human monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of disease, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive agreement with LifeSensors to license their proprietary protein expression platform, SUMOpro™. Enhanced protein expression is key to the evolution and development of antibodies and the LifeSensors

24 Oct 2011

VA reviewing millions spent outside the agency on care in Phoenix

The Arizona Republic reports that the Veterans Administration is looking into spending after noting that the system had surpassed its budget for community fee care.

24 Oct 2011

FDA approves intraspinal injections in spinal cord stem cell ALS trial

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I safety trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

24 Oct 2011

First step in the development of new drug combinations against diseases, conditions

The researchers found a way of identifying ideal drug combinations from billions of others which would prevent inflammation from occurring.

From The University of Manchester 24 Oct 2011

Merz presents XEOMIN clinical data on dystonia at IDS 2011

New data presented at recent neurological congresses and summarized at the IDS indicate that patients treated with XEOMIN for cervical dystonia or blepharospasm (involuntary closing of the eyelids) experienced long-term sustained efficacy with a favorable safety profile in studies of up to 121 and 88 weeks duration, respectively.

22 Oct 2011

New neuroconomics study reveals how you make decisions

New research reveals how we make decisions. Birds choosing between berry bushes and investors trading stocks are faced with the same fundamental challenge - making optimal choices in an environment featuring varying costs and benefits.

22 Oct 2011