Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Beta amyloid may inhibit specific cell motors and contribute to memory loss

A protein associated with Alzheimer's disease clogs several motors of the cell transport machinery critical for normal cell division, leading to defective neurons that may contribute to the memory-robbing disease, University of South Florida researchers report.

3 May 2011

Obesity during middle age may increase risk of developing dementia

According to a new study, being overweight or obese during middle age may increase the risk of certain dementias.

3 May 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan plan politics; senior care; health care consumerism

Democrats spent the last week of Easter recess bashing the GOP on the Medicare reforms in the Paul Ryan budget, and Republicans tell me they are feeling the heat back home.

3 May 2011

Scientists identify biochemical abnormality behind Machado-Joseph disease

Scientists in Portugal have identified a biochemical abnormality behind the potentially fatal neurodegenerative Machado-Joseph disease and using several models of the disease were able to reverse the problem in what can be a crucial step towards a cure for humans .

2 May 2011

Investigators to advance research and care of the elderly

The demographics are dauanting: between 2005 and 2030, the number of adults 65 and over in the United States is expected to nearly double.

2 May 2011

PET-CT exams can diagnose 'cognitive reserve' in early-onset AD

A recent study revealed that the "cognitive reserve" in early-onset Alzheimer's disease and PET-CT examinations can be used to effectively to identify early-onset AD patients.

2 May 2011

New method helps scientists to determine specific protein molecular structure

The structures of many protein molecules remain unsolved even after experts apply an extensive array of approaches. An international collaboration has led to a new, high-performance method that rapidly determined the structure of protein molecules in several cases where previous methods had failed.

2 May 2011

Hartford credits NICHE with hospital's success in improving older patients' care

"On the Front Line of Change" was the theme of the 14th annual conference of NICHE, held last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference brought together hundreds of nurses, nursing administrators, educators and other healthcare professionals from across the US and Canada, whose shared passion and purpose is to improve the quality of care for hospitalized older adults.

2 May 2011

Penn State launches unique oral hygiene approach for dementia patients

Nurses who care for patients with dementia now have a tailored approach to dental hygiene for their charges, thanks to a pilot study by a team of nurses.

2 May 2011

Researchers discover two mutations responsible for neurological condition

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered two mutations responsible for a devastating neurological condition they first identified 15 years ago. The researchers say their study -- appearing in Nature Genetics -- has revealed a new neural pathway that may help understand a variety of similar conditions.

2 May 2011

Sleep deprivation leads to decreased cognitive abilities: Study

A new study has shown that poor sleep as a person reaches middle age could mean that the brain is prematurely ageing, equivalent to a decline of up to seven years.

1 May 2011

State news highlights: Texas Senate approves Medicaid savings bill

The Senate unanimously approved Sen. Jane Nelson's bill to find extensive cost savings in Texas' Medicaid program, the primary health care provider for children, the disabled and the very poor. ... The measure expands Medicaid managed care into South Texas, where it has long been carved out — expected to save the state $290 million over the biennium.

30 Apr 2011

People with Alzheimer's, cardiovascular risk gene experience early memory decline

People who carry a gene associated with Alzheimer's disease and have cardiovascular risks experience age-related memory decline 20 to 25 years sooner than people who carry the gene without cardiovascular risk according to a 17-year Mayo Clinic-led study recently published in Neurology.

30 Apr 2011

Lithium shows hope for Alzheimer’s disease

According to scientists Alzheimer’s disease, a progressively damaging motor neuron condition, could be treated by lithium, a naturally occurring element that is extremely inexpensive and already in use for other psychiatric disorders.

29 Apr 2011

Researchers confirm fish livers as good source of fatty acids

The fishing industry usually discards fish livers, but a team of researchers from the University of Almeria has confirmed that they are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health. Anchovies are one of the fish whose livers contain the highest levels of these substances.

29 Apr 2011

Belmont Village to inaugurate senior housing in Thousand Oaks

Belmont Village Senior Living will officially open its 20th community in August 2011 at 3680 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks. The company has opened an on-site Information Center to provide details about leasing and the care and amenities that will be available for residents.

29 Apr 2011

Simple blood test can diagnose early Parkinson's disease

In Parkinson's disease, the human body generates antibodies to combat the amyloid-producing protein alpha synuclein early in the course of the disease. A simple blood test that measures these antibodies can facilitate early diagnosis of the disorder, writes Ludmilla Morozova-Roche and her associates at Umeå University in Sweden in the latest issue of the journal PLoS One.

28 Apr 2011

Experts to teach athletic trainers, medical providers on sports head injuries

Top experts from around the country will be at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill later this week to teach athletic trainers and medical providers how to prevent deaths and serious injuries among high school and college athletes.

28 Apr 2011

Special-focus on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in older adults

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) refers to a "mild but possibly long-lasting cognitive fogginess" occurring after surgery and anesthesia. The May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), presents a special-focus section on POCD in older adults—including the possible causes and preoperative evaluation of POCD risk.

28 Apr 2011

Abnormal clock gene coordination observed in tissues of Alzheimer's patients

Twenty-four hour cycles, known as circadian rhythms, are important for proper body functions, including for normal brain function and mental health. Disruptions of circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. A new study by Douglas Institute researchers unravels a possible basis for these perturbations.

28 Apr 2011