Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Duplication of the alpha-synuclein gene causes Parkinson's disease in a French family

In affected individuals, age of onset, symptoms and symptom progression are similar to that observed in people with sporadic or unexplained cases of Parkinson's disease.

27 Sep 2004

Pregnant women are at higher risk for restless legs syndrome

Pregnant women are at higher risk for the occurrence or worsening of restless legs syndrome (RLS), a movement disorder that affects up to 10 percent of the general population, according to a study reported in the September 28 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Sep 2004

Study of mental health of assisted living residents has found a higher rates of mental health problems than expected

The first large scale comparative study of the mental health of assisted living residents has found a higher rate than expected of a range of mental health problems in this rapidly growing population.

27 Sep 2004

Boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe Alzheimer's disease

According to new visual perception research from a team at Boston University, the use of boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe AD, helping individuals overcome a diminished sensitivity to visual contrast, a condition often found among people with advanced AD.

26 Sep 2004

Seroquel is significantly more effective than placebo in treating patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder

AstraZeneca has announced important new data at the 4th European Stanley Foundation Conference on Bipolar Disorder, which show Seroquel is significantly more effective than placebo in treating patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder and is also well-tolerated in this difficult to treat patient population.

26 Sep 2004

Elan and Wyeth receive patents for Alzheimer's disease treatments

Elan Corporation and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals have announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently issued Neuralab Limited, a subsidiary of Elan, seven patents for the companies’ joint research on immunotherapeutic approaches to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

23 Sep 2004

THC in marijuana may block the spread of forms of cancer causing herpes viruses

The compound in marijuana that produces a high, delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol or THC, may block the spread of several forms of cancer causing herpes viruses, University of South Florida College of Medicine scientists report.

22 Sep 2004

Women aged 70 years and older who exercised regularly lower risk of cognitive impairment

Women who engaged in the most activity - for example, walking at least 6 hours per week - had a 20 percent decrease in risk of cognitive impairment compared to those who were inactive and, also demonstrated the cognitive functioning of someone three-years younger than their actual age.

22 Sep 2004

Amyloid growth can occur independently of oligomers

Improperly folded proteins are normally destroyed. But in a wide range of diseases, including prion (from proteinaceous and infectious) diseases and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease, amyloid fibrils, or plaques--misshapen proteins that aggregate into characteristic ropelike configurations--accumulate in tissue.

22 Sep 2004

New gene therapy technique may help treat Alzheimer's disease

Investigators at Rush University Medical Center have successfully initiated a new technique that uses gene therapy to deliver nerve growth factor into regions of the brain where neurons are degenerating, in order to prevent cell death and reverse cell atrophy, two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

21 Sep 2004

Walking helps elderly men stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Elderly men who are sedentary or walk less than a quarter of a mile per day are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to men who walk more than two miles per day, according to a study of over 2,200 Japanese-American men in Hawaii.

21 Sep 2004