Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Potential target for the development of a drug to treat memory loss

A mind-altering mutation in mice results in an enhanced long-term memory, researchers report in the April 6, 2007 issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press.

7 Apr 2007

Nicotine shown to enhance learning and memory

While nicotine is highly addictive, researchers have also shown the drug to enhance learning and memory, a property that has launched efforts to develop nicotine-like drugs to treat cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

5 Apr 2007

Rural hospitals shown to provide quality care for patients with heart attacks

Contrary to some previous studies, rural hospitals in Iowa do provide quality care for patients with heart attacks and do not have higher death rates when compared to urban hospitals, report University of Iowa researchers.

5 Apr 2007

New therapeutic target for Alzheimer's could lead to drugs without side effects

It's been 100 years since Alzheimer's disease was first described, and yet our best treatments in development for the disease are still highly toxic drugs.

5 Apr 2007

No apparent increase in coronary heart disease for women who initiate hormone therapy

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth ( NYSE:WYE ) , provides comment on a re- analysis of pooled data from both hormone therapy arms of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Apr 2007

New device sniffs out olfactory disorders that could be an early warning of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

The Sniff Magnitude Test (SMT), an invention of UC Psychology Professor Robert Frank and Professor Emeritus Robert Gesteland of the UC Department of Cell Biology, is now under further development with the WR Medical Electronics Company in Stillwater, Minn. The company will manufacture and market the test.

4 Apr 2007

We need to balance out our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids

A new study suggests that people whose diets contain dramatically more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases.

3 Apr 2007

H63D genetic defect linked to increased risk of stroke

One of the most common genetic defects passed on through families significantly increases a person's chance of having a stroke, according to a study published in the March 27, 2007, issue of Neurology?, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Apr 2007

Regenerative medicine project taps into human stem cells

Researchers at the McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida have initiated a project to treat human brain and other diseases by plundering the secrets of regeneration from creatures with remarkable powers of self-renewal, such as salamanders, newts, starfish and flatworms.

2 Apr 2007

Hearing-protection tablet helps soldiers defend against hearing loss

Soldiers exposed to the deafening din of battle have little defense against hearing loss, and are often reluctant to wear protective gear like ear plugs that could make them less able to react to danger.

31 Mar 2007

Brain's immune system plays protective role in early Alzheimer's disease

The immune system's response against amyloid-beta, the protein that forms plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, appears to protect the brain from damage in early stages of the devastating neurological disorder.

30 Mar 2007

Researchers look at whether creatine slows progression of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are leading one of the largest clinical trials ever for Parkinson's disease.

25 Mar 2007

Creatine may help Parkinson's patients by giving an energy boost to dying cells

Whether a supplement used by athletes to boost energy levels and build muscle can slow progression of Parkinson's disease is the focus of a North American study.

22 Mar 2007

Curry related compound shows promise against Kennedy's disease

Scientists who focus on the molecular signaling that underlies prostate cancer have discovered a compound that shows promise against a debilitating neurodegenerative condition known as Kennedy's disease, which is caused by a mutant gene.

21 Mar 2007

Treating sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure reduces incidence of stroke

Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea who have significantly higher serum levels of inflammatory markers that serve as precursors to coronary artery disease, as well as lesions associated with silent brain infarction, have an elevated risk of stroke, according to a group of Japanese medical researchers.

19 Mar 2007

Chemical cues turn embryonic stem cells into cerebellar neurons

Embryonic stem cells have shown a great deal of promise for alleviating heart disease and regenerating organs. But for some of the conditions for which people hold out the most hope - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, for example - there's been little evidence to date that stem cells can work.

14 Mar 2007

Stem cells delay neurodegeneration in the brain

Sufferers from devastating neurodegenerative diseases have been given some hope by the results of recent research.

12 Mar 2007

Computer key unlocks cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease

Danish and Belgian researchers have found a computer key that maps genes underlying heritable disorders, such as breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. These results will possibly ease the discovery of new medicines and improve treatment in various disorders.

8 Mar 2007

Gene tests and brain imaging reveal early dementia

Dementia diseases develop insidiously and are generally discovered when the memory has already started to deteriorate. New research form Karolinska Institutet shows, however, that approaching Alzheimer's can be detected several years before the symptoms manifest themselves.

6 Mar 2007