Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Research offers hope for alcoholics

Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered a system in the brain that stops an alcoholic's craving for alcohol, as well as prevent relapse once they have recovered from alcohol addiction.

12 Dec 2006

Chemo drugs damage healthy brain cells

According to new research chemotherapy drugs which are used to treat cancer, damage the brain.

4 Dec 2006

Major Alzheimer’s test for highest resolution clinical PET camera in the world

The University of Manchester's Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre will carry out its first positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan on a patient volunteer this Friday (24 November 2006) at 10.00.

From The University of Manchester 23 Nov 2006

Whoever said people were much the same was wrong!

An international research team have come up with a new genetic map which could demand a fundamental shift in how we think genes work.

22 Nov 2006

Nestle about brain power as well as chocolate

The food giant Nestlé has struck a deal with a Swiss university to conduct a five year programme of research into the relationship between nutrition and the brain.

22 Nov 2006

BACE 1 gene may hold the key to Alzheimer's

Canadian scientists have found a specific gene which they believe may hold the key to the degenerative brain disorder Alzheimer's disease.

21 Nov 2006

Prana Biotechnology raises U.S.$6 Million to fund trial of PBT2 in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Prana Biotechnology today announced it has entered into agreements to raise approximately A$7.77 million (US$6 million) from new institutional investors in Australia, existing institutional investors in the United States and a founding member of the Company.

20 Nov 2006

Quality of life for dementia patients improved by occupational therapy

According to researchers in the Netherlands, occupational therapy improves the quality of life for dementia patients and their carers.

20 Nov 2006

Furore over who gets Alzheimer's drug in the UK

A furore has erupted in Britain over a decision by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), not to recommend the use of an Alzheimer's drug for newly diagnosed patients.

20 Nov 2006

HRT shows promise in helping visual memory of postmenopausal women

Many women experience declines in their memory during and after menopause, a change thought to be due, in part, to the rapid hormonal changes they weather during that time.

20 Nov 2006

Yeast model system may provide a means for treating the earliest stage of Alzheimer's

A century ago this month, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer formally described characteristics of the neurodegenerative disease which ultimately came to bear his name. While international efforts to learn about Alzheimer's disease and develop treatments have progressed significantly in recent years, a cure remains an elusive goal.

19 Nov 2006

Community occupational therapy for patients with dementia and their caregivers

Occupational therapy can help to improve the ability of people with dementia patients to perform daily activities and can also reduce the pressure on their caregivers, says a British Medical Journal study.

19 Nov 2006

Brits to trial stem cell treatment for heart attack victims

In an experimental treatment which aims to prevent heart failure and death following a heart attack, doctors in Britain will trial a treatment which uses a patients own stem cells.

8 Nov 2006

Gentle electric currents stimulate the brain and boost the memory

German scientists say they have found that gentle electric currents which stimulate the brain while sleeping can boost the memory.

6 Nov 2006

Compound in red wine counters effects of a high-calorie diet

The results of an international study suggests that a compound found in red wine gave mice longer and healthier lives and also countered some of the effects of a high-calorie diet.

1 Nov 2006

Nanogen announces new patents for inventions related to diabetes and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

Nanogen has announced that it has been issued four patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for inventions related to diabetes and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.

30 Oct 2006

Effective test for screening Huntington's disease drugs

A test using cultured cells provides an effective way to screen drugs against Huntington's disease and shows that two compounds - memantine and riluzole - are most effective at keeping cells alive under conditions that mimic the disorder, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

30 Oct 2006

Paroxetine effective in treating patients with compulsive hoarding syndrome

In a paper published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Sanjaya Saxena, M.D., Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, reports the surprising finding that the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medication, paroxetine, is effective in treating patients with compulsive hoarding syndrome.

24 Oct 2006

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

For the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2006