Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Trimming fat overcomes one of the major obstacles to drug design

Biochemists at Ohio State University and their colleagues have overcome one of the major obstacles to drug design, by trimming some of the fat from a molecular sponge that scientists use to study proteins.

8 Dec 2004

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Using hairlike microelectrodes and computer analysis, neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated that they can see the detailed instant-to-instant electrical "brainscape" of neural activity across a living brain.

8 Dec 2004

Important genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Two Hershey, Pa., researchers were part of a team that has uncovered what may be an important genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

6 Dec 2004

Episome vectors offer fresh angle to gene therapy

A European research team is seeking to overcome the early setbacks suffered by the promising new field of ‘gene therapy’ by developing a revolutionary delivery technique, known as ‘episome vectors’. This breakthrough could pave the way to treating hereditary diseases by injecting the body with healthy versions of damaged genes.

6 Dec 2004

A vitamin B pill that drastically lowers blood levels of homocysteine could one day be used to prevent dementia

High blood levels of homocysteine are a risk factor for stroke and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Raised levels damage nerves and blood vessels, and lead to a loss of brain tissue in patients.

4 Dec 2004

Toxic proteins explain memory loss in Alzheimer's patients

Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a molecular mechanism -- a tiny protein attacking nerve cells -- that could explain why the brain damage in early Alzheimer's disease results in memory loss and not other symptoms such as loss of balance or tremors.

1 Dec 2004

Research shows how diet can improve health in the elderly

Adapting diets to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s or osteoporosis and more generally to improve health among the elderly are some of the possibilities revealed by EU research on nutrition and health.

29 Nov 2004

Iris Murdoch's last novel reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease

The last novel written by author Iris Murdoch before she died reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the latest online issue of Brain.

29 Nov 2004

Rifampicin can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have shown that rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in people with Parkinson's disease. The drug also dissolved existing fibrils in laboratory tests.

29 Nov 2004

Movies help explain how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils

To get a better look at how proteins gather into clusters called amyloid fibrils – which are associated with important human diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the so-called prion diseases like Mad Cow – researchers at North Carolina State University decided to make movies.

23 Nov 2004

Acid-resistant bug also alcohol-resistant

A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has found surprisingly tough enzymes in a bacterium that "just says no to acid."

23 Nov 2004

Concealment of drugs in food and beverages in nursing homes is common

The practice of concealing drugs in patients' food and drinks is common in nursing homes, claim researchers from Norway in a study published on bmj.com today.

23 Nov 2004

Brain imaging shows differences in people at risk for Alzheimer's

Using brain imaging, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have found clear differences in brain function between healthy people who carry a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and those who lack the factor.

20 Nov 2004

Family experience guides Alzheimer’s research

After watching his father struggle with and ultimately succumb to Alzheimer’s disease, ASU professor Michael Sierks shifted his research focus from starch hydrolyzing to neurodegenerative diseases.

18 Nov 2004

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. and colleagues in Canada and Germany have discovered a gene and six mutations of it that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

18 Nov 2004

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.

18 Nov 2004

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists.

18 Nov 2004

A challenging job protects against the development of dementia

Jobs that are both challenging and afford opportunities to take responsibility seem to protect against the development of dementia, concludes research in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

17 Nov 2004

Researchers find effective treatment for Unusual Fever Syndrome caused by cold exposure

Remember when Grandma used to say, "don’t go out in the cold; you’ll get sick”? It turns out that she was right for a small number of people who have a condition called familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS)

16 Nov 2004

Financial impact of diabetes on the American economy

Sick days, disability, early retirement, and premature death of diabetic Americans born between 1931 and 1941 cost the country almost $133.5 billion by the year 2000, according to a new estimate by researchers with the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

16 Nov 2004