Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Computer modeling supports theory that many dementias spread like prion diseases

A new technique for analyzing brain images offers the possibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the rate of progression and physical path of many degenerative brain diseases, report scientists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

11 Apr 2012

New 4th Edition of Practical Neurology for clinicians, residents and fellows

The new 4th Edition of Practical Neurology, the respected "real-life" guide to diagnosing and managing neurologic disorders, has been completely rewritten to known neurologist and chair of the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

11 Apr 2012

Siemens announces integrated imaging solution for detection of amyloid plaques

Siemens Healthcare is the first company worldwide to announce a complete integrated diagnostic imaging solution proposed for the detection of amyloid plaques — one of the necessary pathological features of Alzheimer's disease— in the living brain.

From Siemens Healthineers 11 Apr 2012

New report calls on nations to recognise dementia as a public health crisis

A report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) calls for governments and policymakers to make dementia a global public health priority.

11 Apr 2012

Avid Radiopharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Amyvid to treat AD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Amyvid (Florbetapir F 18 Injection) a drug for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of the brain in adults who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other causes of cognitive decline.

11 Apr 2012

Dementia sufferers and caregivers unhappy with quality of care

Dementia patients and their families have been asked to assess the quality of care available to them. Their reports are far from satisfactory. Alzheimer's Australia says dementia patients and their carers are being let down right across the health system. The Federal Government has promised to use the report to help decide how to improve the system.

9 Apr 2012

Berries may reduce Parkinson’s disease risk in men: Study

A new study has found that men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine, may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson's disease. The study was published in the journal Neurology this week. It added that there was no such effect among women.

9 Apr 2012

FDA approves scan to detect Alzheimer’s disease early

The test uses a chemical called florbetapir, known by the brand name Amyvid, which is a radioactive agent that tags clumps of a sticky substance called an amyloid. Amyloid proteins are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. The chemical, which costs $1,600 per dose, then is detected using a brain imaging technique called positron emission tomography, known as PET scans. For patients who already have some symptoms of cognitive decline, a positive scan suggests that moderate to frequent amyloid plaques are present in the brain, which is consistent with Alzheimer's disease.

9 Apr 2012

Nuron Biotech licenses DNA amyloid beta 42 vaccine for AD

Nuron Biotech, Inc. today announced it has licensed from VITRUVIAN BioMedical, Inc. a gene-based (DNA) amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42) vaccine in preclinical development for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

9 Apr 2012

Free brain health screenings at Sam's Club

Everyone forgets sometimes. A certain degree of memory problems are a common part of aging. There is a difference, however, between changes in memory and memory loss from Alzheimer's disease. One in eight adults over the age of 65 is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and 20 percent of the elderly population suffers from some form of dementia. If detected early, some memory loss can be manageable by taking simple steps to improve brain function.

7 Apr 2012

Elevated pulse pressure may increase risk of CVD in older adults with AD

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have shown that elevated pulse pressure may increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

7 Apr 2012

Lilly, Avid receive FDA approval for Amyvid to treat Alzheimer's

Eli Lilly and Company and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lilly, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Amyvid, a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for brain imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's Disease and other causes of cognitive decline.

7 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 6, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the Obama administration's response to a federal court about the Supreme Court's power.

6 Apr 2012

Poor countries must adapt health systems to meet chronic care needs of aging population, WHO says

"Health systems, particularly in poorer countries, need to adapt to meet the chronic care needs of older people as the shift to aging populations gathers pace in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said" Wednesday in a briefing paper to mark World Health Day, observed on Saturday, the Guardian reports.

5 Apr 2012

Keeping mentally fit through board games or reading may help preserve memory

Two new studies published in the April 4 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggest that a person's memory declines at a faster rate in the last two-and-a-half years of life than at any other time after memory problems first begin. The second study shows that keeping mentally fit through board games or reading may be the best way to preserve memory during late life.

5 Apr 2012

Blood test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease

Soon researchers may be able to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear by a simple blood test. Currently, biological tests to diagnose Alzheimer's use invasive and costly procedures including brain imaging and spinal punctures.

2 Apr 2012

Brain images show nerves ‘crisscrossing’ in neat but complex patterns: Study

New images of the brain reveal a deceptively simple pattern of organization in the wiring of this complex organ. Instead of nerve fibers travelling randomly through the brain like spaghetti, as some imaging has suggested, the new portraits reveal two-dimensional sheets of parallel fibers ‘crisscrossing’ other sheets at right angles in a grid-like structure that folds and contorts with the convolutions of the brain. This same pattern appeared in the brains of humans, rhesus monkeys, owl monkeys, marmosets and galagos, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science.

1 Apr 2012

Lumbar puncture, PET scan not useful to establish diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Investigators from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, have shown that in most elderly patients invasive and expensive techniques, i.e. lumbar puncture and PET scan, are not useful to establish the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They arrived at this conclusion after analysis of data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a large collaborative research project of medical centers in the USA and Canada.

30 Mar 2012

Bilingualism can offer protection from symptoms of dementia

New research explains how speaking more than one language may translate to better mental health. A paper published by Cell Press in the March 29th issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences examines how being bilingual can offer protection from the symptoms of dementia, and also suggests that the increasing diversity in our world populations may have an unexpected positive impact on the resiliency of the adult brain.

30 Mar 2012

Dementia numbers to triple by 2050: Australian Report

In a discussion paper given to the State Government, Alzheimer's Australia NSW estimates the number of Australians diagnosed with dementia will rise from 280,000 to around 943,000 by 2050. Of these, 303,500 people will be from NSW.

29 Mar 2012