Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Medicare patients battle tight rules while doctors express frustrations about payment issues

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on how high costs and rigorous rules affect Medicare patients and examines the case of Fran Bogom, 86, a widow with mild dementia who broke her arm after falling from a bed.

7 Jul 2010

Study finds depression as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Depression is commonly reported in people with Alzheimer's disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, with several studies suggesting having a history of major depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. However, it has been unclear if depression is a symptom of the disease or a potential cause of the disease.

6 Jul 2010

Depression increases risk of developing dementia later in life

A new study shows that having depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. The research will be published in the July 6, 2010, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jul 2010

Clusterin associated with development, severity and progression of Alzheimer's disease: Report

Higher concentrations of clusterin, a protein in the blood plasma, appears to be associated with the development, severity and progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Jul 2010

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

A new study has found that depressive disorders raise the risk of dementia. The findings of this study were published in the journal Neurology. The study involved nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease the study authors wrote.

5 Jul 2010

Parkinson's Disease Foundation awards $1.2M for research programs

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce awards totaling $1.2 million for research projects designed to understand the cause(s) of and find a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD).

2 Jul 2010

Malnutrition during childhood diminishes brain function in late life

Malnutrition early in life appears to diminish brain function in older adulthood, according to a study led by a Michigan State University researcher that has implications for many poor, developing nations.

2 Jul 2010

Sun Pharma introduces generic rivastigmine capsules in U.S. market

Sun Pharma announced launch of generic Exelon, rivastigmine tartrate capsules for the US market. Earlier, USFDA had granted final approval for the Company's ANDA to market these products.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories commences marketing of rivastigmine tartrate capsules

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. has started shipping rivastigmine tartrate capsules. These products, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Sun Pharma's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), are therapeutically equivalent to Exelon® capsules from Novartis.

2 Jul 2010

Watson commences shipment of generic Exelon

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that, under a settlement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis AG, Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd., and Proterra AG (collectively "Novartis"), Watson has commenced shipment of a generic version of Exelon® (rivastigmine tartrate) 1.5mg, 3mg, 4.5mg and 6mg capsules. Exelon® is used to treat dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease.

1 Jul 2010

First analyses on impact of Medicare Part D presented at UMB's 2010 Academy/Health Annual Meeting

Some of the first analyses on the impact of Medicare Part D, as well as new insights on drug adherence patterns by chronic disease patients, will be presented today and tomorrow at the 2010 Academy/Health Annual Meeting by several University of Maryland, Baltimore teams of pharmaceutical health services researchers.

1 Jul 2010

Best Friends Bill of Rights outlines 12 rules to help caregivers enhance lives of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced of professionals working with seniors daily in assisted living and memory care. Now there is help and guidance from the experts at Best Friends Approach Virginia Bell and David Troxel. The Best Friends Bill of Rights outlines 12 rules that when adapted, can make a world of difference in the quality of daily life to the one suffering as well as those acting in the role of caregiver.

1 Jul 2010

GSD signs agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute its proprietary assays in the U.S. Market

Gold Standard Diagnostics, Inc. a leading supplier of products and services to the medical diagnostic industry today announced the execution of an agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute their proprietary assays in the U.S. Market. Axis-Shield owns a number of patents in the areas of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more recently, sepsis. GSD will initially focus on distribution of Homocysteine, but also gains access to distribute Axis-Shield's other key products such as Anti-CCP.

1 Jul 2010

Physically-active women have lower risk of dementia in later life

Women who are physically active at any point over the life course (teenage, age 30, age 50, late life) have lower risk of cognitive impairment in late-life compared to those who are inactive, but teenage physical activity appears to be most important.

30 Jun 2010

Study evaluates potential risks and benefits of moderate alcohol consumption

A discussion by renowned epidemiologist Kenneth Mukamal has recently been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA. It provides a discussion in response to a theoretical question, - if you are a 42 year old male, should you drink alcohol ( in moderation) for your health?

30 Jun 2010

New tool could aid in diagnosing Alzheimer's, track disease progression

A trial of a novel radioactive compound readily and safely distinguished the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy volunteers on brain scans and opens the doors to making such imaging available beyond facilities that can manufacture their own radioactive compounds.

29 Jun 2010

Older adults spend more time watching TV, but find it less enjoyable

We usually scold our children and teenagers for watching too much TV. It turns out that their grandmas and grandpas spend even more of their time watching TV, and it is not good for them either, according to researchers at the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

29 Jun 2010

ARS study finds link between vitamin D and cognitive function

At a time when consumer interest in health-enhancing foods is high, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.

25 Jun 2010

CHMP adopts positive opinion on pending MAA for SYCREST sublingual tablets

Merck announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion on the pending Marketing Authorization Application for SYCREST (asenapine) sublingual tablets. The CHMP has recommended that the European Commission grant a marketing authorization for SYCREST for the treatment of moderate to severe manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults. The CHMP did not support an indication for the treatment of schizophrenia.

25 Jun 2010