Dementia News and Research

Latest Dementia News and Research

Are hormone therapy drugs safe?

The history of hormone therapy drugs – once thought of as almost magic pills to keep women healthy, vital and young – shows why it is so important to conduct research studies to identify the risks and benefits of drugs, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

17 Feb 2005

When does occasional absentmindedness signal the start of memory decline?

Forgetfulness is something everyone experiences at one time or another, but at what point does it indicate the beginning of a serious memory loss?

17 Feb 2005

The link between intelligence and dementia

Scientists have turned to the brightest brains in Britain in a bid to understand the link between intelligence and dementia.

15 Feb 2005

Chronic nicotine exposure worsens some Alzheimer’s-related brain abnormalities

UCI researchers have determined that chronic nicotine exposure worsens some Alzheimer’s-related brain abnormalities, contradicting the common belief that nicotine can actually be used to treat the disease.

9 Feb 2005

Marijuana changes blood flow in the brain

People who smoked marijuana had changes in the blood flow in their brains even after a month of not smoking, according to a study published in the February 8 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2005

High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking may increase risk of dementia

High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking have long been considered -- and aggressively treated -- as risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

25 Jan 2005

Health authorities reviewing scientific data from trials evaluating Alzheimer's treatment, Reminyl

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC (J&JPRD) announced that health authorities are reviewing scientific data from two clinical trials evaluating an investigational use of the company's Alzheimer's treatment, Reminyl (galantamine hydrobromide), in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

24 Jan 2005

Exciting research into the use of aspirin for reducing heart attacks, strokes and dementia

A consortium of researchers led by Monash University will receive more than $3.5 million in Australian Government funding for research into the use of aspirin for reducing heart attacks, strokes and dementia in older Australians.

17 Jan 2005

Weight loss may be an early sign of dementia

Dementia-associated weight loss begins before the onset of the definite dementia symptoms and accelerates by the time of the diagnosis, according to a study in the January issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Jan 2005

Antibiotics protect nerves in mice by turning on genes

A family of antibiotics that includes penicillin may help prevent nerve damage and death in a wide variety of neurological diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease, dementia, stroke, and epilepsy, Johns Hopkins researchers have found.

6 Jan 2005

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model.

20 Dec 2004

Celebrex suspension

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it has suspended the use of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex™ Pfizer, Inc.) for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

19 Dec 2004

Annual decline in cognitive functioning is similar in patients with Parkinson disease and dementia and patients with Alzheimer disease

The average annual decline in cognitive functioning is similar in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and dementia and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), according to an article in the December issue of The Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 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

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