Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, a neurologic disease characterized by loss of mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living, lasting at least six months, and not present from birth. AD usually occurs in old age, and is marked by a decline in cognitive functions such as remembering, reasoning, and planning.
Alzheimer’s disease: Newly found peptide offers hope of early test and better treatment – Researchers in Japan have detected a peptide in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that can show whether a person is developing Alzheimer’s disease. Measuring the level of this peptide could show that the disease process has started, long before any serious damage is done to the brain.
Cognitive impairment is associated with reduced survival among both African-Americans and whites – Alzheimer’s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, appear to be associated with an increased risk of death among both white and African American older adults according to a new, long-term research study by neurological experts at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center.
Tau protein tangles are found in the brains of people with a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. – New research published in Nature Cell Biology suggests that tangle formation can be transferred from one type of trans genetic mouse line to another.
Association found between Parkinson’s disease and pesticide exposure in French farm workers – The cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, is unknown, but in most cases it is believed to involve a combination of environmental risk factors and genetic susceptibility.
Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, a US researcher Professor Murali Doraiswamy suggests. – Professor Murali Doraiswamy, from the Duke University Medical Center in Carolina, has suggested that curcumin, found in the popular curry ingredient tumeric, could help prevent the onset of dementia.
Heart disorder atrial fibrillation linked to Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Study of more than 37,000 patients shows relationship between atrial fibrillation and development of Alzheimer’s disease. – Researchers at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City believe that they have made a breakthrough connection between atrial fibrillation, a fairly common heart rhythm disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease, the leading form of dementia among Americans.
Alzheimer’s Disease risk index – New tool can help predict risk of Alzheimer’s in elderly. – A new tool can help predict whether people age 65 and older have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Research on the tool is published in the May 13, 2009, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Maria Shriver discusses Alzheimer’s disease in Stanford medical school interview, podcast – Sargent Shriver, an advisor to two presidents and the first director of the Peace Corps, no longer remembers the name of his daughter: Maria, California’s first lady and former television reporter. He has Alzheimer’s disease.
Pain relievers ibuprofen and naproxen may delay — not prevent — Alzheimer’s disease – A new study shows that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the pain relievers ibuprofen and naproxen do not prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but they may instead delay its onset.
Research led by Professor Mark Pepys FRS has identified a protein known as serum amyloid P component (SAP) as a possible therapeutic target in Alzheimer?s disease. – New therapeutic approaches in Alzheimer’s disease are urgently needed. Work led by Professor Mark Pepys FRS over more than 20 years has identified a protein known as serum amyloid P component (SAP) as a possible therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease.
Presence of sex-biases in brain disorders suggests that the subtle differences between the brains of males and females alter the course and/or presentation of brain diseases. – University of Otago researchers have discovered a new mechanism which contributes to subtle differences between male and female brains and behaviours.
New study provides insight into ways organ systems outside the brain may affect Alzheimer’s disease – In Alzheimer’s disease the brain accumulates a molecule called A-beta that can be quite toxic to brain cells. Many researchers believe that finding ways to clear A-beta may be a key to treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
