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.
Marijuana could help reduce memory loss in old age and fight Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, revealed by researchers. – The more research they do, the more evidence Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells.
Ginkgo biloba does not reduce dementia or Alzheimer’s disease risk according to Pitt-led study in JAMA. – The medicinal herb Ginkgo biloba does not reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease development in either the healthy elderly or those with mild cognitive impairment, according to a large multicenter trial led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
‘Super’ aged brains reveal first secrets of sharp memory in old age. Super aged brains had many fewer fiber-like tangles than the brains of those who had aged normally. – Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine wondered if the brains of the elderly with still laser sharp memory — called “super aged” — were somehow different than everyone else’s.
Brain imaging study supports the ‘cognitive reserve’ hypothesis. Greater education has been associated with better cognitive function during life. – Individuals with higher education levels appear to score higher on cognitive tests despite having evidence of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Gladstone scientists identify role of fatty acids in Alzheimer’s disease, large-scale analysis of brain lipids identifies potential therapeutic strategy. – Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and the University of California have found that complete or partial removal of an enzyme that regulates fatty acid levels improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
High-dose vitamin B supplementation for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease did not slow the rate of cognitive decline. – A clinical trial led by Paul S. Aisen, M.D., professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that high-dose vitamin B supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.
New study proves that pain is not a symptom of arthritis, pain causes arthritis. New treatments will seek to interrupt ‘crosstalk’ between joints and the spinal cord. – Pain is more than a symptom of osteoarthritis, it is an inherent and damaging part of the disease itself, according to a study published today in journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease?related plaques in the brain. – A type of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease?related plaques in the brain, according to small study posted online today that will appear in the October 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
People living with a partner in mid-life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of age-related dementia. – Living with a spouse or a partner decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases. This according to a study by Krister H?kansson, researcher in psychology at V?xj? University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. The results were presented for the first time yesterday at the world’s largest dementia conference.
Those who don?t engage in complex mental activity over their lifetime have twice the shrinkage in a key part of the brain in old age, according to researchers from UNSW. – People who have been more mentally active over their lives have a larger hippocampus ? which relates to memory ? and critically that it shrinks at half the rate of those who have lower mental activity.
Exercise may slow the atrophy of the brain brought on by Alzheimer’s Disease, suggests researchers at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. – Mild Alzheimer’s disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger brains compared to mild Alzheimer’s patients with lower physical fitness, according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Funding for dementia research must be boosted by millions of dollars to counter the growing economic and social impact of the disease, indicated in a report by Alzheimer’s Australia. – Alzheimer’s Australia released a report ‘Australian Dementia Research’ that recommends annual funding for dementia research be increased three-fold to $36 million in response to the growing economic and social impact of the dementia epidemic.
