Researchers discover the cell events in the brains of individuals with Down syndrome that lead to the amyloid pathology observed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The findings support a novel approach to treating and preventing both diseases.
Award winning photographer, Robert Whitman, captures lives of those affected with Lewy Body Dementia in a poignant collection of original photography.
Researchers have moved a step closer to making a simple blood test to detect early Alzheimer's disease available for screening older adults.
Women who are anxious, jealous, or moody and distressed in middle age may be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to a nearly 40-year-long study published in the October 1, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Lewy Body Dementia Association launches month of Awareness. October is LBD Awareness Month, nationwide series of events will take place.
In the first, small study of a novel, personalized and comprehensive program to reverse memory loss, nine of 10 participants, including the ones above, displayed subjective or objective improvement in their memories beginning within 3-to-6 months after the program’s start.
New research suggests that people without dementia who begin reporting memory issues may be more likely to develop dementia later, even if they have no clinical signs of the disease. The study is published in the September 24, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
New research by scientists at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging suggests that people who notice their memory is slipping may be on to something.
Using a songbird as a model, scientists have described a brain pathway that replaces cells that have been lost naturally and not because of injury. If scientists can further tap into the process, it might lead to ways to encourage replacement of cells in human brains that have lost neurons naturally because of aging or Alzheimer's disease.
Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you suffered from dementia other than Alzheimer’s disease? Wonder no more. The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), today, unveils what might be a typical day in the life for caregivers and their loved ones who suffer with Lewy body dementia (LBD), a complex, challenging, and surprisingly common brain disease. LBD families have unique challenges that differ from Alzheimer’s, and awareness is needed by healthcare professionals and the general public to better support them. Judy picks out Bob’s clothes every morning and helped him dress. After a slow, unsteady walk down the stairs, he takes the medicine Judy doles out and later “helps” her dry the breakfast dishes. They go out together some days to run errands, but everything takes longer now because of Bob’s confusion, muscle stiffness, and slow, shuffling walk. Sometimes he can zip his coat up on the first try, but there are days he doesn’t understand
Researchers at Jacksonville’s campus of Mayo Clinic have discovered a defect in a key cell-signaling pathway they say contributes to both overproduction of toxic protein in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients as well as loss of communication between neurons — both significant contributors to this type of dementia.
The link between a protein typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on memory and cognition may not be as clear as once thought, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Waisman Center. The researchers looked at the role of the brain protein amyloid-β in adults living with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that leaves people more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s.
Researchers at UAB report in Nature the discovery of a novel mechanism in the brain involved in the formation of memory and learning. The discovery could have therapeutic ramifications for conditions including dementia, age-related memory loss or even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Molecular biologists are wielding a hot new gene editing tool called CRISPR to mutate, slice, and hopefully repair virtually any spot in the genome of any animal. Neuroscientists are finally taking advantage of the new technique, with an eye toward potential therapies for genetic diseases.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that the most common variant of the circulating protein apolipoprotein E, called apoE3, helps repair the lining of blood vessels.
Heat shock proteins protect the molecules in all human and animal cells with factors that regulate their production and work as thermostats. In new research published Sept. 16 in the journal eLife, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere report for the first time that a protein called translation elongation factor eEF1A1 orchestrates the entire process of the heart shock response.
People with blood type AB may be more likely to develop memory loss in later years than people with other blood types, according to a study published in the September 10, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Alzheimer’s disease experts at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere are reporting success in specifically harnessing a mouse’s immune system to attack and remove the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain that are markers of the deadly neurodegenerative disease.
Researchers have discovered that three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes. Their finding suggests that, if taken at higher-than-approved doses and/or for long periods of time, these prescription-level NSAIDs and other drugs that affect the membrane may produce wide-ranging and unwanted side effects.
Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease currently have no treatment options to slow brain cell deterioration. Researchers at Houston Methodist’s Nantz National Alzheimer Center are studying an investigational drug that proposes to do just that.
Today, the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) steps up its awareness and fundraising effort “Lewy Who?” to put the brakes on Lewy body dementia (LBD). With symptoms that resemble both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, LBD is the most misdiagnosed form of dementia. Yet, following Alzheimer’s disease, it is the second most common cause of progressive dementia, affecting 1.3 million Americans. Families can fight this debilitating disease while educating others about LBD. LBDA offers five (5) ways to fight: (1) donate, (2) employer matching gifts, (3) plan a community event, (4) volunteer, or (5) partner with LBDA.
A new technique developed by Elisa Konofagou, associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiology at Columbia Engineering, has demonstrated for the first time that the size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier can be controlled using acoustic pressure—the pressure of an ultrasound beam—to let specific molecules through. This innovative method, published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, may help improve drug delivery to the brain.
Even though Lewy body dementia is second only to Alzheimer’s disease as the most common cause of progressive dementia, affecting 1.3 million Americans, the symptoms of LBD are not well recognized by many physicians, especially primary care physicians and other general practitioners. Unfortunately, then, most people are not diagnosed until they are at moderate or severe states, leaving their caregivers unprepared and the patient vulnerable to potentially deadly medication side effects.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers suggests that in older people, not getting enough vitamin D may double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the August 6, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Salk scientists find that a plant used for centuries by healers of São Tomé e Príncipe holds lessons for modern medicine.
A new study gives insight into the relationship between depression and dementia. The study is published in the July 30, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
University of Washington bioengineers have a designed a peptide structure that can stop the harmful changes of the body's normal proteins into a state that's linked to widespread diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and Lou Gehrig's disease.
The groundbreaking scientific studies featured at the 2014 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will include research on a blood test for Alzheimer’s that uses biochip technology, a new test to diagnose colon cancer early, a more accurate method for determining multiple myeloma prognosis, a less stressful test for sleep apnea, and the development of a bank of biospecimens from pregnant women that could prove crucial for women’s health research.
A study involving nearly 27,000 older adults on five continents found that nearly 1 in 10 met criteria for pre-dementia based on a simple test that measures how fast people walk and whether they have cognitive complaints. People who tested positive for pre-dementia were twice as likely as others to develop dementia within 12 years. The study, led by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, was published online on July 16, 2014 in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
A new University of Iowa study, published online July 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals a potential link between epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders.
“I watched my husband experience a decline in cognition followed by a period of what seemed like improved function only to plunge again into confusion with more frequent hallucinations,” says one caregiver newly acquainted with Lewy body dementia (LBD). According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), these ups and downs in function are sometimes refer to by family caregivers as the “roller-coaster effect” of LBD. Fluctuating levels of cognitive ability, attention and alertness are one of the core features of LBD.
Unclogging the body’s protein disposal system may improve memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers in Korea.
Researchers from the NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, the Nathan S. Kline Research Institute and the NYU Alzheimer’s Disease Center (ADC) will present new findings at the 2014 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 12 – 17, 2014.
New research has identified a potential cause of and a better diagnostic method for preeclampsia, one of the most deadly and poorly understood pregnancy-related conditions in the world.
Researchers shed new light on key mechanism in accumulation of protein plaques in Alzheimer’s disease patients; could open new avenues for developing a cure for Alzheimer's disease, which affects 5.2 million in the U.S. alone.
A noninvasive optical imaging device developed at Cedars-Sinai can provide early detection of changes that later occur in the brain and are a classic sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to preliminary results from investigators conducting a clinical trial in Australia. The researchers presented their findings July 15 in an oral presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present new findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) highlights the importance of an accurate Lewy body dementia diagnosis, which may have life-saving implications. Affecting more than 1.3 million Americans, Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the most misdiagnosed form of dementia and, following Alzheimer’s disease, is the second most common cause of progressive dementia. LBD is associated with abnormal protein deposits in the brain, called Lewy bodies, that affect thinking, movement, behavior and mood. It’s difficult to diagnose LBD, because its early symptoms resemble those found in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Many families with a history of Alzheimer’s or related diseases remain unaware they can use preimplantation genetic diagnosis to avoid passing on disease genes to their children. In a two-part series, Alzforum covers the pros and cons of PGD.
Researchers from the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky have been able to confirm anecdotal information on patients with both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) using mouse models in two different studies.
Study finds a modification to the transcriptional protein MEF2 that inhibits the growth of new brain cells and survival of existing cells. The findings show promise for therapeutic intervention for a variety of neurodegenerative disorders.
Older veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 60 percent more likely to later develop dementia than veterans without TBI, according to a study published in the June 25, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Insights into mechanisms behind cocoa’s benefit may lead to new treatments or dietary regimens
The sad news of Casey Kasem’s illness and passing has brought unexpected visibility to a disease unfamiliar to many people. The Lewy Body Dementia Association offers its condolences to the family and friends of Casey Kasem. Mr. Kasem had been suffering from Lewy body dementia (LBD), one of the most debilitating forms of dementia. LBD affects 1.3 million Americans.
A new study at the University of Iowa reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveals that having high levels of cortisol—a natural hormone in our body whose levels surge when we are stressed—can lead to memory lapses as we age.
A new research study at Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine is testing whether a new investigational treatment can slow the memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Columbia Engineering professor Elizabeth M. C. Hillman has identified a new component of the biological mechanism that controls blood flow in the brain, demonstrating that the vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the regulation of blood flow in response to stimulation in the living brain. Understanding how and why the brain regulates its blood flow could provide important clues to understanding early brain development, disease, and aging.
By studying laboratory mice, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University have succeeded in plotting the labyrinthine paths of some of the largest nerve cells in the mammalian brain: cholinergic neurons, the first cells to degenerate in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
UAB is launching a new clinical effort — the first of its type in the US — to prepare a personalized dementia risk assessment for people concerned about their risk for developing memory problems as they age.
Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a compound, called 2-PMAP, in animal studies that reduced by more than half levels of amyloid proteins in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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