Feature Channels: Alzheimer's and Dementia

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Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center, Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health will be participating in a multicenter clinical trial to study the safety and efficacy of escitalopram, an antidepressant, for the treatment of agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease. This study is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Johns Hopkins University is the principal site and Hackensack University Medical Center will begin enrolling patients in the study starting in September 2021.

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Amyloid plaques found in the retinas of eyes may be an indicator of similar plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, and may provide a more visible biomarker for detecting disease risk.

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The highest-ever resolution imaging of an infectious prion provides the first atomic-level data of how these abnormal proteins are assembled to cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in people and animals—and how they can be potentially targeted by new therapies.

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A recent experimental study shows how regular physical exercise modulates iron metabolism in both the brain and the muscles.

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Proteins are the "tools" of our cells – they are essential to all vital tasks.

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People with mentally stimulating jobs have a lower risk of dementia in old age than those with non-stimulating jobs, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

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Expert Q&A: Do breakthrough cases mean we will soon need COVID boosters? The extremely contagious Delta variant continues to spread, prompting mask mandates, proof of vaccination, and other measures. Media invited to ask the experts about these and related topics.

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Neurobiologists have uncovered the mechanisms behind the maintenance and decline of key synapses implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest an alternative approach to addressing such brain disorders.

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NIH Awards $15 million to Wake Forest School of Medicine for Alzheimer’s Research

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Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, with colleagues from multiple research centers, will study the genomics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in people with African heritage throughout the United States.

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UCLA researchers have successfully grown restorative brain cells in large batches suitable for transplantation in patients. The therapy is designed to repair damage to the brain from white matter stroke, a “silent stroke” that can kick off years of cognitive deterioration and can accelerate Alzheimer’s disease. A new paper is published in the journal Stem Cell Research.

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MINNEAPOLIS – People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease, when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the drugs and people without diabetes. The new study, published in the August 11, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.

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Because there is no ethical way to extract brain tissue from patients to look for clues about how amyloid plaques and protein aggregates proliferate, supplementary techniques are needed to better understand the progression of Alzheimer's disease. During ACA's 71st annual meeting, Abdullah Al Bashit, from Northeastern University, will discuss using computational techniques to help address these challenges. His work demonstrates how using small and wide-angle scattering along with state-of-the-art detection techniques will help probe the molecular structure and proliferation.

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Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have added to evidence that a protein called CaMKII improves strength, endurance, muscle health and fitness in young animals. Their experiments working with mice and fruit flies, however, found that the gene for CaMKII also contributes to an evolutionary tradeoff: increased susceptibility to age-associated diseases, frailty and mortality.

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Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region — one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 — University of Washington researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia.

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In a sample of over 400 older adults in Argentina who had recovered from COVID-19, more than 60% displayed some degree of cognitive impairment, a researcher from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reported July 29 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

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A five-year, nearly $6 million grant from the National Institute on Aging will allow investigators with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics to use artificial intelligence (AI) to advance Alzheimer’s disease research.

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NEWS STORIES IN THIS ISSUE: -Study: Race and Ethnicity May Impact Prevalence and Treatment of Heart Valve Dysfunction -Johns Hopkins Medicine Suggests Eliminating Nerve Cell Protein May Stop ALS, Dementia -Researchers Tell Doctors to Avoid Routine Urinary Tests for Older Patients with Delirium -Johns Hopkins Medicine Researchers Show How Air Pollution May Cause Chronic Sinusitis -Researchers ID Location on Brain Protein Linked to Parkinson’s Disease Development -COVID-19 News: The Return of Onsite Schooling — and How to Keep Your Kids Safe from COVID

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Obesity is a major public health issue among Latinos, and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. But in a new study, researchers at UC San Diego report that cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as hypertension, are more strongly associated with cognitive decline than obesity alone.