Feature Channels: Alzheimer's and Dementia

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Released: 25-Jul-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Cylindrical Cell Structure Parts May Aid in Targeting Diseases Such as Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
Virginia Tech

Jianhua Xing, a Virginia Tech assistant professor of biology, and his colleagues recommend further study of how rope-like polymers called microtubules function. They computational comparations of two models of microtubules, a component of cell cytoskeletons.

23-Jul-2012 1:00 PM EDT
New Research Determines How a Single Brain Trauma May Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease
Tufts University

A study, performed in mice and utilizing post-mortem samples of brains from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, found that a single event of a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can disrupt proteins that regulate an enzyme associated with Alzheimer’s. The paper, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, identifies the complex mechanisms that result in a rapid and robust post-injury elevation of the enzyme in the brain.

16-Jul-2012 9:00 AM EDT
NYU Langone Medical Center’s Tip Sheet to the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease
NYU Langone Health

Experts from the Comprehensive Center on Brain Aging at NYU Langone Medical Center will present new research at The 2012 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 14 – July 19.

13-Jul-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Slow Gait Tied to Higher Risk of Cognitive Decline
Mayo Clinic

Problems walking including slow gait and a short stride are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered.

10-Jul-2012 3:10 PM EDT
New Biomarker in the Blood May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Higher levels of a certain fat in the blood called ceramides may increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the July 18, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 18-Jul-2012 3:45 PM EDT
Research Identifies Link Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Diabetes
Rutgers University

Researchers have provided direct experimental evidence linking diabetes to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The study also identified an experimental model that could become an important new tool for AD research.

Released: 18-Jul-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Are Cardiac Risk Factors Linked to Less Blood Flow to the Brain?
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Metabolic syndrome, a term used to describe a combination of risk factors that often lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, seems to be linked to lower blood flow to the brain, according to research by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

10-Jul-2012 2:45 PM EDT
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Doubles Risk of Death
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center found that people with a form of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease, have twice the risk of dying compared with cognitively normal people. Those with dementia have three times the risk. The findings are being presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver this week.

13-Jul-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Mayo Clinic Maps Brain, Finds Alzheimer’s Patients Drive Differently
Mayo Clinic

Activity lingers longer in certain areas of the brain in those with Alzheimer’s than it does in healthy people, Mayo Clinic researchers who created a map of the brain found. The results suggest varying brain activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, “Non-stationarity in the “Resting Brain’s” Modular Architecture,” was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and recently published in the journal PLoS One.

10-Jul-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Timeline Maps Brain’s Descent Into Alzheimer’s
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists have assembled the most detailed chronology to date of the human brain’s long, slow slide into full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.

Released: 10-Jul-2012 5:05 PM EDT
Understanding Why Seniors Wander Could Keep Them Safe
Harris Health System

Dangers of seniors wandering off and getting lost can often end in tragedy and appear to be more common as evident by the steady announcements of Silver Alerts, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, across the country. The problem is so widespread that understanding why seniors wander could help keep them safe and avoid tragic consequences, say geriatric experts from the Harris County Hospital District.

Released: 10-Jul-2012 1:25 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s: Does It Have to Be Part of Aging?
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

CIHR experts available to discuss the scientific basis behind the disease

Released: 5-Jul-2012 8:00 AM EDT
CIHR Wants to Give Reporters All the Background Information They Need About the State of Alzheimer’s Research in Canada
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

In light of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference taking place in Vancouver next July, CIHR wants to give reporters all the background information they need about the state of Alzheimer’s research.

Released: 26-Jun-2012 2:00 PM EDT
Post-Anesthesia Dementia, Like Alzheimer's, Looks Micro-'Tubular'
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona

Modern anesthesia is extremely safe. But as risks to heart, lungs and other organs have waned, another problem has emerged in the elderly: post-operative cognitive dysfunction. Mentally, some patients “just aren’t the same” for months or longer after surgery. Other factors play a role, but a small number of patients deteriorate mentally due to anesthesia per se. Those with Alzheimer’s disease suffer exacerbations, and those without the diagnosis may have it unmasked by anesthesia, suggesting some relationship.

Released: 21-Jun-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Preventing or Better Managing Diabetes May Prevent Cognitive Decline
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Preventing diabetes or delaying its onset has been thought to stave off cognitive decline -- a connection strongly supported by the results of a 9-year study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Released: 20-Jun-2012 9:00 AM EDT
Mount Sinai Is First Institution in New York State to Perform New Alzheimer’s Imaging Test on Patients in Clinical Setting
Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Medical Center is the first institution in New York State to use in the clinical setting a newly approved imaging technique to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in people who are cognitively impaired. Until now, physicians have been limited in their ability to diagnose AD, guided almost exclusively by a patient’s mental and behavioral symptoms and family history.

18-Jun-2012 12:30 PM EDT
Penn Study Describes Molecular Machinery That Pulls Apart Protein Clumps
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

In a new study published in PLoS Biology this week researchers address an urgent need to find ways to promote beneficial amyloid fiber assembly or to reverse its pathogenic assembly, at will.

8-Jun-2012 4:30 PM EDT
New Discovery Closes in on Genetic Link Between Alzheimer’s and Diabetes
Genetics Society of America

Research published in the Genetics Society of America’s June 2012 issue of the journal GENETICS suggests a gene related to Alzheimer’s disease is also involved in the insulin pathway, which may explain the link between Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

7-Jun-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Keeping Pace: Walking Speed May Signal Thinking Problems Ahead
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

A new study shows that changes in walking speed in late life may signal the early stages of dementia known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The research is published in the June 12, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 7-Jun-2012 10:00 AM EDT
Lewy Body Dementia Association Is Making October “a Month to Remember” with Volunteers “Standing Strong” with LBDA to Promote Awareness
Lewy Body American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)Dementia Association

The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) launched its nationwide October awareness movement, “A Month To Remember.” LBDA invites volunteers to join the movement by “Standing Strong with LBDA” to build awareness for Lewy body dementia in their communities.

30-May-2012 2:00 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s Protein Structure Suggests New Treatment Directions
Vanderbilt University

The molecular structure of a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease – and the surprising discovery that it binds cholesterol – could lead to new therapeutics for the disease, Vanderbilt University investigators report in the June 1 issue of the journal Science.

Released: 22-May-2012 3:20 PM EDT
Researchers Find Possible Role of Autoantibodies in Alzheimer’s
Rutgers University

Research demonstrates how dying or damaged brain cells give rise to autoantibodies in blood that can be reliable biomarkers for early AD diagnosis. Key mechanism mirrors process common to autoimmune disorders.

22-May-2012 2:30 PM EDT
Working with Solvents Tied to Cognitive Problems for Less-Educated People
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Exposure to solvents at work may be associated with reduced thinking skills later in life for those who have less than a high school education, according to a study published in the May 29, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 18-May-2012 10:45 AM EDT
People with Asthma Get the Green Light for Exercise
Health Behavior News Service

Not only is it safe for people with asthma to exercise, but doing so could reduce their risk of asthma symptoms or attacks, according to a new evidence review in The Cochrane Library.

Released: 10-May-2012 10:00 AM EDT
Reducing Brain Activity Improves Memory After Cognitive Decline
 Johns Hopkins University

Research suggests a new approach to improving memory and interrupting disease progression in patients with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.

4-May-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Midlife and Late-Life Depressive Symptoms Associated with Dementia
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Depressive symptoms that are present in midlife or in late life are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

4-May-2012 3:30 PM EDT
Purpose in Life May Protect Against Harmful Changes in the Brain Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease
RUSH

Greater purpose in life may help stave off the harmful effects of plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

7-May-2012 1:15 PM EDT
Deep Brain Stimulation May Hold Promise for Mild Alzheimer’s Disease
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific “memory” regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson’s disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure.

Released: 3-May-2012 12:30 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s Smell Test Not Ready for Prime Time
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Current research does not support the use of smell tests for predicting Alzheimer’s dementia, according to a comprehensive review.

25-Apr-2012 4:00 PM EDT
Eating Fish, Chicken, Nuts May Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

A new study suggests that eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, chicken, salad dressing and nuts, may be associated with lower blood levels of a protein related to Alzheimer’s disease and memory problems. The research is published in the May 2, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1-May-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Scientists Gain New Understanding of Alzheimer's Trigger
University of Virginia

A highly toxic beta-amyloid – a protein that exists in the brains of Alzheimer's disease victims – has been found to greatly increase the toxicity of other more common and less toxic beta-amyloids, serving as a possible "trigger" for the advent and development of Alzheimer's, researchers at the University of Virginia and German biotech company Probiodrug have discovered.

26-Apr-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Neuro Researchers Sharpen Our Understanding of Memories
Universite de Montreal

Scientists now have a better understanding of how precise memories are formed thanks to research led by Prof. Jean-Claude Lacaille of the University of Montreal’s Department of Physiology. “In terms of human applications, these findings could help us to better understand memory impairments in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease,” Lacaille said. The study looks at the cells in our brains, or neurons, and how they work together as a group to form memories.

Released: 1-May-2012 5:00 PM EDT
Biosynthetic Grape-Derived Compound Prevents Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease in Animal Model
Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have succeeded in developing a biosynthetic polyphenol that improves cognitive function in mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The findings, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, provide insight in determining the feasibility of biosynthetic polyphenols as a possible therapy for AD in humans, a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure.

Released: 1-May-2012 5:00 PM EDT
Researchers Gain Better Understanding of the Mechanism Behind Tau Spreading in the Brain and the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have gained insight into the mechanism by which a pathological brain protein called tau contributes to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. This finding, published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, may provide the basis for future investigations on how to prevent tau from damaging brain circuits involved in cognitive function.

26-Apr-2012 1:20 PM EDT
Computer Use and Exercise Combo May Reduce the Odds of Having Memory Loss
Mayo Clinic

You think your computer has a lot of memory … if you keep using your computer you may, too. Combining mentally stimulating activities, such as using a computer, with moderate exercise decreases your odds of having memory loss more than computer use or exercise alone, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Previous studies have shown that exercising your body and your mind will help your memory but the new study, published in the May 2012 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, reports a synergistic interaction between computer activities and moderate exercise in “protecting” the brain function in people better than 70 years old.

19-Apr-2012 4:00 PM EDT
Clinical Decline in Alzheimer’s Requires Plaque and Proteins
UC San Diego Health

According to a new study, the neuron-killing pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which begins before clinical symptoms appear, requires the presence of both amyloid-beta (a-beta) plaque deposits and elevated levels of an altered protein called p-tau.

Released: 19-Apr-2012 5:00 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s Plaques Disrupt Brain Networks
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that brain plaques in mice are associated with disruption of the ability of brain regions to network with each other.

Released: 19-Apr-2012 12:50 PM EDT
Daily Physical Activity May Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease Risk at Any Age
RUSH

Daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80, according to a new study by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center.

10-Apr-2012 11:40 AM EDT
Get Moving: Daily Exercise May Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease Risk at Any Age
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Daily physical exercise may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, even in people over the age of 80, according to a study published in the April 18, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10-Apr-2012 1:05 PM EDT
Daily Physical Activity May Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease Risk at Any Age
RUSH

Daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80, according to a new study by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center.

Released: 16-Apr-2012 11:00 AM EDT
Researcher Addresses Causes and Treatment Strategies for Alzheimer’s
Boise State University

Boise State University biologist Dr. Troy Rohn describes current Alzheimer's research.

12-Apr-2012 2:15 PM EDT
How Parkinson’s Disease Starts and Spreads
The Rockefeller University Press

Injection of a small amount of clumped protein triggers a cascade of events leading to a Parkinson’s-like disease in mice, according to an article in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

10-Apr-2012 1:00 PM EDT
New Method May Help Detect Marker for Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Use of a new drug to detect the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that are hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s disease may help doctors diagnose the disease earlier, according to research that will be presented as part of the Emerging Science program (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.

12-Apr-2012 3:00 PM EDT
New Genes Linked to Brain Size, Intelligence
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A global team has mapped the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain’s resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer’s disease. The UCLA-launched study also uncovered new genes that explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence

Released: 10-Apr-2012 5:00 PM EDT
New MRI Technique May Predict Progress of Dementias
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new technique for analyzing brain images offers the possibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the rate of progression and physical path of many degenerative brain diseases, report scientists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

Released: 6-Apr-2012 3:00 PM EDT
Pulse Pressure Linked to Risk of CVD in Alzheimer's
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have shown that elevated pulse pressure may increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

27-Mar-2012 2:45 PM EDT
Memory Declines Faster In Years Closest to Death; Mental Activity Best Protection
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

New research finds that a person’s memory declines at a faster rate in the two- and-a-half years before death than at any other time after memory problems first begin. A second study shows that keeping mentally fit through board games or reading may be the best way to preserve memory during late life. Both studies are published in the April 4, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29-Mar-2012 11:00 AM EDT
Former Pro Pitcher Now Keeps ‘Strike Zone’ in Proteins
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Perhaps no other biochemist in the world has his own baseball card, but Elih Velázquez-Delgado, who gave up pro ball for science, does. The doctoral student is about to publish his first academic paper on caspase-6, an enzyme that’s causally involved in Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases.



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