Feature Channels: Alzheimer's and Dementia

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Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease can be a complex and time-consuming process, requiring evaluations ranging from brain scans to cognitive and lab tests to reviews of medical history and symptoms. Simpler and faster ways to diagnose the disease are urgently needed. Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $4.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to detect behavioral markers for Alzheimer’s that are present early in the course of the disease, before it can be clinically diagnosed. Results could help scientists identify people at risk for Alzheimer’s and related problems, such as falls, and lead to new preventive strategies.

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A study is the first to examine if sex significantly affects cognitive outcomes in people who follow individually-tailored, multi-domain clinical interventions. The study also determined whether change in risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), along with blood markers of AD risk, also were affected by sex. Results showed that while care in an Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic setting is equally effective at improving cognitive function in both women and men, the personally-tailored interventions used by the researchers led to greater improvements in women compared to men across AD and CVD disease risk scales, as well blood biomarkers of risk such as blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, and the diabetes test HbA1C. Findings are important because women are disproportionately affected by AD and population-attributable risk models suggest that managing risk factors can prevent up to one-third of dementia cases.

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Three of four blood tests used to identify people in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease perform differently in Black individuals compared to white individuals, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Such differences may put Black patients at risk of misdiagnosis.

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Alzheimer’s disease is marked by a loss of functional neurons in the brain.

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Cardiovascular disease risk factors, like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking, are believed to play key roles in the likelihood of developing cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. A new study suggests that people who accumulate these risk factors over time, at a faster pace, have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia or vascular dementia, compared to people whose risk factors remain stable throughout life. The research is published in the April 20, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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To help address the rising tide of Alzheimer’s disease nationwide, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with faculty at Pennsylvania State University and other institutions, have received a five-year, $32 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the ongoing Einstein Aging Study (EAS), which focuses on both normal aging and the special challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias. EAS was established at Einstein in 1980 and has been continuously funded by the NIH.

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A test of protein in the blood gets further support as a biomarker for patients diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a group of brain disorders with few treatment options. These disorders are characterized by changes in behavior, cognition, language or movement.

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A new study from Case Western Reserve University suggests a key protein molecule plays a major role in the accumulation of brain cholesterol, triggering the development of Alzheimer’s and supporting the use of peptide inhibitors as a therapeutic treatment target. The study found that mice, when treated with the peptide inhibitor, demonstrated 50% restored memory function, based on testing such as navigating mazes.

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A new study discloses that firearm retailers and law enforcement agencies support providing firearm storage to their community.

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Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Clinical Trials channel on Newswise.

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In a new study conducted in rats, scientists report evidence that vitamin K could help protect against aging-related cognitive declines associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

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Funded through a $418,000 R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, assistant professor Emily Cope, associate professor Greg Caporaso and professor Egbert Schwartz recently began working together on “Development of in vivo quantitative stable isotope probing to quantify microbiome dynamics in Alzheimer’s disease.”

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A new study from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson finds that (Aβ) accumulation in AD is associated with reduced blood flow to the brain, known as cerebral hypoperfusion.

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Nearly half of all older adults now die with a diagnosis of dementia listed on their medical record, up 36% from two decades ago, a new study shows. But that sharp rise may have more to do with better public awareness, more detailed medical records and Medicare billing practices than an actual rise in the condition, the researchers say.

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A small, preliminary study of an investigational new drug being studied for mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease suggests it is safe and may be associated with improvements in executive function, thinking and memory skills. The study is released today, March 31, 2022, and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting being held in person in Seattle, April 2 to 7, 2022 and virtually, April 24 to 26, 2022. The drug, called SAGE-718, is also in clinical trials for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

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Cedars-Sinai neurology experts are available to discuss the latest advances in research and clinical care for patients with disorders of the nervous system ahead of the 74th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), happening April 2-7.

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According to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, people with dementia or a pre-existing disability who receive timely and appropriate treatment for ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot) may avoid additional disability and the subsequent health and financial impacts of stroke.

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BrainHQ exercises have been shown to be effective in hundreds of studies across varied populations, with benefits that include gains on standard measures of cognition (ie, attention, speed, memory, and decision-making), and quality of life (ie, mood, self-rated health, and health-related quality of life), as well as in real-world activities (eg, gait or balance, driving, listening, and work). BrainHQ is available, without charge to users, through leading Medicare Advantage plans, retirement communities, libraries, medical centers, and employers. Consumers can try BrainHQ for free at brainhq.com.

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Mayo Clinic researchers have proposed a new model for mapping the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease to brain anatomy. This model was developed by applying machine learning to patient brain imaging data. The findings are reported in Nature Communications.

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Cedars-Sinai announced today a $10 million gift to establish the Bernard and Maxine Platzer Lynn Family Memory and Healthy Aging Program in the Department of Neurology. The program will broaden the scope of age-related care at Cedars-Sinai—with a focus on healthy aging, patient independence, care coordination, and brain health.

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The molecular processes caused by a TREM2 (Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2) gene mutation in the brain’s microglia immune cells can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine. While many immune cell genes have been associated with Alzheimer’s, the odds are increased two to three times by mutations in TREM2. However, the processes by which these mutations change the function of microglia cells have not been identified until now.

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These are promising findings adding to a growing body of evidence showing that virtual reality can be used to measure cognition and related everyday functioning effectively and accurately. The next steps will be to confirm these results and expand research into conditions characterised by cognitive complaints and functional difficulties such as psychosis and Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common and best known of the tauopathies, a set of neurodegenerative brain diseases caused by toxic tangles of the protein tau. A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that targeting astrocytes — an inflammatory cell in the brain — reduces tau-related brain damage and inflammation in mice.

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Now a couple of years after this discovery, Pete Nelson, the R.C. Durr Foundation Chair in Alzheimer's Disease at the University of Kentucky, is working towards the second part of the dream, with the world’s first clinical trial for LATE officially underway by his colleagues at UK.

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Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a new set of molecular markers in blood plasma. This discovery could lead to the development of improved diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 6.2 million people in the U.S. The Mayo Clinic study, published in eBioMedicine, is the first study to focus on RNA molecules in plasma as biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans — the population at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. This approach enabled researchers to pinpoint specific molecules in plasma that could serve as biomarkers to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in this population.

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The Dementia Care Study (D-CARE), a nation-wide clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of different approaches to caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, has reached its recruitment goal by enrolling 2,176 persons living with dementia and their caregivers

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Mayo Clinic researchers say senolytic drugs can boost a key protein in the body that protects older people against aspects of aging and a range of diseases. Their findings, which are published in eBioMedicine demonstrate this in mice and human studies. Senolytics developed at Mayo Clinic and given once clear the bloodstream of senescent or "zombie" cells. These cells contribute to multiple diseases and negative aspects of aging. This study shows that the removal of senescent cells significantly boosts the production of a protective protein called a-klotho.

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Cognitive decline is the biggest factor in determining how long patients with Alzheimer’s disease will live after being diagnosed, according to a new study from researchers at UT Southwestern. The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, are a first step that could help health care providers provide reliable prediction and planning assistance for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

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The 147th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (taking place in-person October 22–25, 2022 in Chicago) will explore new frontiers in neurology, including climate change and the brain, lab-grown brain structures for studying disease, and addressing disparities in neurologic care.

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New Neuroscience Institute to Focus Research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and will treat patients with other neurological conditions, including epilepsy, seizures and Alzheimer’s Disease

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A Johns Hopkins Medicine study of about 50 people with Alzheimer’s disease has added to evidence that damage to the inner ear system that controls balance is a major factor in patients’ well-documented higher risk of falling.

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The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has been around for nearly half a century. In that time, they have built an international reputation for best-in-class research into a disease that kills more people every year than breast and prostate cancer combined – Alzheimer’s disease. There are several components to the ongoing research at Sanders-Brown, one is exploring ways to detect Alzheimer’s earlier in a person’s life.

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Researchers have received grants from the Florida Department of Health’s Ed and Ethel Moore Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, for programs focused on the mechanism of genes involved in neurodegeneration using novel genetic models, and to develop a culturally relevant model to diagnose and manage dementia in rural underserved communities.

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Don't miss these articles in our Staff Picks channel

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As scientists around the world seek for solutions for Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reveals that two indigenous groups in the Bolivian Amazon have among the lowest rates of dementia in the world.

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Researchers have discovered two types of brain cells that play a key role in dividing continuous human experience into distinct segments that can be recalled later. The discovery provides new promise as a path toward development of novel treatments for memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study released today, February 27, 2022, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting being held in person in Seattle, April 2 to 7, 2022 and virtually, April 24 to 26, 2022.

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