Dementia News

August 20, 2016

Gene Signature in Healthy Brains: Alzheimer's

Middle-Age Memory Decline as a Change of Focus

THC Cuts Alzheimer's Proteins from Brain Cells

Imaging Links Alzheimer's Decline to Tau Protein

Latest Headlines

updated 11:04am EDT

From Pollution to Caffeine Intake: Researcher Reveals Dementia Risks

Aug. 19, 2016 — Dementia strikes 47 million people worldwide. Yet scientists are still urgently trying to find why the disease affects some but not others. Among the findings from the latest research are that eating ... read more

Calcium Supplements Linked to Dementia Risk in Women With Certain Health Conditions

Aug. 17, 2016 — Calcium supplements may be associated with an increased risk of dementia in older women who have had a stroke or other signs of cerebrovascular ... read more

New Mechanism Discovered for Alzheimer's Risk Gene

Aug. 17, 2016 — Scientists reveal why people with the ApoE4 gene are more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease--the subset of the disorder occurring in people ... read more

Diet and Exercise Can Reduce Protein Build-Ups Linked to Alzheimer's, Study Shows

Aug. 16, 2016 — A healthy diet, regular physical activity and a normal body mass index can reduce the incidence of protein build-ups that are associated with the ... read more

Alzheimer Fibrils at Atomic Resolution

Aug. 5, 2016 — Elongated fibers (fibrils) of the beta-amyloid protein form the typical senile plaques present in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. A research team has ... read more

Study Suggests 'Use It or Lose It' to Defend Against Memory Loss

Aug. 3, 2016 — Researchers have identified a protein essential for building memories that appears to predict the progression of memory loss and brain atrophy in Alzheimer's patients. Their findings suggest there is ... read more

Exercise Results in Larger Brain Size and Lowered Dementia Risk

Aug. 2, 2016 — Regular physical activity for older adults could lead to higher brain volumes and a reduced risk for developing dementia. It particularly affected the size of the hippocampus, which controls ... read more

More Evidence in Quest to Repurpose Cancer Drugs for Alzheimer's Disease

July 27, 2016 — An FDA approved drug to treat renal cell carcinoma appears to reduce levels of a toxic brain protein linked to dementia in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases when given to animals. This finding is ... read more

New Research Adds Evidence on Potential Treatments Targeting Amyloid Beta in Alzheimer's

July 28, 2016 — New research could provide additional clues for future treatment targets to delay Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, according to the group's ... read more

Smell Test May Predict Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

July 26, 2016 — An odor identification test may prove useful in predicting cognitive decline and detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, according to new ... read more

Aging Suit Simulates Ailments of Getting Older

'Boot Camp' Could Help Brain Grow, Prevent Dementia

Eye Movement Link to Alzheimer's

Carter Announces His Brain Is Cancer-Free

Researchers Unveil New Data, Diagnostic Tool at the World's Largest Alzheimer's Forum

July 26, 2016 — A new diagnostic tool that can identify Alzheimer's disease long before the onset of symptoms has been presented by researchers. They add that the tool also highlights the increasing prevalence ... read more

Among the Oldest Adults, Poor Balance May Signal Higher Risk for Dementia

July 25, 2016 — In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers examined whether four different measures of poor physical performance might be linked to increased dementia risk for people aged 90 and ... read more

Alzheimer's Disease in HIV-Positive Patient

July 25, 2016 — The first case of Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in an HIV-positive individual has been documented. The finding in a 71-year-old man triggers a realization about HIV survivors now reaching the ... read more

Using Tau Imaging as Diagnostic Marker for Alzheimer Disease

July 25, 2016 — The accumulation of ?-Amyloid and tau proteins in the brain is hallmark pathology for Alzheimer disease. Recently developed positron emission tomography (PET) tracers, including [18F]-AV-1451, bind ... read more

Does a Dementia Diagnosis Have a Silver Lining? Study Suggests It Can

July 25, 2016 — In a study of 48 adults with a diagnosis of Early Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment, almost half reported positive changes in life outlook and quality of life, countering the assumption that this ... read more

Designer Protein Gives New Hope to Scientists Studying Alzheimer's Disease

July 22, 2016 — Researchers have designed a new protein which strongly resembles Abeta. In people with Alzheimer's, Amyloid-beta (Abeta) proteins stick together to make amyloid fibrils which form clumps between ... read more

Three Alzheimer's Genetic Risk Factors Linked to Immune Cell Dysfunction

July 20, 2016 — A new study has uncovered details of how a type of immune cell helps the brain get rid of the tiny amyloid-beta aggregates that can clump together to form the plaques characteristic of ... read more

Step Forward Searching for an Early Biomarker of Alzheimer's Disease

July 19, 2016 — The abnormal pattern of functional connectivity in patients with mild cognitive impairment can be considered an indicator of the alterations in the functioning of neurons due to the onset of ... read more

Toxic Alzheimer's Protein Spreads Through Brain Via Extracellular Space

July 18, 2016 — A toxic Alzheimer's protein can spread through the brain via the extracellular space that surrounds the brain's neurons, finds a new ... read more

Scientists Discover How Proteins in the Brain Build-Up Rapidly in Alzheimer's

July 18, 2016 — Researchers have identified -- and shown that it may be possible to control -- the mechanism that leads to the rapid build-up of the disease-causing 'plaques' that are characteristic of ... read more

Mental, Physical Exercises Produce Distinct Brain Benefits

July 18, 2016 — Cognitive brain training improves executive function whereas aerobic activity improves memory, according to new ... read more

3-D Imaging Reveals Unexpected Arrangement of Plaques in Alzheimer's-Afflicted Brains

July 14, 2016 — Researchers have used a recently-developed imaging technique that makes tissue transparent to visualize brain tissue from deceased patients with Alzheimer's disease, exposing nonrandom, ... read more

Driving Ability of People With Cognitive Impairment Difficult to Assess: Research Review

July 13, 2016 — No single assessment tool is able to consistently determine driving ability in people with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, a research review has ... read more

Amyloid Probes Gain Powers in Search for Alzheimer's Cause

July 11, 2016 — A synthetic molecule with a rhenium core glows when attached to an amyloid fibril in the process of aggregating into a plaque, and brighter still when hit with ultraviolet light, report scientists. ... read more

Link Found Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Parkinson's, but Not Alzheimer's

July 11, 2016 — Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a loss of consciousness (LOC) may be associated with later development of Parkinson's disease but not Alzheimer's disease or incident dementia, new ... read more

Association Discovered Between Atrial Fibrillation, Reduced Frontal Lobe Brain Volumes

July 11, 2016 — People who experience the heart arrhythmia atrial fibrillation, may also suffer from a smaller brain, specifically reduced frontal lobe volume, according to a recent Framingham Heart ... read more

Promising New Methods for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease

July 8, 2016 — New methods to examine the brain and spinal fluid heighten the chance of early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. These findings may have important implications for early detection of the ... read more

Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease May Be Detectable Even in Young Adults

July 6, 2016 — A genetic risk score may detect those at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear—even possibly in healthy young adults, according to a new ... read more

Artificial Intelligence May Aid in Alzheimer's Diagnosis

July 6, 2016 — Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computer programs to learn when exposed to new data without being programmed. Now, researchers have coupled machine learning methods ... read more

Genetically Engineered Mice Suggest New Model for How Alzheimer's Causes Dementia

July 4, 2016 — Using a novel, newly developed mouse model that mimics the development of Alzheimer's disease in humans, researchers say they have been able to determine that a one-two punch of major biological ... read more

Tuesday, July 26, 2016