British scientists have made the biggest breakthrough for more than 15 years in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
Their landmark research could revolutionise the understanding of a condition that blights the lives of 400,000 Britons and their families.
It could cut the rate of new cases by a fifth – 100,000 a year in the UK alone. British and French teams have identified rogue genes responsible for one in five cases of the disease. The search is now on for drugs to combat them.
The research has also raised the possibility that Alzheimer’s may be caused by inflammation of the brain. This means anti-inflammatory medicines already in common use, including aspirin and ibuprofen, could help ward off or even treat Alzheimer’s.
Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: ‘These findings are a leap forward for dementia research.
‘At a time when we have yet to find ways of halting this devastating condition, the development is likely to spark off numerous new ideas and collaborations in the race for a cure.’
Alzheimers
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of illness characterized by a progressive loss of memory and other cognitive functions. This includes loss of ability to carry out routine daily activities, self care and even social graces.
Alzheimer’s can begin slowly and be quite subtle with only mild recall difficulties. Patients with then slowly start to forget .
Data from the latest work, a team effort of several UK universities, was shared with French researchers who identified a third gene, CR1, also reported in the journal.
The two genes uncovered by the UK team – CLU and PICALM – are both known to have protective roles in the brain.
Changes in the genes may either remove that protective effect or turn the “protectors into attackers”, the researchers said.
One of the team, Professor Kevin Morgan from the University of Nottingham, explained that the pathways highlighted by the discovery include those involved in the turnover of cholesterol and part of the immune system involved in inflammation.
“These new pathways highlight potential new avenues for treatment using conventional drugs.
“The question now is if we lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation, could we modify the risk of people getting Alzheimer’s disease.”
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September 15th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
The dementia affecting hundreds of thousands of Britons may be a legacy of the Second World War, a scientist has claimed.
Research presented at a conference in York yesterday suggested that traumatic stress can trigger Alzheimer’s and other conditions.
More than 700,000 people suffer from dementia in the UK and Dr Karen Ritchie, from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research, believes that many of today’s cases could have been caused by armed combat, or by the Blitz.
Her claims are based on studies of French citizens forcibly expelled from Algeria in the 1950s.
Known as the ‘pieds noirs’, they had crossed the Mediterranean and many had settled in the coastal district around Montpelier, where the research was conducted.
She said: ‘They had suffered extreme stress, losing their homes, and having their lives threatened, sometimes by people who were once their neighbours.
‘The ones who had the worst symptoms (of dementia) now were those who had suffered most at the time.
‘These people needed help when they were ten or 20, not when they were 65.’
Dr Ritchie continued: ‘Although research has not been carried out on Second World War veterans it is fair to assume that a lot of the dementia we have here in that age group is a result of the war.
‘There are people around the world still suffering the trauma of war and other disasters and they too could be part of future generations of dementia.
‘We in the post-war generation are lucky to have escaped that kind of large-scale trauma, but it does raise the question of how we would cope if we were faced now with that kind of situation.’
She added: ‘We are all a bit like Russian dolls. It may be the child inside us that carries the risk factor.’
Dr Ritchie told the conference of the Dementia Services Development Centre that today’s UK troops would not suffer the same way because they were trained in advance to deal with traumatic situations.
However other causes of trauma, including child abuse, could lay the foundations for dementia in later life.
At the same time other risk factors based on lifestyle, such as obesity, smoking, poor diet and low educational attainment could be modified.
‘Prevention of dementia should start in the teens and twenties,’ she said. ‘By the time the symptoms appear it is too late.’
Other important factors include depression and certain drugs – especially in women – and heart disease, strokes, and diabetes, which were more likely to affect men.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:55 am
ScienceDaily (Oct. 12, 2009) — The action of a small protein that is a major villain in Alzheimer’s disease can be counterbalanced with another brain protein, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.
The findings, available online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest a promising new tactic against the devastating illness, the researchers said.
The harmful protein, called beta-amyloid, is found in the brain and, when functioning properly, suppresses nerve activity involved with memory and learning. Its normal function can be likened to a red traffic light, restraining nerve cells from getting overexcited when they receive stimulating signals from neighboring cells. People with Alzheimer’s disease, however, accumulate too much beta-amyloid – the traffic light gets stuck on “red” and nerve cells become less responsive.
Another brain protein, called Reelin, acts as a “green light,” stimulating nerve cells to respond more strongly to their neighbors’ signals.
The new study shows that applying Reelin directly to brain slices from mice prevents excess beta-amyloid from completely silencing nerves.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006122330.htm
October 14th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Scientists have discovered a trio of genetic mutations that account for nearly 100,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease in Britain today.
Three genes that protect the brain from damage and ensure neurons work properly were found to be impaired in many patients with the disease, in the largest genetic study of the condition yet.
The work has been hailed as a “huge step” towards earlier testing and better treatment for Alzheimer’s and is the first in 15 years to find new genes associated with the disease.
Previously, scientists knew of only one gene, called APOE4, which increases the risk of developing the most common form of the disease.
“If we were able to remove the detrimental effects of these genes, we could reduce the proportion of people suffering Alzheimer’s disease by approximately 20%,” said Julie Williams, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Cardiff University. “In the UK alone this would prevent just under 100,000 people developing the disease.”
About 417,000 people have Alzheimer’s disease in Britain, the vast majority of whom have the late-onset form that develops after the age of 65. A very rare form of Alzheimer’s disease that runs in families can affect much younger people.
Scientists believe that genes account for 80% of our chance of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s, the rest coming from lifestyle and environmental factors.
The newly discovered genes have challenged scientists’ thinking on how Alzheimer’s disease develops in older people. Patients often suffer inflammation of the brain, an effect that was thought to be a symptom of the disease. But the latest findings suggest that unchecked inflammation may actually play a role in causing the condition.
Scientists believe they will find more genes linked to Alzheimer’s that in future could help in assessing a person’s risk of developing the disorder.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/06/alzheimers-disease-genes-research
October 14th, 2009 at 2:35 am
A failing memory may not be the first mental problem to signal the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, research suggests.
A University of Kansas study found a decline in other thinking and learning skills may be a warning sign years before diagnosis.
The spatial skills, such as reading a map or completing a jigsaw, seem to be the first to falter.
The Archives of Neurology study may help doctors to identify Alzheimer’s at an earlier stage.
This is key as current drugs are more likely to have a significant impact if given when the disease is still in its early stages.
The latest study is based on 444 people, of whom 134 developed dementia.
In each case the participants underwent a battery of mental skills tests, and this allowed the researchers to construct computer models showing how and if these skills declined prior to a diagnosis of dementia.
The results showed that visuospatial skills – required to perceive the distance between objects – began to decline sharply three years before diagnosis.
An overall decline in mental abilities was seen in the following year.
But a sharp decline in memory skills was not registered until one year before clinical diagnosis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8302017.stm
October 14th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Cambridge scientists, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, have developed a test to help diagnose early dementia that is faster and more accurate than current tests.
The British Medical Journal published study is based on a test of 540 healthy individuals aged 18 to 95, and a further 139 with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment.
The test at Cambridge’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital, entitled ‘Test Your Memory’ (TYM), is a series of ten tasks including ability to copy a sentence, semantic knowledge, calculation, verbal fluency and recall ability. The ability to do the test is also scored. Each task carries a score with a maximum score of 50 points, with healthy individuals scoring an average of 47 and taking five minutes to complete it. TYM is suitable for non-specialist use.
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:
“This new memory test is a big step forward in efforts to spot the early signs of dementia. It works well on people of all social classes and educational backgrounds. ‘Test your memory’ is easy to self-administer, involving tasks like copying a sentence, calculations, verbal fluency and recall tests.
“Two-thirds of the 700,000 people in the UK with dementia remain undiagnosed, which is why the Alzheimer’s Research Trust funded this significant study.”
The test is not yet widely available, but further examination of its effectiveness in more diverse settings could lead to it being rolled-out nationwide.
http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&id=422
October 14th, 2009 at 2:40 am
It is not very often that scientists are prepared to stick their necks out and refer to research results as a “breakthrough”. This is one of those very rare occasions when it is a word that really does fit the bill.
The importance of the discovery of three new genes with an association with Alzheimer’s disease in such a short space of time is significant.
The battle to defeat dementia is not going to be easily won, but this gives researchers a new way of looking at Alzheimer’s disease and new targets for drug development.
This in turn will hopefully take us some way along the path to establishing a cause and finding a cure for this devastating disease. The Alzheimer’s Society welcomes this news, as will the 700,000 people in this country living with dementia, their carers and their families.
What is important now is that the door that has been opened to us is not closed again because of a lack of investment in dementia research.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/neil-hunt-funding-for-alzheimers-research-must-be-increased-1782918.html
November 9th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Failing muscle power could be linked to Alzheimer’s in older adults, say researchers.
People with weaker muscles were more susceptible to developing the disease, they claim, while those who kept their grip maintained their mental abilities.
The U.S. research found the strongest patients had a 61 per cent lower chance of developing the disease than the weakest.
Scientists are uncertain about the reason for the link, but suspect it could involve an overall decline in energy production in the body or other hidden health problems.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, causes a progressive loss of memory and thinking ability.
However it is also known to be associated with other symptoms such as an impaired gait, depression and a weakened grip.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago studied 970 adults with an average age of around 80 who did not initially have Alzheimer’s or even mild mental impairment.
Each was rated for mental function and given a physical physical strength score derived from testing 11 muscle groups.
At least one further evaluation was carried out over an average follow-up period of 3.6 years.
Of the total, 138 participants (14.2 per cent) went on to develop Alzheimer’s.
Muscle strength scores ranged from minus 1.6 to 3.3 units, says a report in the journal Archives of Neurology.
Every unit increase in initial muscle strength correlated with a 43 per cent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s during the study period, said the report.
Participants in the top 10 per cent of muscle strength scores were 61 per cent less at risk of Alzheimer’s than those in the bottom 10 per cent.
Muscle strength was also associated with mild cognitive impairment, declining mental abilities that may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1226442/Weak-muscles-linked-risk-getting-Alzheimers-disease.html
December 5th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
DRINKING green tea could halt deadly brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, scientists revealed yesterday.
A chemical found in the drink was found to prevent and destroy harmful proteins which attack brain cells.
US researchers discovered that combining two chemicals, one the green tea component egCg, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids.
Amyloids are key in the development of disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases. experts believe the findings will one day lead to a complete cure for the illnesses, and the discovery will offer hope to sufferers in the UK. Earlier this year Prince Charles said that the country faced a “bleak outlook” with Alzheimer’s.
Doctors can do little to stop the disease taking its devastating course, so techniques that halt or delay degeneration could be of major benefit.
With 500 new cases being diagnosed every day in the UK and a global epidemic predicted by 2050, there is a desperate need for a cure.
Around 700,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia, 60 per cent of whom have Alzheimer’s. As the population ages, that number is set to rise to 1.4million within 30 years. And around 120,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/144321/Green-tea-could-halt-Alzheimers-and-Parkinsons
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Alzheimer’s disease is associated with a reduced risk of cancer and vice versa, a study suggests.
US researchers followed 3,020 people aged 65 and above for the study, published in the journal Neurology.
Those who had Alzheimer’s at the start of the study were 69% less likely to be admitted to hospital with cancer than those free of the disease at the start.
And those with cancer at the study’s start were 43% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the cancer free.
The researchers followed the subjects for an average of five years to see whether they developed Alzheimer’s, and an average of eight years to see whether they developed cancer.
At the start of the study, 164 people (5.4%) already had Alzheimer’s disease and 522 people (17.3%) already had a cancer diagnosis.
During the study, 478 people developed dementia and 376 people developed invasive cancer.
There are certain molecular pathways that may influence both Alzheimer’s disease and cancer
Dr Catherine Roe
Washington University School of Medicine
The researchers stressed that more work was needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn, and said the findings only seemed fully to apply to white people.
They found no association between cancer and another type of dementia, known as vascular dementia, which is thought to be caused by a lack of blood supply to the brain.
However, patients with this condition died earlier than people with Alzheimer’s.
Lead researcher Dr Catherine Roe, of Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said this suggested the association between Alzheimer’s and cancer was not simply due to people with those conditions dying before they could contract the other ailment.
“Discovering the links between these two conditions may help us better understand both diseases and open up avenues for possible treatments,” she said.
“Alzheimer’s disease and cancer are both characterised by abnormal, but opposing, cellular behaviour.
It is much too soon to say for certain whether the two diseases are connected
Rebecca Wood
Alzheimer’s Research Trust
“In Alzheimer’s disease, excessive cell death occurs, whereas cancer is characterised by excessive cell growth.
“Other scientists have suggested that there are certain molecular pathways that may influence both Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.”
For instance, one specific enzyme has been shown to target a number of proteins, some of which are believed to stimulate cancer, some to suppress it, and others to be a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, agreed the study raised hopes of finding new ways to prevent or treat disease.
She said: “This study suggests that there might be a link between cancer and Alzheimer’s, but it is much too soon to say for certain whether the two diseases are connected.
‘Research needed’
“There could be molecular processes involved in both Alzheimer’s and cancer, which, with more research, we could identify.”
However, Professor Clive Ballard, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the existence of one of the diseases could mask the symptoms of the other and affect diagnosis.
“More research is needed to establish categorically if this link exists.”
It is estimated 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, a number forecast to double in a generation.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:13 am
A HERBAL remedy taken by thousands of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia has been branded useless by scientists.
Ginkgo biloba does nothing to help slow the rate of mental decline among people with dementia, according to a study.
More than one in 10 sufferers regularly take the traditional Chinese remedy, which is made from the Ginkgo tree.
It is said to improve memory, alertness and concentration.
But researchers found the supplement fared no better than a placebo in preventing progressive memory loss, which is a major part of dementia. The US trial, led by Dr Beth Snitz of the University of Pittsburgh, included 3,069 people aged between 72 and 96, who either received a twice-daily dose of Gingko biloba or an identical-looking placebo over eight years.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found no evidence that the herb had an effect on cognitive change, nor specifically on memory, language, attention, visuospatial abilities, or brain processes. Alzheimer’s and dementia affect 700,000 people in the UK alone, of whom 70,000 are believed to take Ginkgo biloba.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/148746/Herb-used-by-thousands-fails-to-help-Alzheimer-s-
January 11th, 2010 at 1:53 am
A memory-boosting milkshake for Alzheimer patients could be available within two years.
Tests show that taken once a day with breakfast, the strawberry shake significantly improves short-term memory in those in the early stages of the devastating disease.
The changes were apparent after only 12 weeks, providing ‘compelling evidence’ of the drink’s potential, the journal of the American Alzheimer’s association reports.
Further, large-scale trials of Souvenaid, which contains a cocktail of brain nutrients found naturally in breast milk, are already under way.
If they are successful, it could be marketed by Shape and Actimel manufacturer Danone. It is likely to be displayed behind-the-counter in pharmacies and sold after a brief consultation, in a similar way to some cough mixtures.
Researcher Professor Richard Wurtman said: ‘This is something that has no toxicity, that gives you better function than you started with. If it works in the follow-up studies, it is very exciting.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1241514/The-anti-Alzheimers-milkshake-Once-day-miracle-drink-boosts-memory.html
January 14th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
A simple eye test might be able to detect Alzheimer’s and other diseases before symptoms develop, according to UK scientists.
The technique uses fluorescent markers which attach to dying cells which can be seen in the retina and give an early indication of brain cell death.
The research has been carried out on mice, but human trials are planned.
Scientists from University College London hope this could lead to a high street opticians test for the disease.
The research, which is published in the journal, Cell Death and Disease, could enable scientists to overcome the difficulty of investigating what is happening inside the brains of those with Alzheimer’s.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8456323.stm
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:56 pm
You cannot alter your age or the genes you are born with, but there are lifestyle changes you can adopt which may reduce your chance of developing dementia by as much as 20%.
The BBC convened a panel of independent experts, chaired by the Alzheimer’s Society, which evaluated more than 70 research papers and articles to come up with a series of tips for reducing your risk.
It may sound young, but the age of 35, they suggest, is high time to start thinking about these recommendations. If more of us acted on these, thousands of cases of dementia could be prevented in the future.
What is good for the heart is good for the brain. Exercise can have a beneficial effect at any age to help protect against dementia. To help reduce the risk at least 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week is suggested. It does not have to be the gym – a brisk walk is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Whatever form of exercise gets your heart pumping and leaves you somewhat out of breath is doing the trick. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure, and so is indirectly thought to reduce the risk of dementia.
There is also growing evidence that regular exercise has other health effects such as promoting cell and tissue repair mechanisms including growth of new cells in the brain.
Being seriously overweight is deemed a risk factor for developing dementia. This really matters in mid-life – between the ages of 35 and 65. Obesity increases the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes – believed to be a risk factor – but whether this causes the disease, or is simply more likely to develop in those who also more prone to dementia is unclear. Obesity is also associated with higher cholesterol and blood pressure – again, known to be risk factors. You are deemed clinically obese – very overweight – if you have a BMI of 30 and above.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8484868.stm
February 14th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
A gene that may give you an increased risk of a distressing early form of dementia has been identified by Cambridge scientists.
Fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common type of dementia in the under 65s and can result in a complete personality change.
The researchers studied the brains of 515 people with FTD and found the gene on chromosome 7.
A charity said this could open the door to new treatments for the disease.
They found several different mutations on chromosome 7 which are thought to affect around half of the people with FTD.
These mutations increase the amounts of the protein the gene codes for.
About 20% of individuals with FTD have another kind of genetic mutation known as a GRN mutation.
Professor Spillantini thinks that the new gene accelerates the harm caused by the GRN mutation and makes the disease progress faster: “We found a specific gene that was associated with an increased risk of the disease.
“A better understanding of how the gene is involved could identify a new approach to tackle this disease.”
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust which part funded the study, said fronto-temperal dementia was an extremely distressing disease that affects thousands of families in the UK.
“This significant new work adds to our understanding of the disease, and we hope it will boost research efforts,” she added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8513110.stm
April 1st, 2010 at 3:10 pm
A HEALTHY lifestyle in middle age can cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia by 20 per cent, experts have found.
Keeping obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol under control as you age is the key to staving off the devastating disease, according to two senior doctors.
A recent report by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust estimated that dementia costs the economy £23billion a year – much more than thought – and this is set to soar as the population is living longer.
But Dr Tom Russ and Professor John Starr, experts in health and ageing at Edinburgh University, claim that tackling risk factors such as obesity and high cholesterol in middle age could cut an person’s risk of developing dementia by about 20 per cent.
In an article in the journal BMJ Clinical Evidence, they said it was most important for people of all ages to increase the amount of exercise they took as well as keeping obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control in middle age.
These key measures will also have positive effects on heart disease, diabetes and stroke, all significant killers in Britain.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/166449/Keeping-healthy-as-you-age-cuts-Alzheimer-s-risk
April 14th, 2010 at 7:03 am
The foods we choose to eat may determine our risk of dementia, mounting evidence suggests.
Latest work in Archives of Neurology shows sticking to a diet rich in nuts, fish and vegetables significantly cuts the chance of developing Alzheimer’s.
A “Mediterranean diet” containing plenty of fresh produce and less high-fat dairy and red meat has long been thought to improve general health.
Experts believe it is a combination of nutrients in foods that is important.
But they stressed that diet was not the sole cause or solution where dementia is concerned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8615456.stm
April 20th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Obesity causes brains to shrink – increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life, researchers say.
A study has found that people who carry a gene linked to overeating and excess body weight tend to have smaller brains than the rest of the population.
The finding adds to the evidence that obesity is a cause of dementia – and raises new concerns that the obesity epidemic sweeping the West could send Alzheimer’s rates soaring.
The findings come from brain scans of 206 healthy pensioners.
Scientists found that those carrying a gene mutation called FTO had 8 per cent fewer cells in the frontal lobes of the brain –the region involved in making complex judgments.
They also had 12 per cent fewer brain cells in the occipital lobes involved in processing mental images.
The fatter the volunteers, the more the damage.
Shrinkage of the brain is an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.
The faulty FTO gene can cause people to overeat. It is carried by almost half of white Europeans but only 16 per cent of Asians.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1267384/Alzheimer-risk-higher-overweight.html
May 5th, 2010 at 2:05 am
BEING married to someone with dementia puts you at greater risk of developing the disease yourself, according to new research.
Pensioners who lovingly cared for a spouse with dementia were found to be six times more likely to suffer with the condition.
Experts are not clear if this is due to the stress of being a carer or to the lifestyle of the couples.
Replicating the findings in other research could have huge implications for how lifestyle and stress can affect the risk of dementia.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, followed 1,221 healthy married couples aged over 65. By the end of the 12-year investigation the husband had developed dementia in 125 couples and the wife in 70 couples.
However, in 30 couples both partners got dementia.
Although this figure is small, the authors believe it could offer an insight into why some people develop the disease.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/173200/Health-Dementia-spreads-to-its-victims-partners
May 8th, 2010 at 6:52 am
A memory ‘masterswitch’ has been identified in the brain, raising hopes of powerful new drugs to treat Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
When the switch is turned off by ageing and illness, memories fade.
But when a drug is used to flick the switch back on, the brain’s ability to store information dramatically improves.
Triggering the switch in mice led to elderly creatures regaining the memory power of their youth, the journal Science reports.
The researchers are confident that a similar switch exists in the human brain – and say that drugs that capitalise on their discovery could be in use in ten years.
The drug used on the mice, Vorinostat, is already used to treat a rare blood cancer but is too destructive for use in the human brain.
There is an urgent need for new Alzheimer’s treatments because the number of Britons affected by the disease is forecast to double from the current 400,000 within a generation.
Current drugs can halt the progression of the disease but do not work for everyone and their effects wear off over time.
Researcher André Fischer said: ‘This is a very important development. It will not cure Alzheimer’s alone – that will require many different approaches – but it could certainly help.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1273924/Powerful-new-drugs-switch-memory-brain-giving-hope-Alzheimers-sufferers.html
May 20th, 2010 at 11:41 am
People who carry a lot of weight around their middle are at increased risk of developing dementia, say researchers.
A US study of more than 700 adults showed that being overweight is associated with smaller brain volume, a factor linked with dementia.
The finding was particularly strong in those with high levels of visceral fat – fatty tissue which sits around the organs, Annals of Neurology reported.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8693947.stm
May 21st, 2010 at 11:52 pm
An eye test that can detect Alzheimer’s years before any symptoms show is being developed by scientists.
It follows the discovery that a toxic protein that builds up in the brains of dementia patients – triggering loss of memory and confusion – also accumulates in their eyes.
Although the test is several years away, it could eventually allow doctors to give drugs that slow down the onset of the disease.
Around 800,000 people in Britain suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The number of cases is expected to double within a generation.
There is no cure and existing drugs can only ease symptoms.
The condition is diagnosed by memory tests and occasionally brain scans. However, the disease can only be confirmed by a post mortem which reveals the presence of a harmful protein called amyloid beta in the brain.
The new five year study, published in the journal PLoS One, looked at links between dementia and cataracts in people with Down’s Syndrome
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1280049/Eye-test-hope-detect-Alzheimers-years-symptoms.html
June 1st, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Thalidomide is being tested as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s.
In a new trial, people with mild to moderate forms of the condition will be given the drug for six months to assess its impact on mental functioning.
This follows small laboratory studies which have suggested that the drug may have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects.
Alzheimer’s occurs when parts of the brain waste away, damaging the organ’s structure and how it works.
This may be partly due to a protein called TNTNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha); A Alzheimer sufferers have high levels of this in their cerebral spinal fluid.
It’s thought thalidomide may block this protein.
In the U.S. trial, patients will have a lumbar puncture before and after treatment to collect cerebral spinal fluid.
This will then be tested to see if the drug is having an effect.
July 5th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Snacking on nuts could help keep the mind sharp into old age, research suggests.
A study has credited vitamin E – found in nuts, seeds and olive oil – with warding off Alzheimer’s.
Pensioners with the highest amounts of the ‘anti-ageing’ vitamin in their blood were around half as likely to develop the devastating disease as those with the least vitamin E in their bodies.
The finding suggests that nuts and oils could provide a cheap and tasty way of keeping the mind healthy as the years advance.
Alzheimer’s affects some 400,000 Britons and around 500 new cases are diagnosed every day.
The Swedish researchers measured vitamin E in samples of blood taken from 232 men and women. All were aged 80 or older at the start of the study and free of dementia.
After six years, 57 had developed Alzheimer’s, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease reports.
However, the disease was around half as common in those boasting the most vitamin E at the start of the study.
Previous research into the subject has produced conflicting results but the researchers believe this could be because it mainly focused on one sub-type of vitamin E, rather than looking at it as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr Francesca Mangialasche, of Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, said: ‘Vitamin E is a family of eight natural components, but most studies related to Alzheimer’s disease investigate only one of these components.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1292181/Snacking-nuts-seeds-Alzheimers-bay.html
July 26th, 2010 at 12:59 am
People who stay in education for longer appear to be better able to compensate for the effects of dementia on the brain, a study suggests.
A UK and Finnish team found those with more education were as likely to show the signs of dementia in their brains at death as those with less.
But they were less likely to have displayed symptoms during their lifetime, the study in Brain said.
Experts said scientists now had to find out why the effect occurred.
Over the past decade, studies on dementia have consistently shown that the more time you spend in education, the lower the risk of dementia.
But studies have been unable to show whether or not education – which is linked to higher socio-economic status and healthier lifestyles – protects the brain against dementia.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10741274
July 26th, 2010 at 1:03 am
“Pear-shaped women face increased risks of mental problems and memory loss in later life,” reported The Sun.
The story is based on a study in 8,745 postmenopausal women aimed at determining if body mass index (BMI) and hip-waist ratio (HWR), were associated with cognitive function. It found that in women with a higher BMI, those who were ‘pear-shaped’ (low HWR) tended to have slightly lower scores of cognitive function than their ‘apple shaped’ (high HWR) counterparts.
These findings do not mean that pear-shaped women are at risk of cognitive problems in later life. This type of study cannot show cause and effect as both body measurements and cognitive function were assessed at the same time. It is also important to note that all the women in this study had good cognitive function and none had dementia or cognitive impairment.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/July07/Pages/memory-problems-and-pear-shape.aspx
August 7th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and taking up full-time education helps the brain stave off dementia, according to new research.
Doctors said that eradicating diabetes and depression would also reduce the number of people plagued by the disease.
They added that public health initiatives aimed at these four major areas could help 40 per cent of prospective sufferers avoid the condition.
Dementia, which causes memory loss and confused thinking, affects more than 800,000 mostly older people in the UK. More than half have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of the disease and numbers are increasing due to our ageing population.
The latest study of almost 1,500 people found increasing education would lead to a reduction of about 18 per cent in new cases of dementia over the next seven years.
It is believed that studying makes the brain more flexible and improves its ability to offset the symptoms of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The results also showed that eliminating depression and diabetes and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption lead to an estimated 21 per cent fall in newly diagnosed dementia patients, with depression making the greatest contribution at just over 10 per cent.
The researchers, whose findings are published online in the British Medical Journal, point out that the direct causal relationship between depression and dementia remains unclear.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1300789/Four-10-dementia-cases-avoided.html
August 9th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Scientists have taken a step towards developing an early screening test for Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers in the US have discovered the presence of “biomarkers” in the cerebrospinal fluid – which surrounds the spinal cord – enabling them to predict with 90 per cent accuracy the presence of the disease.
Tests showed that a “signature” consisting of three biomarkers present in the fluid of 90 per cent of patients with Alzheimer’s disease was also found in more than a third of “normal” older adults, who showed no sign of mental deterioration. The finding suggests these adults were in the earliest stages of the disease, before clinical symptoms had appeared. In the future, if medicines are developed which can effectively slow its development, the test might be used to select patients for preventive treatment.
The findings are published in the journal Archives of Neurology. An editorial said there was now “ample evidence” that analyses of the cerebrospinal fluid had “value”.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Mid-life stress can increase the risk of women developing Alzheimer’s disease, a study has shown.
Women who reported repeated episodes of stress and anxiety in middle age were up to twice as likely to develop dementia than those who did not, a team of Swedish scientists found.
The majority of those affected were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
Researchers followed the progress of 1,415 women between 1968 and 2000.
Three surveys in 1968, 1974 and 1980 were carried out to assess levels of psychological stress experienced by the women, who were aged between 38 and 60 at the start of the study.
Stress was defined as a ‘sense of irritation, tension, nervousness, anxiety, fear or sleeping problems’ lasting a month or more.
During the course of the study, 161 of the women taking part developed dementia, mainly in the form of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia risk was 65% higher in women who suffered frequent stress in middle age.
The chances of developing dementia increased as women responded to more than one survey by saying they were frequently stressed.
The risk increased by 73% when women reported frequent or constant stress on two occasions, and more than doubled when all three surveys showed they were stressed.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1303588/Alzheimers-disease-risk-linked-mid-life-stress-women.html
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 am
A protein produced in cases of rheumatoid arthritis appears to protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease, US scientists have said.
In the Journal of Alzheimer’s Research study, mice with memory loss given the protein fared better in tests.
A synthetic version of GM-CSF protein is already used as a cancer treatment.
UK experts said the study was “an important first step” and tests were needed to see if the drug worked for people with Alzheimer’s.
In people with rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system goes into “overdrive” and produces attacking proteins – including GM-CSF.
Rubbish collectors
It had already been recognised that people with rheumatoid arthritis were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, but the protective link had been thought to be due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) taken by people with the condition.
However tests showed this was not the case.
In this study, University of South Florida researchers genetically altered mice to have memory problems similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia.
They then treated them – and some healthy mice – with the protein. Other mice – both healthy ones and those with Alzheimer’s symptoms – were given a dummy (placebo) treatment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11035500
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:51 pm
A protein released by arthritis could undo damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, a study has found.
In tests on mice, the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s was partially reversed by the protein, which can also lower the risk of catching the illness.
In some of the animals, memory impairment was completely undone after treatment with the protein.
Scientists hope it can soon be tested on humans.
While people with rheumatoid arthritis have to put up with swollen joints and decreased mobility, GM-CSF, the unique protein produced by the disease, stimulates scavenger cells.
These cells remove amyloid deposits left by Alzheimer’s in the brain, lowering the risk of catching the disease and helping to restore memory.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1305335/Arthritis-hold-key-beating-Alzheimers-protein-released-reverses-memory-loss.html
August 31st, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Patients who undergo major hospital operations could be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, scientists believe.
Tests carried out on mice have revealed changes in their brains, similar to those observed in humans with dementia, when the animals are operated on.
The researchers suspect the same effect could occur in humans after surgical procedures and are now to start a new study to further explore the theory.
Many doctors already suspect there may be a link between surgery and the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Previous studies have suggested that between 10 and 30 per cent of elderly people who undergo surgery suffer memory problems afterwards, but it has not been established whether these are a short-term response to physical trauma, or the beginnings of dementia.
Cognitive problems, ranging from memory loss to delirium, have been found most commonly when elderly people have undergone heart surgery, but also following other operations.
It is not known if the procedures themselves, or the body’s response to major trauma, spark changes in the brain.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7969549/Alzheimers-risk-could-be-increased-by-surgery.html
September 6th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
In the long, slow slide to oblivion called ageing, men go first, according to research. They are more likely than women to lose their memory and have difficulty thinking.
A study of older people in their 70s and 80s has revealed that mild cognitive impairment marked by symptoms such as increasing forgetfulness was 50 per cent higher in men than in women.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) involves a level of mental decline beyond that which can be explained by normal ageing. It is often associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
The onset of dementia is a slow process of mental derangement that strips sufferers of their memory, personality and, eventually, their humanity. It is a progressive, neuro-degenerative disorder that is incurable and irreversible. Some people subside gently into dementia without evident distress, but for others the experience of losing their mental faculties is confusing, distressing and – in some cases – frightening. In the case of Alzheimer’s, the condition is thought to be caused by the build-up of protein deposits in the brain – called “plaques and tangles” – whose first symptoms may be a difficulty in finding words.
Scientists from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, one of the premier research institutes in the US, tested the memory and thinking skills of more than 2,000 people aged 70 to 89.
They found that more than one in six (16 per cent) had mild cognitive impairment, one in 10 was suffering from dementia, and three-quarters had normal mental faculties. A total of 19 per cent of men were affected with MCI, compared with 14 per cent of women.
Lead researcher Dr Ronald Petersen said: “This is the first study conducted… to find a higher prevalence of MCI in men. The finding that the frequency of mild cognitive impairment is greater in men was unexpected, since the frequency of Alzheimer’s disease is actually greater in women. It warrants further study.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/men-twice-as-likely-as-women-to-be-forgetful-in-old-age-says-study-2072189.html
September 7th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Men are more likely than women to suffer problems with memory and thinking as they age, research has shown.
Scientists studied more than 2,000 people aged 70 to 89 and found that rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were 50 per cent higher in men than in women.
MCI involves a level of mental decline beyond that which can be explained by normal ageing. It is often associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The U.S. research has been hailed an ‘exciting’ development in the drive to find a cure for the disease.
Lead researcher Dr Ronald Petersen, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said: ‘This is the first study conducted among community-dwelling persons to find a higher prevalence of MCI in men.
‘The finding that the frequency of mild cognitive impairment is greater in men was unexpected, since the frequency of Alzheimer’s disease is actually greater in women. It warrants further study.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1309657/Men-likely-lose-memory-Exciting-finding-hunt-Alzheimers-cure.html
September 17th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
A genetic marker could be used to predict how fast Alzheimer’s disease will develop in patients, scientists claim.
A gene variation associated with aggressive progression of Alzheimer’s was identified in patients with high levels of a protein linked to the disease.
The findings could help predict how quickly patients move from their initial diagnosis to full-blown dementia, researchers said.
Knowing that certain patients are going to develop the disease very quickly could also help experts better analyse the effectiveness of trial drugs designed to slow its development.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/elderhealth/8006969/Gene-predicts-speed-of-Alzheimers-development.html
September 19th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
People as young as 25 could be screened and treated for dementia years before any symptoms develop after Alzheimer’s disease was linked to the way the brain uses sugar to make energy.
Proteins called amyloid plaques which build up in the brain of dementia sufferers are thought to be linked to the onset of symptoms such as memory loss and mental impairment.
Now scientists claim to have established a link between the production of the plaques and a separate process through which the brain converts sugar into energy, known as aerobic glycolysis.
Scans of a group of young adults, whose average age was 25, showed that aerobic glycolysis was especially high in the same areas of the brain where amyloid plaques build up in older patients, including Alzheimer’s sufferers.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8000396/Adults-as-young-as-25-could-be-screened-for-dementia.html
September 20th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Speech is commonly affected in Alzheimer’s disease. Difficulty in finding the correct word to use is experienced early, as is the interpretation of complex conversations or proverbs and metaphors. The understanding of simple speech remains intact at this stage. Later, sentences become difficult to finish and the sufferer wanders off onto another subject and words may get repeated over and over again. Writing and reading are also affected early with word finding or spelling difficulties or a lessening of interest in the task. The taking of messages (especially over the telephone) can prove particularly difficult and may even be the situation that uncovers the early mild dementing illness.
As the disease progresses, the above communication problems steadily worsen. As the word finding deteriorates other words (paraphasias) are added in to fill the gaps so that the true sense of the communication may be lost or the wrong thing asked for. Comprehension similarly gets worse and questions may not get answered or the person may withdraw from talking altogether. Keeping a sentence going often proves too hard for the sufferer and the increasingly frequent change of subject means that the outcome becomes babbling or gibberish.
In advanced disease, communication may prove impossible and the sufferer is often unable to let even their basic needs be known. In a few people there may be an automatic verbal response occasionally, but at this stage the brunt of communicating falls on carers who will need to approach the sufferer with non-verbal means (expression, touch, etc.) Massage and stroking can convey caring probably better than the spoken word.
September 20th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Iron overload could be behind the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new research.
The study by researchers in Australia also reveals the role of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP), which forms plaques in affected brains.
To each the conclusion, Jack Rogers at the University of Melbourne and colleagues, used mouse studies, healthy human brain cells and post-mortems to show that APP”s role is probably to flush toxic iron from neurons.
However, in Alzheimer”s, the APP”s function is sabotaged by zinc, which accumulates in the disease”s trademark plaques, reports New Scientist.
Normally, zinc aids neuronal signalling, but as it becomes trapped in plaques, it both disrupts APP”s iron-clearing role and denies neurons the zinc they need for signalling.
The outcome is a double-whammy, which sees iron continuing to accumulate and neurons losing their ability to signal appropriately.
September 20th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Australian scientists have revealed that accumulation of brain ‘rust’ is a cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
An imbalance in the metals needed for healthy brain function has been found at the root of the degenerative disease, which afflicts 10 per cent of people, aged over 60.
University of Melbourne Professor of Pathology Ashley Bush and his research colleagues have traced the imbalance to the brain”s improper and related processing of zinc and iron.
The research focused on the complex relationship between amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its breakdown product amyloid, along with the zinc and iron.
Professor Bush said as zinc was seen to accumulate in amyloid it blocked the APP from performing its critical, and previously unknown, job of exporting iron out of the brain”s neurons.
This led to a build-up of iron “in the grey matter”, he said, resulting in oxidative stresses that could kill off neurons.
So the loss of mental function in an Alzheimer”s patient is caused by rust in their brain
“That”s the kind of chemistry that is going on in the brain and, similar to actual rust, it involves an abnormal combustion of oxygen with iron,” the Courier Mail quoted Bush as saying.
“The brain is an unusual organ in that it has very high concentrations of metals which it uses for its electrical chemistry,” he added.
The research will be published in the international journal Cell.
September 20th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
A new study has unravelled exactly how memantine—a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease— helps patients without causing serious side effects.
It is known that memantine (marketed in the United States as Namenda), which is currently FDA-approved can treat moderate-to-severe Alzheimer”s disease.
Developed, in part by Dr. Stuart A. Lipton, Director of the Del E. Web Center for Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), memantine improves symptoms by blocking abnormal activity of glutamate, a chemical that transmits messages between nerve cells.
In the new study, researchers at Sanford-Burnham led by Dr. Lipton unravel exactly how the drug helps Alzheimer”s patients without causing serious side effects.
“While memantine is partially effective in treating Alzheimer”s disease, one of its major advantages is how safe and well-tolerated it is clinically,” said Lipton
Memantine is a particularly safe treatment for Alzheimer”s disease because it dampens excessive glutamate signaling that occurs away from synapses without blocking glutamate activity at the synapses.
This is important because interfering with synaptic glutamate signaling would disrupt normal brain activity.
“We showed definitively for the first time that memantine, the drug our group developed for Alzheimer”s disease, works in a unique way. It inhibits a protein that binds glutamate called the NMDA receptor, but predominantly blocks NMDA receptors that signal molecularly to cause neuronal injury and death. It spares the synaptic receptors that mediate normal communication between nerve cells in the brain,” said Lipton.
The finding helps explain why the drug is so well tolerated by Alzheimer”s patients and might provide hints for the development of future therapies targeting the NMDA receptor and similar cellular machinery in other diseases.
The study is appearing in The Journal of Neuroscience.
September 20th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
For decades, scientists have struggled to locate the tiny passage, which is believed to deteriorate gradually as part of normal aging and far more quickly due to Alzheimer’s disease. Now, UC Irvine researchers have identified for the first time in humans a long-hidden part of the brain called the perforant path.
“The nice thing about this is we may be able to predict Alzheimer’s very early,” said Craig Stark, UCI associate professor of neurobiology and behavior.
That’s what prompted Diana Burns of Anaheim to participate in the study.
In late 2008, when she forgot yet again where she’d put her purse, and then couldn’t remember why she was in the laundry room, Burns decided she had to know: Was she, like her aging mother, going to be a victim of the debilitating loss of brain function known as Alzheimer’s disease?
“When you’re a caregiver for somebody with Alzheimer’s, you always wonder if it’s going to happen to you,” said Burns, who had quit her job to stay home the day her mother was found unconscious and bleeding half a mile from their house, with no idea how she got there. “I was becoming concerned because I myself was forgetting things, so I thought, ‘Now is the time to find out.’
Burns, 64, searched online for human clinical trials and found UCI’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Soon Stark, the center’s interim director, and his staff had her ensconced in their big MRI machine.
The UCI researchers developed and used a new ultrahigh-resolution technique to electronically peer through dense matter near the brain’s hippocampus in search of the perforant path.
The passageway is basically a bundle of nerve fibers, lined up like straws, connecting a region called the entorhinal cortex to the seahorse-shaped hippocampus.
By monitoring the brains of Burns and others via their ultrahigh-resolution technique – know as diffusion tensor imaging – the UCI team was able to detect water molecules moving in the exact area where they knew the passage had to be.
The scientists then painstakingly tracked the progress of the molecules along the length of the fiber bundle, thereby identifying the perforant path.
The UCI team is now examining people with mild cognitive impairment – often the first stage of Alzheimer’s. They expect to see far faster deterioration of the perforant path. Such a finding could aid the testing of new medicines.
The study has been published June 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
September 22nd, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found a new therapeutic target that can potentially lead to a new way to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss.
“There are multiple, neurotoxic, disease-causing pathways that converge on the neutral sphingomyelinase that can cause neuronal loss in the brain of an Alzheimer”s patient,” said Kalipada Pahan, PhD, neurological researcher and lead investigator at Rush.
“If we can stop the activation of the neutral sphingomylinase, we may be able to stop memory loss and the progression of Alzheimer”s disease,” he said.
Researchers at Rush were able to determine that the neutral sphingomyelinase is triggered by the activated brain cells and beta-amyloid.
However, when the neutral sphingomyelinase was inhibited by using a small molecule inhibitor and a chemical inhibitor, the activated brain cells and beta amyloid were unable to kill neurons.
Experts tested the two inhibitors using human brain cells in a mouse model and a cell culture model.
“Understanding how the disease process works is important in identifying effective approaches to protect the brain and stop the progression of Alzheimer”s disease.
“The results of this study are very promising and our next step is to translate these findings to the clinic.
“If we can develop and test a clinical medication that can target the neutral sphingomyelinase, we may be able to halt memory loss in Alzheimer”s disease patients,” said Pahan.
Results from the study were published in the September 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Doctors will be told to stop prescribing too many medications which act as a “chemical cosh” for those with dementia, and shorten the lives of 1,800 people a year.
The action is part of a plan to improve the care of those with dementia, by improving the training of nurses and doctors, and closely monitoring the quality of services provided by care homes and hospitals.
Care homes will be told to review the use of all medications given to people with dementia, to reduce the numbers of people prescribed antipsychotic drugs which should only be used as a last resort.
Last year a major report found that 180,000 patients are prescribed the treatments each year, despite the fact they do not benefit three quarters of those given them, and can cause death, or major side effects, such as strokes.
Care Minister Paul Burstow has been campaigning for years against the misuse of such drugs.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: “Far too many prescriptions of antipsychotics are not clinically justified and can lead to premature death. We want to dramatically cut the use of these drugs among elderly people.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8024972/Government-orders-action-on-chemical-cosh-which-kills-thousands.html
September 27th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Many researchers speculate that rather than having a single cause, Alzheimer’s disease may be the outcome of several types of insults to the brain. While we do not know exactly what causes this mysterious illness, theories have centered on these agents of destruction.
A virus. Because a virus is known to produce a very rare type of dementia, some researchers think – even though none has been found – that a slow-acting virus, one taking years to incubate in the body, might be implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. But there is no evidence of anyone’s ever catching Alzheimer’s disease from someone else.
A disorder of the immune system. Another hypothesis is that an immune system “error” may be partly to blame. In 1987 researchers at Rockefeller University reported finding abnormal antibodies in patients with Alzheimer’s disease; they speculate that these antibodies, instead of functioning normally to destroy outside invaders such as viruses, may attack the blood/brain barrier, the vital chemical sheath that keeps injurious substances from gaining access to the brain. Once the integrity of the blood/brain barrier is breached, a virus or other harmful substance might gain access to the brain and set off the disease.
Aluminum. Besides a virus, a strong candidate for instigating Alzheimer’s disease is aluminum, because a striking feature of the brains of Alzheimer’s victims is an abnormal concentration of this particular element. Does absorbing too much aluminum over a lifetime play any part in producing the disease? So far, laboratory studies of this hypothesis have been negative; but because high aluminum levels are such an important feature of the illness, many scientists think this substance is likely to play some role in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.
A genetic defect. Without doubt, the most exciting new research lead involves genetics. In 1987 scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital reported identifying a genetic defect in people with a strong family history of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s-related genetic marker is found on chromosome number 21, the very chromosome that is duplicated in people suffering from the birth defect Down’s syndrome. For several years researchers had been tantalized by what they knew was an important connection between these two illnesses, because victims of Down’s syndrome (mongolism) universally develop Alzheimer’s disease if they live to age forty. Now the mystery is solved. Having an extra chromosome 21 may be giving people victimized by Down’s syndrome the Alzheimer’s-related genetic program in spades.
Other research reported in the February 1987 issue of Science suggests that the illness may be set off by abnormal deposits of a protein called amyloid accumulating in the brain. Amyloid is a major component of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles – the abnormal structures that replace the normal neurons. Do the genetic instructions “produce amyloid” trigger Alzheimer’s disease directly by causing this toxic protein to build up? Does an Alzheimer’s gene (or set of genes) act in concert with a chemical such as aluminum or with a virus to produce these harmful deposits? Whatever the answer, some scientists now believe amyloid is central to the mystery of this devastating disease.
September 28th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Scientists have discovered a gene that could lead to treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke or brain tumours.
The gene, Sox9, plays a critical role in how stem cells behave and is crucial to developing the central nervous system, reports express.co.uk.
“We are one step closer to correcting damaged nerve cells which would be a huge leap forward for the millions with Alzheimer’s, stem cell-related brain tumours or who have suffered from a stroke,” said James Briscoe, of the Medical Research Council(MRC) who headed the study.
January 19th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Three drugs that had been restricted to those with moderate to severe symptoms will be made available to those in the early stages of the disease to slow its progression, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has said.
It means patients will no longer be diagnosed with the debilitating condition only to be sent away to wait for their symptoms to worsen before they can be treated.
A fourth drug which was restricted to those with severe symptoms will also be made available to a wider group of patients.
The draft guidance overturns a decision made in 2007 to restrict the drugs because of uncertainty over their cost effectiveness.
New research and calculations have now been conducted by independent teams showing that the drugs work in patients with mild symptoms and offer a large enough benefit to justify the cost of around £2.80 per patient per day.
Final guidance on the drugs called donepezil or Aricept, made by Eisai and Pfizer, galantamine or Reminyl, made by Shire and rivastigmine or Exelon, made by Novartis is due in March this year.
The guidance also allows memantine or Ebixa, made by Lundbeck to be used for those with for severe disease and for some patients with moderate disease, after previously having been restricted to research trials.
Chief Executive, Sir Andrew Dillon said: “We are pleased to now be able to recommend these three drugs for both mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease and another for moderate or severe Alzheimer’s, extending recommendations made in 2007.
“Since 2007 clinical trials have continued to show the positive effects of these drugs and, in the case of memantine, have reduced the uncertainty about its clinical effectiveness. In addition, we now have more information about the costs of living with and treating this very distressing disease, as it progresses through its mild, moderate and severe stages.”
If ratified in March, doctors will have three months before they have to start prescribing the drugs.
A survey has shown that around half of GPs plan to recall patients diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s to offer them the drugs.
The new calculations, conducted by a team at the Peninsula Medical School, took into account the delay in admission to care homes which the drugs can offer of between one and two months and was better able to judge how many patients stopped taking the medicines which was skewing the costs.
It was concluded that giving patients the drugs in the early stages saved £500 out of the £70,000 total cost of caring for them after diagnosis.
Andrew Chidgey, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This is a victory for people with Alzheimer’s and their carers, many of whom have been campaigning for this day for years.
“These drugs don’t work for everyone, but for some people they can radically improve their quality of life. We now need more people to be diagnosed early and for them to receive the treatment, support and advice that they desperately need.”
There are currently 465,000 people living with Alzheimer’s in the UK and a further 62,000 people are developing Alzheimer’s each year.
Only around one in ten are currently receiving medication.
Around 80,000 people are in the early or mild stages of the disease.
Professor Roy Jones from The Research Institute for the Care of Older People at the Royal United Hospital, in Bath, said: “This is great news for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families because we will now be able to offer effective drug treatment in mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease.
“For example, patients with mild disease will at last be able to get access to early, cost-effective treatment at the point of diagnosis – treatment that can potentially help to relieve the symptoms in these patients.
“Previously it was difficult to see patients with mild disease and ask them to come back when their condition worsened before we were able to prescribe drugs that could improve their symptoms. This new ruling will help keep patients as independent as possible for as long as possible.
Professor June Andrews, Director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling said: “People with dementia and their carers have a lot to contend with, so it’s a relief that at last those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease will have access to medication. Then they can get on with taking the other steps they need to keep well, and enjoy life as much as possible.”
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “This welcome decision gives everyone living with Alzheimer’s the best possible chance of benefiting from the treatments we have available. These drugs hold the promise of relief from the symptoms of Alzheimer’s for thousands of people and, while not the cure we desperately need, they can still help.
“It’s an irony that clinical research of the kind that has helped realise the benefits of drugs like these remains sorely underfunded in the UK. If we are to produce treatments that can alter the course Alzheimer’s disease itself, rather than just temporary relief from symptoms, then research is our only answer.”