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Alzheimers

Definition of Alzheimers

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, a neurologic disease characterized by loss of mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living, lasting at least six months, and not present from birth. AD usually occurs in old age, and is marked by a decline in cognitive functions such as remembering, reasoning, and planning.

Alzheimer's Protein Implicated in Glaucoma The same protein fragments that form plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease appear to cause the death of retinal cells in glaucoma, the potentially blinding eye disease, British researchers report. Read the Article
Study Puts 1 Alzheimer's Theory in Doubt Research with mice is poking holes in a prevailing theory on the origins of Alzheimer's, scientists say. Mice without a gene thought to rein in cell-damaging free radicals actually had fewer Alzheimer's-linked brain plaques than mice with the gene. Read the Article
Vaccine Stops Alzheimer's Brain 'Tangles' A vaccine designed to combat a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease has proven effective in mice, U.S. scientists say. Abnormal tau protein accumulates into damaging tangles in the memory center of the brains of Alzheimer's patients, noted a team at the New York University Medical Center (NYUMC). Read the Article
Gene Tied to Post-Op Delirium in Elderly Elderly people with the apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 gene variant -- associated with an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia -- are more likely to develop postoperative delirium after major surgery than those without the gene variant, a U.S. study finds. Read the Article
Removing Ovaries Before Menopause Leads to Memory, Movement Troubles Removing one or both ovaries before a woman reaches natural menopause increases the risk of both dementia and movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. But giving hormone-replacement therapy at least until the age of 50 blunts that risk, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers. Read the Article
Health Tip: When Alzheimer's Patients Wander Moving about without a definite purpose in mind -- is a common trait of a person with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This can be dangerous for the patient, and be a source of great stress for worried caregivers and loved ones. Here are suggestions for what to do when Alzheimer's patients wander, courtesy of the Alzheimer's Association: Read the Article
Alzheimer's Patients May Suffer 'Silent' Seizures Scientists say mice genetically altered to develop an Alzheimer's-like illness undergo "silent" brain seizures. According to researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, the seizures may explain why some people with advanced Alzheimer's have "spells" of increased confusion. The seizures observed in the mice would not be recognizable in the same way a convulsion or epileptic seizure can be noticed. Read the Article
Antidepressant as Good as Antipsychotics for Dementia The antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) may be as effective as often-prescribed antipsychotic drugs to control the agitation and psychotic symptoms associated with dementia, a new study suggests. Agitation and psychotic symptoms are often more disturbing than the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and are also the most difficult challenge for family members caring for an elderly person. Currently, antipsychotic drugs such as risperidone (Risperdal) are used to control these symptoms. But often the side effects, including sedation, tension and apathy, can be debilitating, the study authors said. Read the Article
Mediterranean Diet May Boost Alzheimer's Survival Consuming what's known as a Mediterranean diet -- one loaded with fruits, vegetables, grains and olive oil -- may help Alzheimer's patients live longer, a new study suggests. The observation comes after researchers tracked the dietary habits of people diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's. It follows on earlier work by the same team that suggests these diets may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's in the first place. Read the Article
Stem Cells From Testes Produce Wide Range of Tissue Types U.S. researchers say they've successfully reprogrammed adult stem cells from the testes of male mice into a wide variety of cell types, including functional blood vessels, contractile cardiac tissue, and brain cells. If the same can be done with adult testes stem cells from humans, they may offer a source of new therapies to treat men with health problems such as heart disease, vascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and even cancer, the researchers said. Read the Article
Obesity Won't Affect Seniors' Memory Overweight or obese doesn't increase the odds that seniors will experience memory trouble, a new study finds. "While past studies have found obesity in middle age increases a person's risk for dementia or Alzheimer's disease, our finding shows obesity in old age has no effect on a person's memory. These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that weight loss or low body mass index in old age may be a precursor of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease," study author Dr. Maureen T. Sturman, a researcher at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, said in a prepared statement. Read the Article
Clues to Cell Death Could Fight Disease New information about a process called unplanned cell death, or necrosis, could help in the fight against heart disease, cancer, stroke and other life-threatening conditions, scientists say. Necrosis is not the same as apoptosis -- natural, healthy programmed cell death. Necrosis is an unplanned cell death caused by outside factors, such as traumatic injury or infection. Read the Article
Brain Activity Might Point to Early Alzheimer's A specific pattern of brain activity could be a sign of early Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers report. They noted that as new treatments for Alzheimer's become available, spotting the disease early will become critical. Read the Article
Conscientious People Less Prone to Alzheimer's People who are conscientious and prone to "doing the right thing" are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as they age, according to a long-running study of Catholic nuns, priests and brothers. "It's a broad-based trait that is particularly about impulse control, self-discipline and delayed gratification," said Robert S. Wilson, professor of neuropsychology at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and lead author of a report in the October Archives of General Psychiatry. Read the Article
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