Johnson and Johnson recently announced that it was halting a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug after safety issues emerged. This latest failure adds to the dozens of large, costly clinical trials that have shown no effect in treating this devastating disease. The growing list of failures should give us pause for thought – have we...
Tag: <span>Alzheimer’s disease</span>
Post
A typical communication pattern of people with Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia, in any form, is a heartbreaking disease that can take away one’s thinking and judgment abilities before they pass. To save face, people with dementia often pretend to know answers to questions, even if they really don’t. This often hides the severity of the disease and exasperates the fears and frustrations of the people...
Post
Scientists fix genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in human brain cells
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Using human brain cells, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered the cause of—and a potential solution for—the primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, a gene called apoE4. Having one copy of the apoE4 gene more than doubles a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and...
Post
Researchers Show How Lou Gehrig’s Disease Progression Could Be Delayed
UC Riverside-led study could lead to development of small molecule drugs to treat also spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and some cancers Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the Yankees baseball player renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability — a trait that...
Post
Experimental Drug Blocks Toxic Ion Flow Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
An international team of researchers has shown that a new small-molecule drug can restore brain function and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug works by stopping toxic ion flow in the brain that is known to trigger nerve cell death. Scientists envision that this drug could be used to treat Alzheimer’s...
Post
Benzodiazepines increase mortality in persons with Alzheimer’s disease
Benzodiazepine and related drug use is associated with a 40 percent increase in mortality among persons with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The findings were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The study found that the risk of death was increased right from the initiation...
Post
PSEN1 Mutant iPSC-Derived Model Reveals Severe Astrocyte Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease
Highlights PSEN1 mutant AD astrocytes manifest hallmarks of AD pathology Altered mitochondrial metabolism in AD astrocytes increases oxidative stress AD astrocytes reduce the calcium signaling activity of healthy neurons Astrocytes are important in the pathogenesis of AD Summary Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of cognitive impairment. Due to insufficient...
Post
New player in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis identified
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have shown that a protein called membralin is critical for keeping Alzheimer’s disease pathology in check. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that membralin regulates the cell’s machinery for producing beta-amyloid (or amyloid beta, Aβ), the...
Post
An Eye Scan for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Researchers aim for a routine screen to detect the neurodegenerative disease—decades before symptoms appear. Neurodegenerative diseases are tough nuts to crack, not just because of the inherent difficulties of sorting through what has gone awry, and why, but also due to a dearth of biomarkers that could help spot the diseases and track their progression....
Post
Clinical trial finds blood-plasma infusions for Alzheimer’s safe, promising
In a small safety trial based on preclinical work by a Stanford researcher, participants receiving blood plasma infusions from young donors showed some evidence of improvement. Sharon Sha presented findings Nov. 4 from a small clinical trial that found administering blood plasma from young donors to people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease was safe....