Potential New Alzheimer's Drug Shows Promise

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Digital Journal

Intellect Neuroscience announced that a Phase 1b clinical trial of OXIGON (OX1) showed that this Alzheimer’s drug is safe and well tolerated at all dosages.

OX1 is a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It inhibits the activity of beta amyloid acids. These acids are a type of amino acid that is thought to be related to the development of harmful protein plaques found in Alzheimer's disease patients. This drug,OX1, has also been shown to protect

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Heavy smokers have much greater risk of developing dementia

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Digital Journal

Heavy smoking increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia at least 157 percent, according to a new study.
In this study as Reuters reports, more than 20,000 men and women were found to have a 157 percent higher risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. For vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, these smokers had a 172 percent increased risk. The people in this study were heavy smokers who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day.
"Dementia is a disease that crops up in late life, and that becomes clinically apparent, but I think people really need to think about risk factors for it over the life course," said Rachel Whitmer, study co-author and research scientist with Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.
The study is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
Many other researchers say there is a strong Read more about Heavy smokers have much greater risk of developing dementia

Is Alzheimer's Disease Contageous?

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Digital Journal

Alzheimer's disease is caused partly by the build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. Scientists already know that one of these abnormal proteins, amyloid peptides also called beta amyloids, can be infectious.
It seems that Alzheimer’s disease is easier to catch than first thought.

Neurologist Yvonne S. Eisele and her team of fellow scientists had already proved that mice could catch Alzheimer’s disease from each other; however this only happened when the brain of a healthy mouse was injected with amyloid peptides from mice that already had Alzheimer's disease symptoms.
Now a new study shows about Is Alzheimer's Diseaase Contageous

Alzheimer's CSF Test: Useful or Useless?: The Future

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Medscape Today

Andrew Wilner, MD

When a disease-modifying therapy becomes available, early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and diagnostic testing will be enthusiastically embraced by patients and neurologists. At that point, the relative advantages and disadvantages, including patient comfort and cost, of CSF testing and other diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's disease, such as genetic testing, neuropsychological testing, and neuroimaging, including magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal lobes, 2-deoxy-2-[F-18] fluoro-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET), amyloid radioligand Pittsburgh compound B (PiB), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and their possible combinations, must be evaluated. This day may not be far off; a review of ongoing studies at clinicaltrials.gov reveals multiple candidate drugs under evaluation. For now, neurologists should keep a lumbar puncture tray handy, but they needn't stock up.

Alzheimer's CSF Test: Useful or Useless?: Does It Matter?

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Medscape Today

Andrew Wilner, MD

The second question, is does any additional diagnostic accuracy provided by the CSF test matter? In clinical practice, a laboratory test that confirmed Alzheimer's disease would remove ambiguity in early cases and limit consideration of other disorders that may present with symptoms suggestive of Alzheimer's dementia such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, frontotemporal dementia, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease with Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and depression. In some of these diseases, prompt diagnosis could lead to earlier effective treatment, such as shunting for normal pressure hydrocephalus or antidepressive medications for depression.

The truly persuasive argument for CSF testing in clinical practice would be the reality of a disease-modifying therapy that prevents or slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease. However, not only is there no "magic bullet" for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, there is no bullet at all.[4] The current treatments offer modest, temporary, and symptomatic improvement at best. For most patients with mild cognitive deficits concerned about the development of Alzheimer's disease, a careful history, physical, and neurological evaluation with close clinical follow-up (a "wait and see" approach) is practical and appears cost effective.

Once people become demented, they can no longer plan for their financial future or dictate their end-of-life care. An early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, rather than late, permits a person more autonomy in directing his or her future. However, an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may have negative psychological consequences in an otherwise well-functioning person who must now consider an inexorable decline towards a state of personal oblivion. Consequently, the pros and cons of early diagnosis must be carefully weighed in each individual prior to such a confirmatory test.

The success of clinical trials requires not only that the treatment be effective, but that all subjects have the disease in question. Subjects who have other diseases contaminate the sample and confound results. To improve the likelihood of successful clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, potential subjects should be considered for CSF and other diagnostic testing. Revision of research criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease that includes abnormal biomarkers has been proposed.[5]

Current Indications for CSF Testing
At present, CSF and other biomarker Alzheimer's testing should be reserved for patients who present a diagnostic dilemma, patients with suspected dementia for whom a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease would provide more solace than worry, and patients entering clinical trials.

Is Vitamin B12 the Answer to Reducing Alzheimer's Risk?

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DIGITAL JOURNAL

A Finnish study suggests a diet rich in Vitamin B12 protects your brain from Alzheimer’s disease but the trial small.
The findings of a recent study in at the Aging Research Center in Stockholm, Sweden seemingly suggest once again that vitamins can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Studies other than this one have shown mixed results, the researchers said.
"Previous studies have reported that vitamin B12 deficiency is a common condition in the elderly," said lead researcher Dr. Babak Hooshmand, a research assistant with the Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Our results indicate that.....read all of Is Vitamin B12 the Answer to Reducing Alzheimer's Risk?

Walking to save your brain

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DIGITAL JOURNAL


Brain
By Susan Berg.
+




New research suggests that walking at least six miles per week maintains your brains volume and preserves your memory as you age.
Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and his colleagues reported these findings in the October 13 issue of the journal, Neurology.
Dr Erickson found the results quite astounding. He said that


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Alzheimer's CSF Test: Useful or Useless?:

Alzheimer's disease

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Medscape Today

Andrew Wilner, MD

According to a recent editorial, neurologists should be sharpening their lumbar puncture needles in order to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to improve their diagnostic accuracy of Alzheimer's disease.[1] The CSF test employs a 2-component mixture model of beta-amyloid 1-42 (AB1-42) and phosphorylated tau protein 181 (P-tau 181P).[2] Model building and validation relied on data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (www.loni.ucla.edu/ADNI). The sensitivity of the test was 90% in those with Alzheimer's disease, 72% in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 36% in controls. The specificity was only 62%.

Commercial assays to diagnose Alzheimer's disease by measurement of CSF beta-amyloid and tau protein have been available for more than a decade. Despite more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease, and millions more at risk, these CSF tests have yet to be widely adopted by clinical neurologists. At a minimum, there are 2 crucial questions that must be answered before recommending CSF examination as a routine test for Alzheimer's disease.

The first question is does CSF examination improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis? Clinical diagnostic accuracy of probable Alzheimer's disease according to the standard National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria using autopsy as confirmation produces greater than 85% accuracy.[3] It is not clear how much additional precision is added by a positive CSF test in patients with clinically evident Alzheimer's disease. However, CSF testing may allow more accurate earlier diagnosis.

At Last, Some Hope for Preventing the Slow Mental Decline of Alzheimer's

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Time Magazine

Researchers have known for quite some time that Alzheimer's is distinguished by the presence of protein plaques in the brain, along with the debris from dead and dying neurons. The plaques, it seems, trigger the breakdown of the neural connections that nerve cells need to stay healthy. But nothing so far — from a vaccine to drugs — has really made a difference in improving the memory loss and dementia that characterize the disease.

But now, thanks to sophisticated brain scans and better ways to look for signs of the disease in the spinal fluid and even in the blood, scientists are hoping to be able to detect the first signs of trouble earlier — even before mental decline sets in. And if they can do that, they are optimistic that they will also be able to stop the accumulation of harmful plaques as well as the death of neurons before they become too stubborn to reverse.

These efforts are still experimental, but they are an important first step toward finally having something, anything that can reverse the disease in patients.

Poker can reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's

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Carbon Poker

If you’ve ever wondered how 77 year-old Doyle Brunson can still play in the world’s biggest poker games, hang out in strip clubs, and participate in beer pong tournaments at an age when some people are entering the nursing home, new research by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings reveals why.

Cummings is one of the world’s leading Alzheimer’s disease researchers, and he says that playing poker can drastically reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s. In fact, Cummings’ research suggests that playing poker merely twice a week can reduce a person’s chances of Alzheimer’s by 50% or more.

The research done by Jeffrey Cummings makes reference to a 2009 French study where 5,000 elderly people participated in various mental games including poker. Out of all the games, poker was proven to be one of the most effective at battling Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Cummings explained the positive results that older people experience from playing poker by saying, “We have a social idea of what retirement consists of and we need to re-examine that idea. The logical extension of the data we have on dementia is that a person who is still capable of working – who is mentally stimulated with a strong sense of purpose – is better off from the cognitive point of view continuing to engage in that position.”

Judging from Cummings’ lengthy scientific explanation of poker’s benefits on the elderly, the elderly are better off jumping in some online hold’em games rather than sitting back and watching Larry King Live and Bill O’Reily every night. And while you may be nowhere close to your 70’s or 80’s, this is certainly something to keep in mind when you’re old enough to start wearing diapers again.

Expand+Midlife psychological stress and risk of dementia: a 35-year longitudinal population study

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Brain

Lena Johansson1, Xinxin Guo1, Margda Waern1, Svante Östling1, Deborah Gustafson1,2, Calle Bengtsson3 and Ingmar Skoog1
+

The number of people with dementia has increased dramatically with global ageing. Nevertheless, the pathogeneses of these diseases are not sufficiently understood. The present study aims to analyse the relationship between psychological stress in midlife and the development of dementia in late-life. A representative sample of females (n = 1462) aged 38–60 years were examined in 1968–69 and re-examined in 1974–75, 1980–81, 1992–93 and 2000–03. Psychological stress was rated according to a standardized question in 1968, 1974 and 1980. Dementia was diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria based on information from neuropsychiatric examinations, informant interviews, hospital records and registry data. During the 35-year follow-up, 161 females developed dementia (105 Alzheimer’s disease, 40 vascular dementia and 16 other dementias). We found that the risk of dementia (hazard ratios, 95% confidence intervals) was increased in females reporting frequent/constant stress in 1968 (1.60, 1.10–2.34), in 1974 (1.65, 1.12–2.41) and in 1980 (1.60, 1.01–2.52). Frequent/constant stress reported in 1968 and 1974 was associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Reporting stress at one, two or three examinations was related to a sequentially higher dementia risk. Compared to females reporting no stress, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incident dementia were 1.10 (0.71–1.71) for females reporting frequent/constant stress at one examination, 1.73 (1.01–2.95) for those reporting stress at two examinations and 2.51 (1.33–4.77) at three examinations. To conclude, we found an association between psychological stress in middle-aged women and development of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease. More studies are needed to confirm our findings and to study potential neurobiological mechanisms of these associations.

Iron linked to Alzheimer's disease

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UPI

Iron is involved in the production of brain-destroying plaques found in Alzheimer's patients, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, led by Dr. Jack Rogers, report a link between levels of iron in the brain and the production of amyloid precursor protein that can break down into a peptide, making up the destructive plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, suggest under healthy conditions iron and the amyloid precursor protein keep each other in check. Too much iron causes the protein and a partner molecule to develop and to escort excess iron out but too little iron can cause too little of the escort molecule to be made and for iron to accumulate.

Rogers says in a statement that their work -- including information about the role of messenger RNA -- paves the way for the development of drugs to help restore the brain's iron balance.

100 simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer's disease (part 3)

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From the book 100 Simple Things by Jean Carper


67. Build Strong Muscles
68. Take a Nature Hike
69. Do Something New
70. Get Enough Niacin
71. Think About a Nicotine Patch
72. Be Cautious About NSAIDs
73. Go Nuts over Nuts
74. Worry About Middle-Age Obesity
75. Get Help for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
76. Go for Olive Oil
77. Beware of Omega-6 Fat
78. Know Your Plaques and Tangles
79. Have a Purpose in Life
80. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
81. Forget About Smoking
82. Have a Big Social Circle
83. Don’t Forget Your Spinach
84. Investigate Statins
85. Surround Yourself with Stimulation
86. Deal with Stress
87. Avoid Strokes
88. Cut Down on Sugar
89. Drink Tea
90. Take Care of Your Teeth
91. Have Your Thyroid Checked
92. Beware of Being Underweight
93. Prevent Vascular Dementia
94. Play Video Games
95. Put Vinegar in Everything
96. Get Enough Vitamin B12
97. Don’t Neglect Vitamin D
98. Watch Your Waist
99. Walk, Walk, Walk
100. Make It Wine, Preferably Red

100 simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer's disease (part 2)

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From the book 100 Simple Things by Jean Carper


34. Get a Higher Educationi
35. Avoid Environmental Toxins
36. Know the Estrogen Evidence
37. Enjoy Exercise
38. Be an Extrovert
39. Have Your Eyes Checked
40. Know the Dangers of Fast Foods
41. Yes, Yes, Yes — Eat Fatty Fish
42. Take Folic Acid
43. Eat a Low-Glycemic Diet
44. Google Something
45. Raise Your Good HDL Cholesterol
46. Guard Against Head Injury
47. Be Good to Your Heart
48. Keep Homocysteine Normal
49. Avoid Inactivity
50. Try to Keep Infections Away
51. Fight Inflammation
52. Find Good Information
53. Keep Insulin Normal
54. Have an Interesting Job
55. Drink Juices of All Kinds
56. Learn to Love Language
57. Avoid a Leptin Deficiency
58. Don’t Be Lonely
59. Embrace Marriage
60. Know the Dangers of Meat
61. Consider Medical Marijuana
62. Practice Meditation
63. Follow the Mediterranean Diet
64. Recognize Memory Problems
65. Keep Mentally Active
66. Take Multivitamins

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100 simple things you can do to prevent Alzheimer's disease

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From the book 100 Simple Things by Jean Carper


1. Get Smart About Alcohol
2. Consider Alpha Lipoic Acid and ALCAR
3. Ask Questions About Anesthesia
4. Check Out Your Ankle
5. Don’t Shy Away from Antibiotics
6. Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods
7. Know About the ApoE4 Gene
8. Drink Apple Juice
9. Beware of Bad Fats
10. Keep Your Balance
11. Eat Berries Every Day
12. Grow a Bigger Brain
13. Control Blood Pressure
14. Get a Quick Blood-Sugar Test
15. Be a Busy Body
16. Don’t Be Afraid of Caffeine
17. Count Calories
18. Watch Out for Celiac Disease
19. Treat Yourself to Chocolate
20. Control Bad Cholesterol
21. Eat Choline-Rich Foods
22. Go Crazy for Cinnamon
23. Say Yes to Coffee
24. Build “Cognitive Reserve”
25. Be Conscientious
26. Keep Copper and Iron
27. Eat Curry
28. Try the DASH Diet
29. Overcome Depression
30. Prevent and Control Diabetes
31. Get the Right Diagnosis
32. Know the Early Signs of Alzheimer’s
33. Be Easygoing and Upbeat

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Top secrets on how to be a better caregiver (part 3)

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Aging care

Be responsive…with limits. This doesn't mean you have to jump every time your parent calls. But also don't ignore your loved one when they express a need. Even if you have to explain that the request is not possible, or that you can't get to it right now, let them know that you heard them. If they think you are ignoring them, they will likely become angry, and then you have a new problem on your hands.

Be present. With caregiving comes an endless list of tasks. With so much to do, you probably feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done. But don't get caught in the trap of just trying to get it all done and working "around" your loved one. Take the time to notice what's in their eyes, their tone of voice, and what they are saying. Take a few minutes to spend time with them and try to enjoy their company. If your loved one senses that you're doing the job because you want to, they'll be more cooperative and more willing to work out the compromises.

Communicate with touch. As we get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of caregiving, we sometimes forget to show affection. Too often, we only touch our parents when we're helping them get up, or dress. Everyone needs some human touch: A hug, holding a hand, or a simple pat on the arm. Attention and affection makes your parent feel like less of a burden. They'll feel more comfortable, less frightened and more important. If they know you really do care, maybe….just maybe… they'll think twice before spewing an ugly remark or throwing a tantrum.

Be non-judgmental. Getting old isn't easy to accept. As they age, your parent still has a strong desire to remain independent and in control of their own lives for as long as possible. In their place, wouldn’t you feel the same way? Sometimes, their words or actions are based on frustration or fear of getting old and not being able to care for themselves anymore. When they need assistance getting up from a seated position, have trouble bathing, or have to give up the keys to the car, it's a dose of reality that the life they once knew is gone forever. Have tolerance, and practice non-judgment. Put yourself in their shoes.

Build teamwork. Work together, not against each other. Being a caregiver requires teamwork between you and your loved one. Of course, it takes two, but the first step is to develop that "teamwork" attitude yourself. Then, you can work on getting your elder to take the same frame of mind. Everything is a little easier when you're working with someone, rather than against them. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are part of the team as well. Working together streamlines time and effort and builds confidence.

Here are some more articles to help caregivers cope with the mental anguish that often accompanies the job of caring for an aging parent: