Articles on Alzheimer and Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease that currently has no cure.  Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, which causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.  The effects can be severe enough to impair a person’s ability to work, play and interact with family and friends.  It is the most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.  Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

 

08/22/2011 - Articles

Complementary and Alternative Treatments: Which One for Alzheimer’s Disease

It's estimated that fewer than 20% of patients have even a moderate response to FDA-approved drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

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08/12/2011 - Articles

Dementia Treatment | The Accidental Senior: Thoughts on Health & Aging Well

Even though mom was in her mid-80s, she was independent and socially active. She had a "boyfriend". Yet she was also more easily confused. Read more

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02/18/2011 - Articles
Alzheimer's disease linked to mid-life cholesterol

Alzheimer's disease linked to mid-life cholesterol

Alzheimer’s disease takes many years to develop and, with an aging population, it has become increasingly urgent to discover ways of preventing this, the most common form of dementia, from taking hold.  Read more

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05/13/2010 - Articles

Obesity gene may be linked to dementia risk

Obesity is a major public health issue, affecting 300 million people around the world. We already know that obesity is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart disease, And obesity is also known to increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in later life. Now a study from the University of California, Los Angeles, and elsewhere, points to a possible genetic explanation for the link between obesity and dementia. Read more

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05/12/2010 - Articles

Subjective memory concerns could signal dementia to come

Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, may have a very long period of onset. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has already been established as a condition which precedes dementia. In MCI, individuals have cognitive test results that are below normal, but they are still capable of undertaking the majority of everyday activities (unlike those with dementia). Around 10-20% of those with MCI will progress to dementia each year. Read more

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05/07/2010 - Articles

Healthy living in middle years could prevent dementia

As the population ages, so the number of cases of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, will increase. The costs of dementia in terms of lost independence and care requirements are steep, to both the individual and society. Therefore, isn’t it in everyone’s interests to do whatever possible to prevent dementia? The problem is, we do not, as yet, have a single solution to the challenge of warding off dementia or at least slowing its approach. However, experts in health and aging at the University of Edinburgh have now come up with some recommendations based on the best evidence we have on dementia prevention. Read more

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04/09/2010 - Articles

Cognitive decline may follow hospitalization

Cognitive decline has been shown to result after hospital admission for a critical illness or an acute condition. But it has not been clear whether this is because the patients had symptoms of cognitive decline prior to the admission, or whether it is caused by being in hospital. In a new study, researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, analyzed data from a study of older adults that involved cognitive testing. They also looked at data on hospitalizations in this group, to see if it was linked to cognitive decline. The study covered nearly 3,000 adults aged 65 or more who did not have dementia at the start of the study.  Read more

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02/26/2010 - Articles

Blood pressure-lowering drugs may help prevent Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a major public health threat, as the population ages. Therefore, as well as diagnosis and treatment, we need new information on how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. We know that mid-life heart disease risk factors, like high blood pressure and diabetes, can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Therefore, can drugs that normalise blood pressure and treat diabetes also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in later life? Read more

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02/24/2010 - Articles

Experiments shed new light on Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease affects around half of the 700,000 people with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to increase sharply in years to come, with similar trends expected in other countries because of the aging of the population. Therefore, there’s a keen interest in new and more effective ways of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease. Research from a team in New York now suggests that loss of the sense of smell might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, opening up the possibility of a new way of diagnosing the condition. Experiments in mice suggest that deficits in the sense of smell are linked with a build up of amyloid protein, which is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

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02/05/2010 - Articles
Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba does not reduce cognitive decline

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most popular herbal remedies used in both to the United States and in Europe. It has long been valued for its supposed ability to prevent cognitive decline, including memory problems. Yet there is little scientific evidence to support the use of ginkgo biloba for preserving cognitive function. In the largest study of gingko biloba to date, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere conclude that it does not help prevent dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

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