Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Fact Sheet
As many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from AD. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes up with age. While younger people also may get AD, it is much less common. About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have AD, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease. It is important to note, however, that AD is not a normal part of aging.
Use of Antipsychotics in Alzheimer’s Patients May Lead to Detrimental Metabolic Changes
Most of the data on the metabolic effects of atypical antipsychotics—also called newer or second generation antipsychotics—is from younger or middle-aged adults with schizophrenia. The metabolic effects on patients with Alzheimer's disease taking these medications have not been systematically assessed until now.
Cortex Area Thinner in Youth with Alzheimer's-Related Gene
A just-released brain imaging study has found that part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer's disease is thinner in youth with a risk gene for the disorder. A thinner entorhinal cortex, a structure in the lower middle part of the brain's outer mantle, may render these youth more susceptible to degenerative changes and mental decline later in life.
Marijuana Ingredient May Slow Alzheimer's, Study Says
Cadaver and animal studies suggest that cannabinoids found in marijuana may reduce inflammation related to Alzheimer's disease and perhaps slow progression of the disease itself.
Study Boosts Confidence in Potential Screening Tool for Alzheimer's Disease
A major study has confirmed the value of potential markers for identifying people with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists are hopeful that biomarkers will eventually be developed to help detect incipient illness in younger people who are at risk of the disease but who may not yet show any symptoms.
Genomic Dragnet Finds Clues to Likely Suspects in Alzheimer’s
In the first study of its kind, researchers have pinpointed four genes likely associated with risk for the most common, late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, including a very strong candidate on chromosome 14.
Antipsychotic Medications May Ease Some Alzheimer’s Symptoms, Not Others
Antipsychotic medications may lessen symptoms like hostility and aggression in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but do not appear to lessen other symptoms or improve quality of life, according to a recent analysis of data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness Alzheimer’s Disease (CATIE-AD) study. The analysis was published June 2, 2008, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Alzheimer's Disease--Symptoms and Diagnosis
An early, accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease helps patients and their families plan for the future. It gives them time to discuss care options while the patient can still take part in making decisions. And even though no drug can slow the onset or the progression of Alzheimer's, early diagnosis offers the best chance to treat the symptoms of the disease.
New Study Boosts Confidence in Potential Screening Tool for Alzheimer's Disease
A major study has confirmed the value of potential markers for identifying people with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists found that levels of two key indicators in spinal fluid distinguished clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's patients from controls with 89-92 percent efficiency.
How a Common Gene Influences Memory
Researchers searching for a possible brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) connection with the memory problems and hippocampal changes of Alzheimer's disease, depression and normal aging have shown that a common gene variant influences memory for events in humans by altering a growth factor in the brain's memory hub.
Avoiding Caregiver Burnout
Dealing with illness and its different stages--whether temporary or long-term, whether the brain is affected or another part of the body--brings on challenges and pulls on many different emotions for the individual who's personally affected, as well as for the family members dedicated to caring for them. It's important to know how best to regulate these feelings.
Lithium Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s in Studies With Mice
Studies in mice and cells suggest an enzyme crucial to formation of Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles may hold promise as a target for future medications. By blocking the enzyme, lithium stems the accumulation of beta amyloid which would eventually form Alzheimer’s plaques.
Antipsychotic Medications Used to Treat Alzheimer’s Patients Not as Promising as Hoped
According to study published in the October 12, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications used to treat Alzheimer's patients with delusions, aggression, hallucinations, and other similar symptoms appears to be no more effective than a placebo.
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