Diverse Approaches to Alzheimer's Therapies Continue to Show Progress at ICAD

clipped from alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com A lot of good and encouraging news continues to come out of this week's Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008. --18-Month Data from an Extension of a Pivotal Trial of Dimebon in Alzheimer's --First U.S. Double-Blind Phase II Clinical Trial of IVIg (Immunotherapy) in Alzheimer's --Phase II Immunotherapy Trial with LY2062430 in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's --Antidementia Drugs Contribute to Longer Life in People with Alzheimer's Read More......

Abnormal Thyroid Levels Can Increase Risk For Alzheimer’s Disease in Women

A year or so ago I first read about hyperthyroidism and its connection to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. I asked our doctor to check my mother. He termed the results as suspicious and prescribed a drug for her thyroid. After about two months my mother started smiling more and laughing. Was it the drug? I'll never know for certain. Buy, my belief is it does help. If you have a loved one suffering from an early stage of Alzheimer's or dementia I suggest you get the thyroid checked.

clipped from www.healthnews.com Thyroid disease, resulting from either low or high thyrotropin levels, has been found to be associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in women only. Thyrotropin is a hormone that affects thyroid gland function and thyroid hormone levels. When a patient has low levels of the hormone, the condition is known as hypothyroidism, while a patient having high levels is referred to as having hyperthyroidism. Both conditions are recognized causes of reversible dementia based on previous studies. In fact, routine screening of serum thyrotropin levels is included in evaluation of patients with suspected dementia. However, the effects of a normally functioning thyroid gland on the brain's cognitive abilities have not been made clear. It is not known whether thyroid function affects Alzheimer's or if it is Alzheimer's that affects thyroid function.

Tau drug shows early promise in Alzheimer's

clipped from www.healthcentral.com An Alzheimer's drug that attacks abnormal tangles in the brain appeared to slow progression of the disease, British researchers said on Tuesday, but doctors cautioned that the results are early. The drug, made by private biotechnology company TauRX and called Rember, produced a significant improvement in key measures of thinking and memory in people with moderate Alzheimer's disease, company officials said. The drug is among the first to attack tangles of tau protein in the brain that are strongly associated with dementia in Alzheimer's disease. "We've demonstrated for the first time we can halt the disease by a treatment that aims to dissolve the tangles," said Claude Wischik of the University of Aberdeen and chairman of TauRX Therapeutics in Singapore. The researchers tested 321 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at 17 centers in the United Kingdom and Singapore, they told the International Conference on Alzheimer's disease in Chicago.

Alzheimer's Reading Room: Huperzine A Factsheet (Alzheimer's)

Alzheimer's Reading Room: Huperzine A Factsheet (Alzheimer's)

Alzheimer's Reading Room: AL-108

Alzheimer's Reading Room: AL-108

The Alzheimer's Action Plan: The Experts' Guide to the Best Diagnosis and Treatment for Memory Problems

New Research Shows That People With Better Physical Fitness Have Less Brain Atrophy in Alzheimer's

I have been writing about Alzheimer's and exercise on the Alzheimer's Reading Room blog for years. I believe that exercise is a key component in fighting off the devastating effects of Alzheimer's on my mother--now 92 years old.

Exercising in a gym also gives my mother an added boost by keeping her socialized. Most days my mother goes kicking and screaming to the gym. On the way out she has a smile on her face, better balance while walking, and I feel like we are fighting the good fight.

I should mention that I am also getting some obvious benefits. If you are predisposed to Alzheimer's by birth you really need to incorporate Alzheimer's into your daily return.

clipped from www.alz.org People with early Alzheimer’s disease who had better fitness ratings had less atrophy in key brain areas associated with memory, according to research reported today at the 2008 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2008) in Chicago. This is the first time that MRI brain imaging has been used to demonstrate the connection between cardiorespiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s-related brain changes in the hippocampus, an area of the brain important for memory and spatial navigation. In Alzheimer's, the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage. "We found that, in early-stage Alzheimer’s, cardiorespiratory fitness is correlated with regional brain volumes in key areas affected by the disease," said Honea. "This suggests that maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness may positively modify Alzheimer’s-related brain atrophy."

Another Disappointing Year for Alzheimer’s Drugs

You can check out what is going on by following the links in the clip.

We can only hope and pray for a breakthrough.

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Last month, Myriad Genetics said its late-stage trial of its experimental drug Flurizan failed to show any benefit for Alzheimer’s patients. The results of the Flurizan study will be unpacked this week at a big annual Alzheimer’s conference, as researchers look at what’s next in the field, the Los Angeles Times reports this morning. Eli Lilly is running a late-stage trial of its drug LY450139, which is supposed to block the production of gamma secretase Elan and Wyeth are in the midst of late-stage study of bapineuzumab, an antibody-based drug that’s supposed to clear plaques from the brain. Results from the big test are expected in 2010. But the drug has generated some excitement among investors, even though preliminary results of a mid-stage study didn’t shoot the lights out. More details on those results are scheduled to be released tomorrow.

Does Etanercept (Enbrel) Work on Alzheimer's Patients?

clipped from alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com A study reported in the journal BioMed Central BMC Neurology showed that 12 patients improved language recall shortly after treatment with Enbrel, or etanercept, a rheumatoid arthritis drug. The study conducted by Dr. Edward Tobinick, director of the Institute for Neurological Research, was conducted in house without any of the controls usually seen in clinical trials.

New Book and Review: The Alzheimer's Action Plan

clipped from alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com “Most of us will either get Alzheimer’s or care for a loved one who has" The Alzheimer's Action Plan: The Experts' Guide to the Best Diagnosis and Treatment for Memory Problems

Study points to dietary cocktail for Alzheimer's

This is the kind of science that really gets me excited.

clipped from web.mit.edu The combination of supplements, which contains three compounds normally found in the bloodstream, is now being tested in Alzheimer's patients. The cocktail has previously been shown to promote growth of new brain connections in rodents. "It may be possible to use this treatment to partially restore brain function in people with diseases that decrease the number of brain neurons, including, for example, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, strokes and brain injuries. Of course, such speculations have to be tested in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials," said Richard Wurtman, Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor of Neuropharmacology and senior author of a paper on the new work. clipped from web.mit.edu

The 10 Best Foods You Aren"t Eating

I don't eat most of the foods on this list. But, after reading this article I might.

The article is full of explanations and reasons why these foods should be eaten. A lot of information that was not in my awareness.

Definitely worth the time to read.

clipped from abcnews.go.com Guavas, beets and cinnamon are among the super-healthful foods that you should probably be getting more of in your diet.