New research suggests that recognising early impairments may make Alzheimer's a treatable diseaseMarch 16, 1999Alzheimer's Disease need no longer be a death sentence but will become more treatable, if detected in its early stages. Evidence on brain scans, in conjunction with performance on psychological test showing mild cognitive impairments (MCI) like slight memory loss, pinpoints more people at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease. A study at SCP will use new brain imaging techniques to assess the impact of drug treatment given when mild cognitive impairments appear, for delaying the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia, affects up to 25 million people worldwide. In the UK, alone about £5 billion is needed every year to care for people with the disease. There are currently two treatments available that delay the progression of symptoms by increasing transmission of the chemical acetylcholine in the brain. These drugs - cognition enhancers - have most effect when used in the early stages of Alzheimer's and may be useful before symptoms of Alzheimer's are apparent. Performance on neuropsychological tests can indicate mild cognitive impairments - memory loss, difficulty learning new things - but these are also signs of normal ageing. Visual evidence of atrophy can be detected on brain images and can support a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI ) - a new imaging technique - is already successfully used to map the effects of antipsychotic drugs on the brain in schizophrenia. In Alzheimer's disease, fMRI may prove useful in mapping the drug effects of the cognitive enhancers and in detecting early changes in the brain that may predict dementia. Institute of Psychiatry |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Alzheimer Disease Current Events and Alzheimer Disease News Articles Delirium in hospitalized adults: Situation critical, no relief available Every year as many as seven million adults in the United States experience delirium during hospitalization. New data demonstrate potential for early detection of Alzheimer's disease Data published in the June issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease demonstrated that minimally-invasive biospectroscopy was able to identify changes in oxidative stress (OS) levels in blood plasma, which may prove to be a useful biomarker in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Another McGill/JGH breakthrough opens door to early Alzheimer's diagnosis A new diagnostic technique which may greatly simplify the detection of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital (JGH). Measuring brain atrophy in patients with mild cognitive impairment Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that a fully automated procedure called Volumetric MRI - which measures the "memory centers" of the brain and compares them to expected size - is effective in predicting the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease. Commonly used medications may produce cognitive impairment in older adults Many drugs commonly prescribed to older adults for a variety of common medical conditions including allergies, hypertension, asthma, and cardiovascular disease appear to negatively affect the aging brain causing immediate but possibly reversible cognitive impairment, including delirium, in older adults. Commonly used ulcer drugs may offer treatment potential in Alzheimer's disease In a new study, published in the May issue of Elsevier's Experimental Neurology, scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered that drugs commonly used to treat ulcers have significant neuroprotective properties, which appear to be enhanced when used in combination with ibuprofen, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug. New test for mysterious metabolic diseases developed at Stanford/Packard Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a much-needed way to monitor and find treatments for a mysterious and devastating group of metabolic diseases that arise from mutations in cells' fuel-burning mechanism. Recalibrating 'fight or flight' A Canadian/U.S. research team has reported a novel approach to stimulating recovery from chronic stress disorders. Details of the therapeutic model, which exploits the natural dynamics of the body's "fight or flight" system, are published January 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology Vitamin B does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's A clinical trial led by Paul S. Aisen, M.D., professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that high-dose vitamin B supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease. Protecting patient privacy the new fashioned way Protecting patient privacy has been recognized as the duty of health-care providers for about as long as doctors have seen patients. In 1996 that duty became a legal obligation when Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. More Alzheimer Disease Current Events and Alzheimer Disease News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||