Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Epsilon4 allele carriers show altered brain activity before onset of Alzheimer's symptoms

Epsilon4 allele carriers show altered brain activity before onset of Alzheimer's symptoms

January 13, 2006

Healthy individuals who are at risk of Alzheimer's disease show reduced activity in the hippocampal region of the brain when performing tasks related to forming new memories. In a study published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, individuals carrying the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele, which has previously been associated with high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), showed altered brain activity compared to APOE epsilon3 homozygotes. According to the authors of the study, this supports the idea that certain regions of the brain exhibit functional decline associated with the AOPE epsilon4 allele, and this decline begins before the onset of AD symptoms.

Mehul Trivedi and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin Medical School and the William S. Middleton Memorial VA Hospital, Madison, United States, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning to analyse the brain activity patterns of 40 apparently healthy middle-aged individuals with a family history of AD, comparing epsilon3/4 heterozygotes with epsilon3/3 homozygotes. In this test the participants were asked to distinguish between images that they were being shown for the first time and images that they had already memorized previously in a pre-scan training session.




During the task, the epsilon3/4 heterozygotes showed reduced activation in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) of the brain, including the right hippocampus, compared to the epsilon3/3 homozygotes. There were no differences between the two groups in age, education, performance during the task or neuropsychological assessment of memory; therefore the altered brain activation seen could not have been caused by impaired cognitive function. According to the authors, "if compromised MTL function continues to be observed in healthy epsilon4 carriers, this group of subjects may represent a good study population for novel treatments designed to delay the onset or to prevent the development of AD".

BioMed Central



Related Alzheimers Disease Current Events and Alzheimers Disease News Articles Alzheimers Disease Current Events and Alzheimers Disease News RSS Alzheimers Disease Current Events and Alzheimers Disease News RSS
Cold sore virus might play role in Alzheimer's disease
A gene known to be a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease puts out the welcome mat for the virus that causes cold sores, allowing the virus to be more active in the brain compared to other forms of the gene.

Study offers window into human behavior, brain disease
UCSF scientists have identified a cell population that is a primary target of the degenerative brain disease known as frontotemporal dementia, which is as common as Alzheimer's disease in patients who develop dementia before age 65.

New imaging compound might 'see' Alzheimer's earlier
A new imaging molecule that can detect and map plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease could eventually lead to earlier diagnosis of the devastating disease, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles report in the Dec. 21, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Testosterone therapy may prevent Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered a direct link between loss of testosterone and the development of an Alzheimer's-like disease in mice. They also discovered that testosterone treatment slows progression of the disease.

Androgen therapy may slow progress of Alzheimer's disease
Experiments on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest that treatment with male sex hormones might slow its progression.

Protein 'fingerprint' in spinal fluid could spot Alzheimer's disease
Scientists collaborating at Cornell University in Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have identified a panel of 23 protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a neurochemical "fingerprint," which doctors might use someday to identify patients living with Alzheimer's disease.

Study shows cats can succumb to feline Alzheimer's disease
Ageing cats can develop a feline form of Alzheimer's disease, a new study reveals. Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and California have identified a key protein which can build up in the nerve cells of a cat's brain and cause mental deterioration.

Scientists develop a new way to target Alzheimer's disease
The pathological embrace between two proteins plays a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease by triggering the formation of neuron-killing plaques of amyloid beta protein. Now a group of scientists at NYU School of Medicine have devised a way to reduce amyloid beta deposition by interfering with the deadly embrace of these proteins.

Complaints About Memory Are Associated With Alzheimer-Related Brain Damage
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center found that having complaints about memory problems is associated with changes in the brain related to Alzheimer's disease. They reported their findings in the November 2006 issue of Neurology.

More insight into Alzheimer's disease with Stanford discovery of possible cause
A peacekeeper in the body's defenses against infection may hold the key to understanding-and eventually treating-Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine discovered that when a molecule responsible for dialing down the immune system malfunctions in the brain cells of mice, the rodents develop symptoms of the degenerative brain disease.
More Alzheimers Disease Current Events and Alzheimers Disease News Articles
A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier

A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier
by Patricia R. Callone (Editor)

Written for patients, their families, and caregivers, the practical information here will help readers understand what is physically happening to the brain so they can empower their own special skills and talents throughout the disease process. The book is divided into three sections that correspond to the progression of Alzheimer’s, and the unique challenges encountered at each stage.

*Section A: The four stages of Alzheimer's with hundreds of practical tips for coping at each level

*Section B: Q&A for caregivers, including legal and financial issues, medication, helping children understand, handling the holidays and more.

*Section C: Resources and websites.

This is an essential book for all those who want to focus on the capabilities that...

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease
by Joanne Koenig Coste (Author), Robert Butler (Foreword)

More than four million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and as many as twenty million have close relatives or friends with the disease. Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between carepartners and patients and has proven successful with thousands of people living with dementia. Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s also offers hundreds of practical tips, including how to · cope with the diagnosis and adjust to the disease’s progression · help the patient talk about the illness · face the...

Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts

Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts
Starring: n/a
Directed By: n/a

Studio: Wgbh Wholesale Release Date: 03/17/2009 Run time: 56 minutes

Alzheimer's from the Inside Out

Alzheimer's from the Inside Out
by Richard Taylor (Author)

Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease profoundly alters lives and creates endless uncertainty about the future. How does a person cope with such a life-changing discovery? What are the hopes and fears of someone living with this disease? How does he want to be treated? How does he feel as the disease alters his brain, his relationships, and ultimately himself?

Richard Taylor provides illuminating responses to these and many other questions in this collection of provocative essays. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 61, the former psychologist courageously shares an account of his slow transformation and deterioration and the growing division between his world and the world of others.

With poignant clarity, candor, and even occasional humor, more than...

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life, 4th Edition

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life, 4th Edition
by Nancy L. Mace (Author), Peter V. Rabins (Author)

Revised in 2006 for its twenty-fifth anniversary, this best-selling book is the "bible" for families caring for people with Alzheimer disease, offering comfort and support to millions worldwide. In addition to the practical and compassionate guidance that have made The 36-Hour Day invaluable to caregivers, the fourth edition is the only edition currently available that includes new information on medical research and the delivery of care.

The new edition includes:

-new information on diagnostic evaluation-resources for families and adult children who care for people with dementia-updated legal and financial information-the latest information on nursing homes and other communal living arrangements-new information on research, medications, and the biological causes and...

  Journal of Alzheimers Disease
by Ios Press



The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis

The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis
by Peter J. Whitehouse M.D. (Author), Daniel George M.Sc. (Author)

Dr. Peter Whitehouse will transform the way we think about Alzheimer’s disease.  In this provocative and ground-breaking book he challenges the conventional wisdom about memory loss and cognitive impairment; questions the current treatment for Alzheimer’s disease; and provides a new approach to understanding and rethinking everything we thought we knew about brain aging.
The Myth of Alzheimer’s provides welcome answers to the questions that millions of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – and their families – are eager to know:
Is Alzheimer’s a disease?
What is the difference between a naturally aging brain and an Alzheimer’s brain?
How effective are the current drugs for AD?  Are they worth the money we spend on them? 
What kind of hope does...

FlameEz-Memory, 60 Capsules/Bottle

FlameEz-Memory, 60 Capsules/Bottle
by FlameEz

Memory loss is caused by a condition in which cells of the brain are damaged or lost. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are the common disorders that cause memory loss. Studies have shown that neuron damage begins long before an individual experiences any symptoms and the symptoms are only recognized when many cells have died and the brains can no longer function properly. Unlike many cells in the rest of the body, neurons are not readily regenerated. For this reason, memory loss is a progressive condition that only gets worse, there is no coming back from it. Advanced science has shown critical role of inflammation in Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases. When the brain is injured or infected, cells in the brain called microglia produce inflammatory cytokines. Normally, this...

Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias [VHS]

Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias [VHS]
Directed By: Mark Julian Campbell



Part 1: Alzheimer's and Related Dementia

Part 1: Alzheimer's and Related Dementia
Directed By: Matt Connolly
Also With: H. Diane Connolly (Producer)



© 2009 BrightSurf.com