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Statin treatment may curb Alzheimer's brain changes
August 28, 2007People who take statin drugs may be less likely to develop the brain changes that signal Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the August 28, 2007, issue of Neurology(r), the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Previous research had suggested that people who received statins might be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. "But our study is the first to compare the brains of people who had received statins with those who had not," said Gail (Ge) Li, MD, PhD. The paper's lead author, Dr. Li is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle.
She and her colleagues examined the brains of 110 Group Health members, aged 65 to 79, who had participated in Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) and who donated their brains for research. A joint project of Group Health and the University of Washington, ACT is a prospective cohort study started in 1994. It includes a random sample of Group Health members age 65 and older who had no thinking difficulties when enrolled.
The two changes in the brain that are considered the most definitive hallmarks of Alzheimer's are brain "plaques" and "tangles." After controlling for variables including age at death, gender, and strokes in the brain, the researchers found significantly fewer tangles in the brains of people who had taken statins than in those who had not. "These results are exciting, novel, and have important implications for prevention strategies," said senior co-author Eric Larson, MD, MPH, the leader of the ACT study and executive director of Group Health Center for Health Studies. "But they need to be confirmed, because ACT is not a randomized controlled trial."
A randomized controlled trial of statin treatment and brain autopsy findings would be problematic for ethical and practical reasons, said Dr. Larson. But the ACT setting made the study more rigorous than previous observational epidemiological studies, because it uses reliable automated pharmacy records, is based in a community population, and includes autopsies in people both with and without dementia.
Statins (HMG coenzyme A reductase inhibitors), include atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor). They are widely prescribed to lower cholesterol of people who have heart disease or are at risk for it. Randomized controlled trials are testing some statins, especially those that cross the barrier between the blood and the brain, for their ability to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease.
"People with Alzheimer's are diverse," said Dr. Li. "Statins are probably more likely to help prevent the disease in certain kinds of people than others." Larson adds, "Someday we may be able to know more precisely which individuals will benefit from which types of statins for preventing the changes of Alzheimer's disease."
Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies
A randomized controlled trial of statin treatment and brain autopsy findings would be problematic for ethical and practical reasons, said Dr. Larson. But the ACT setting made the study more rigorous than previous observational epidemiological studies, because it uses reliable automated pharmacy records, is based in a community population, and includes autopsies in people both with and without dementia.
Statins (HMG coenzyme A reductase inhibitors), include atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor). They are widely prescribed to lower cholesterol of people who have heart disease or are at risk for it. Randomized controlled trials are testing some statins, especially those that cross the barrier between the blood and the brain, for their ability to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease.
"People with Alzheimer's are diverse," said Dr. Li. "Statins are probably more likely to help prevent the disease in certain kinds of people than others." Larson adds, "Someday we may be able to know more precisely which individuals will benefit from which types of statins for preventing the changes of Alzheimer's disease."
Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies
Statins Current Events and Statins News RSSEarly end to key study on benefits of niacin, a B vitamin, in keeping arteries open was premature
Heart experts at Johns Hopkins are calling premature the early halt of a study by researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing.
Researchers mobilizing global resources to test new treatments for severe H1N1 infection
An important, ground-breaking initiative is unfolding in the global critical care community in response to the H1N1 pandemic.
Widely used cholesterol-lowering drug may prevent progression
Simvastatin, a commonly used, cholesterol-lowering drug, may prevent Parkinson's disease from progressing further. Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center conducted a study examining the use of the FDA-approved medication in mice with Parkinson's disease and found that the drug successfully reverses the biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes caused by the disease.
Statins show dramatic drug and cell dependent effects in the brain
Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, statins have also been reported to potentially lower the risks of other diseases, such as dementia.
Cholesterol-lowering medicines may be effective against cancer
Statins lower cholesterol by blocking certain enzymes involved in our metabolism.
Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin improves lipid control
Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone.
Use of statins favors the wealthy, creating new social disparities in cholesterol
Since the introduction of statins to treat high cholesterol, the decline in lipid levels experienced by the wealthy has been double that experienced by the poor.
Women with Atrial Fibrillation Are at Significantly Higher Risk of Stroke and Death Compared to Men and Receive Less Attention
Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences, and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.
Pre-hospital organization: The first links in the chain of survival for heart attack patients
Mortality rate following a heart attack has fallen by more than 50% in Europe over the past 25 years. However, because only minor advances in the medical treatment of AMI are expected over the next decade, it is through organisational changes in the pre-hospital phase that mortality rate will continue this decline to below 5%.
Fatostatin' is a turnoff for fat genes
A small molecule earlier found to have both anti-fat and anti-cancer abilities works as a literal turnoff for fat-making genes, according to a new report in the August 28th issue of the journal Chemistry and Biology, a Cell Press journal.
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