Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

Axsome Therapeutics is planning to complete its ADVANCE-1 clinical trial, evaluating AXS-05 as a treatment for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, a few months earlier to ensure the safety of study participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Top-line results from this Phase 2/3 trial, which opened in 2017, are now expected…

Biogen is acquiring from Pfizer investigational therapy PF-05251749, a small molecule being developed to treat sundowning in Alzheimer’s disease and irregular sleep wake rhythm disorder (ISWRD) in Parkinson’s disease. The company plans to begin a Phase 1b clinical trial by the end of this year,…

Longer sequence repeats in or near two genes may be linked to a higher risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a study reports. The study “Alzheimer Disease Pathology-Associated Polymorphism in a Complex Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Region Within the MUC6 Gene, Near the AP2A2 Gene” was…

A newly opened Phase 2 clinical trial will test the sensitivity of new imaging tool for plaque buildup in the brains of people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, Aprinoia Therapeutics announced. The trial is set to enroll 130 adults, 50 to 85 years old, a…

A diet that is high in salt can cause dementia in mice by promoting a buildup of plaques of the protein tau, which is also associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study shows. The study, titled “Dietary salt promotes cognitive impairment through tau phosphorylation,” was published in …

NeuroEM Therapeutics‘s MemorEMTM — a head-worn device that uses electromagnetic waves — has shown promising results in a preliminary clinical trial of people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Seven of eight participants demonstrated improved memory after two months of treatment. The results, “A Clinical Trial of Transcranial Electromagnetic Treatment…

An investigational Alzheimer’s treatment called bryostatin-1 failed to meet its primary goal — lesser evidence of dementia in people with more severe disease — in a Phase 2 clinical trial, Neurotrope, the company developing the therapy, announced in a press release. Bryostatin-1 is a molecule that activates protein…

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to three companies that sell cannabis-based products containing cannabidiol (CBD), cautioning them that making unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of CBD could lead to legal action. The agency “urges the companies to review all claims made for their…

A gene associated with a rare balance disorder also may be involved in susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease, a new study in mice shows. The study, “Loss of Ataxin-1 Potentiates Alzheimer’s Pathogenesis by Elevating Cerebral BACE1 Transcription,” was published in the journal Cell. Mutations that affect a gene’s…

Better understanding the mathematics behind how protein clumps form — and how therapies interfere with this process — may improve treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s, and other diseases, new research suggests. The study, “Optimal control strategies for inhibition of protein aggregation,” was published in PNAS. Protein aggregation is…