Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

A novel technique that detects DNA from dead nerve cells in the blood may help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and predict its development with a five-year window among people with mild cognitive impairment, a new study showed. The work was led by scientists at Resonant, a subsidiary of…

Medicare, the U.S. health insurance program for people ages 65 and older, will now provide additional coverage for an imaging test, called an amyloid PET scan, that can be used to help diagnose and monitor Alzheimer’s disease. The decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)…

A research team led by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has completed the most sweeping analysis yet of how genetic activity in brain cells is dysregulated in Alzheimer’s disease. “What we set out to do was blend together our computational and our biological expertise and take…

Six months of treatment with bryostatin slowed cognitive decline in adults with moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease, according to new data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. These bryostatin-associated cognitive benefits over a placebo were maintained even four months after stopping treatment, the researchers noted — highlighting the long-term effects…

Among people with a genetic form of Alzheimer’s disease, those with more formal education tend to be older at disease onset, a new study suggests. Data indicate that the protective effects of education are particularly pronounced among patients with the highest genetic risk of Alzheimer’s, which suggests that “programs to…

Enrollment is complete and testing underway in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of Vaccinex’s experimental therapy pepinemab, which aims to slow disease progression in people with mild Alzheimer’s. One year of treatment for the 50 adults in the U.S. trial — called SIGNAL-AD (NCT04381468) and ongoing at…

Eli Lilly’s anti-amyloid therapy donanemab significantly slowed cognitive decline for most people with early Alzheimer’s disease in the Phase 3 TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 clinical trial. The benefits were more pronounced among patients younger than 75 years and among those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) relative to those with early…

On-demand treatment with BXCL501, an orally dissolving film formulation of dexmedetomidine, significantly eased episodes of agitation among Alzheimer’s disease patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial, according to topline results announced by the therapy’s developer, BioXcel Therapeutics. “We believe these results represent a significant milestone for BioXcel Therapeutics…

In the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, even before cognitive symptoms have become apparent, there are detectable changes in the makeup of bacteria in the gut, a study shows. The finding suggests that analyses of gut bacteria may help identify early Alzheimer’s, according to researchers. “By the time…

A blood test that checks for the abnormal activation of star-shaped cells in the brain called astrocytes may be able to identify people who are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. “Our study argues that testing for the presence of brain amyloid along with blood…