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A new immunotherapy targeting apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4), a genetic variant of apolipoprotein E that increases the risk of early onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), may be a potential therapeutic approach for a good number of patients with the disease, according to researchers at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Researchers, working with mouse models, found that blocking…

A single oral dose of methylene blue is able to increase the response of brain regions that control attention and short-term memory, according to University of Texas Health Science Center researchers. Methylene blue has proven useful as a surgical stain to guide procedures and in the treatment of methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder…

A simple number naming test can identify those with cognitive impairment among elderly individuals, clearly differentiating patients with dementia and people with mild cognitive impairment from cognitively healthy people. The study, “Screening Utility of the King-Devick Test in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease Dementia,” published in…

Amyloid-β plaques accumulating in the brain alone are not enough to cause the dementia that characterizes Alzheimer’s, new research from Johns Hopkins University argues. Instead, a second blow — molecular pathways that ultimately cause tau proteins to form tangles inside nerve cells — is also needed for neurons to degenerate. The study, “The…

Chocolate consumption may protect older people from cognitive decline, possibly preventing the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Portuguese researchers at the Institute of Molecular Medicine. However, researchers cautioned this is only true for people who drink an average of less than one espresso per day. The study, “Chocolate…

A study at the Indiana University Center for Aging Research, exploring how screening seemingly healthy older people for dementia impacts family members, has been awarded a $126,000 grant by the National Institute on Aging. The study, called “Effects on Families of older adults Experiencing Cognitive…

Neurotrope Bioscience’s lead Alzheimer’s drug candidate, bryostatin, promotes the formation of new synapses in the brains of mice, according to the study, “PKC epsilon Promotes Synaptogenesis through Membrane accumulation of the Postsynaptic Density Protein PSD-95,” recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Synaptogenesis and synaptic maturation are two…

NeuroVision Imaging has raised $10 million in new funding through a Series B financing round, led by a $5 million investment from Wildcat Capital Management. The funds will support NeuroVision’s research on retinal imaging technology, a potential new approach to amyloid detection in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A particular…

Alzheimer’s disease has been described in medical literature for more than a century, but still has no effective treatments. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, report finding evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of several physiologically active chemical compounds in marijuana, can promote cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic…

New York City-based Intra-Cellular Therapies has started its ITI-007-201 Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of agitation in patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, following the company’s communication with the U.S. FDA. Intra-Cellular Therapies Chairman and CEO Dr. Sharon Mates said in a press release she is pleased that…