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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…

In an effort to promote education about Alzheimer’s disease and help local communities plan for this emerging public health crisis, Eli Lilly and Company has started an expansion of its “Community Conversations on Alzheimer’s” series with a panel discussion at the U.S. Conference of Mayors June 24-27 in Indianapolis.

Using slices of mouse brain tissue kept alive in a lab dish, scientists have identified the earliest molecular changes leading to Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, showing how early alterations in brain amyloid-β balance causes nerve connections called synapses to die, might allow scientist to target the mechanisms and develop therapies to…