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A recent review discussed how genes implicated in aging and Alzheimer’s disease exhibit epigenetic changes, indicating the same changes might exert a pathogenic role in dementia. The study, titled “Epigenetics of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease: Implications for Pharmacogenomics and Drug Response,” was published in the International Journal of Molecular…

GeneMatch, a novel program developed by the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), is now identifying and recruiting people interested in participating in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research studies who are at risk of developing the disease based on their APOE genetic information. The APOE gene is a genetic factor associated with a higher Alzheimer’s risk and a higher…

Astrocytes, brain cells thought to migrate to and destroy the amyloid plaques that are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease, are actually repelled by the plaques, researchers analyzing models of the brain report. Their study, titled “Topological analyses in APP/PS1 mice reveal that astrocytes do not migrate to amyloid-β…

Drinking alcohol in moderation every day — defined as two-to-three units per day — may be associated with a significantly lower mortality among people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to a Danish study recently published in the BMJ Open journal and titled “Alcohol consumption and mortality in patients with mild…

DKR Fund 2014 grant recipient Dr. Chandramalika Basak, of the Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) at the University of Texas at Dallas, has discovered through her studies that playing video games can have a positive effect on cognitive abilities, brain structure, and brain function. The research was funded by the…

Researchers have identified urolithins are the molecules responsible for pomegranate extract’s apparent neuroprotective effectives against Alzheimer’s disease. The study, entitled “Pomegranate’s Neuroprotective Effects against Alzheimer’s Disease Are Mediated by Urolithins, Its Ellagitannin-Gut Microbial Derived Metabolites,” was published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Several animal studies have demonstrated that pomegranate…

MitoQ, the world’s first antioxidant formula demonstrating ability to penetrate mitochondria in order to deliver antioxidants in meaningful levels, has been selected for the USA’s National Institute of Aging’s (NIA) Interventions Testing Program (ITP) — an internationally recognized anti-aging testing program funded by the US Government — reports…

High levels of stress can increase the likelihood of elderly people developing mild cognitive impairment — usually a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. These results are reported in a study titled “Influence of Perceived Stress on Incident Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Results From the Einstein Aging Study,” published in the…

Scientists with the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada, have discovered a method of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease with more than 80 percent accuracy. The innovative technique evaluates the interplay between four linguistic factors, and the researchers are developing automated technology to detect these impairments. The study, led by…

Researchers discovered a potential cause for the disrupted sleep patterns observed in Alzheimer’s disease patients. The study, “Melanopsin retinal ganglion cell loss in Alzheimer’s disease,” associates the degradation of a subset of eye cells involved in circadian rhythm regulation with the sleep dysfunction observed in AD, and was published in…