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Cogstate’s digital cognitive testing system Cognigram is now available in the U.S. after Cogstate was notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that Cognigram met the requirements of a Class II medical device from the agency’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “After more than fifteen years of…

National Football League athletes might be at increased risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition linked to dementia and abnormal behavior. A recent study published in JAMA found that 87 percent of investigated players had signs of brain damage after death. Dementia was diagnosed in 85 percent of those…

A recent study in mice showed that BACE inhibitors not only reduce cerebral amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels, but they also may improve the neural circuit and memory impairments in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers now plan to conduct a large-scale clinical trial with about 1,000 patients to determine in the unexpected…

A single amino acid can determine where an enzyme cuts a precursor to the amyloid beta protein — and the difference can translate into either a healthy brain or Alzheimer’s, according to a Canadian study. The research showed that a shorter version of amyloid beta does not turn into the…

A cell death mechanism linked to neuron loss in ALS and stroke also plays a role in neuron loss in Alzheimer’s, a study reports. The insight could lead to ways to stop neuron death in Alzheimer’s and to the development of therapies. Scientists have known that the cell death mechanism, necroptosis,…

A compound that blocks the activity of so-called HDAC enzymes in the brain improved learning in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to data that Regenacy Pharmaceuticals presented at the recent 2017 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) July 16-20 in London. Regenacy’s RCY-1305 blocks the enzymes HDAC1 and HDAC2, which…

The Gerontological Society of America has developed a free online toolkit to help primary-care doctors detect and diagnose cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. The toolkit is based on a four-step process for detecting cognitive impairment and diagnosing dementia earlier. The society named…

The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF) will launch a new Brain Longevity Therapy Training Program to educate wellness and healthcare workers on the four pillars of Alzheimer’s disease prevention: diet, stress management, exercise and spiritual fitness. The spiritual fitness segment focuses on yoga and meditation techniques,…

A plan to test a multi-dimensional, lifestyle-based approach to preventing cognitive decline and dementia in people at risk of Alzheimer’s was one of the important revelations that surfaced at the 2017 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, experts said. Other convention highlights that the Alzheimer’s Association identified included: Interim results of a…

Researchers developed a new method for capturing proteins implicated in several diseases, including Alzheimer’s. The technique promises to accelerate the identification of altered proteins underlying disease progression (biomarkers). This knowledge may later translate into new targeted therapeutics. The study, “A mutant O-GlcNAcase enriches Drosophila developmental regulators,” was published in the…