News

Epileptic-seizure-like activity in a brain region called the hippocampus may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s, according to a case study involving two patients. And an anti-epileptic medicine may be able to slow the disease’s progression, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers said. An additional finding was that seizure-like activity may be difficult to…

Promising data from Sangamo Therapeutics‘ research programs, including Alzheimer’s disease, were recently announced. The results were presented during the 20th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) in Washington, D.C. Sangamo’s work in Alzheimer’s revealed a significant reduction in the production of tau, a…

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is receiving a $2.7 million U.S. government grant for a five-year research project on the mechanisms that underlie healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Catherine Kaczorowski, an assistant professor at the Bal Harbor, Maine-based research organization, will direct the work. The grant is coming from the National Institute on…

Researchers, for the first time, have measured how tau protein spreads in the brains of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease or its prodromal (early) stages. The discovery suggests that tau accumulation is linked to problems with episodic memory. But it was changes in brain glucose metabolism, rather than tau, that were…

Taconic Biosciences is improving its services to Alzheimer’s disease researchers — creating a ready-to-use stock of an important mouse model of the disease. Earlier procedures forced researchers to wait for months to receive mice ready for experiments, potentially slowing research efforts. As human brains are difficult to study, animal models…

The state of New York lacks effective measures for preventing diabetes, which is fueling a dramatic increase in Alzheimer’s disease. So says a new document, “Unprevented Diabetes Means Unnecessary Alzheimer’s,” issued by Health People: Community Preventive Health Institute. Doctors say diabetes increases the risk of getting Alzheimer’s by 40 percent. Currently, New York state…

A special issue of PLOS Medicine that covers a broad range of new Alzheimer’s and dementia studies underscores the importance of a holistic, personalized-care approach to treatment, according to a California health care provider that promotes that approach. AFFIRMATIVhealth uses information from the latest research on these neurodegenerative conditions to…

A once-weekly transdermal patch delivers the most commonly prescribed treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in a way that is biologically equivalent to taking the medication orally, according to preliminary pilot study results. Corium International conducted the bioequivalence (BE) pilot study on its lead product, Corplex, which delivers donepezil — the same active…

Actors on CBS’s hit television series “Criminal Minds” have made a commercial to promote an Alzheimer’s Association awareness event called the Longest Day on June 21. The public service announcement builds on the show’s use of a character with Alzheimer’s to educate people about the disease. The commercial invites the…

Axsome Therapeutics’ investigational drug AXS-05 was recently granted fast track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The designation intends to speed up the development and regulatory handling of the drug, which is currently in the planning…