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Cardiovascular risk factors in middle age contribute later in life to amyloid-beta plaque in the brain, according to a comprehensive study that followed adults for more than 20 years. The findings underscore the idea that lifestyle factors are crucial drivers of Alzheimer’s disease. Importantly, this signals that Alzheimer’s is not inevitable, since…

People who have trouble detecting details in a test with figures may be at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to a new study. This finding suggests that subtle changes in cognition may be identified long before more common symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear. The study, “Family History of Alzheimer’s…

The Alzheimer’s disease scientific community is changing its research focus from treatment to prevention, according to researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The shift has been driven by increased insights into the mechanisms of the disease, as well as better tools to study Alzheimer’s-associated brain changes…

Antibodies that ProMIS Neurosciences created to target molecules associated with Alzheimer’s inhibit the accumulation of the amyloid beta protein that is a hallmark of the disease. The company’s researchers used two computer algorithms, ProMI and Collective Coordinates, to predict amyloid beta misfolding and five disease-specific targets for antibodies, according to a presentation…

A nationwide case-control study conducted by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland found an association between mental and behavioral disorders and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, this effect was dependent on the time between the first signs of  psychiatric disorders and the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. The study, “Hospital-treated mental…

The high concentration of vitamin B12 in Marmite — a distinctly British food spread that many say is an acquired taste — was found to increase levels of gamma–aminobutyric acid (GABA) chemicals in the brain, which may protect against neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy or depression. This is according…

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), which represents more than 2,600 member organizations nationwide, testified March 29 at a Senate hearing in Washington that discussed issues related to cognitive decline. The AFA’s brief to the Senate Special Committee on Aging described the state of Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on…

Americans who want to assess their risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease may now order $199 genetic tests, now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed 23andMe to sell such genetic analyses directly to consumers. Besides Alzheimer’s, the Mountain View, Calif., company has received authorization for reports on Parkinson’s disease, hereditary…

New York-based Anavex Life Sciences presented data at the recent 13th International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases in Vienna showing that its compounds binding to the sigma-1 receptor hold promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Besides the well-known accumulation of amyloid beta peptide and the formation of senile plaques, researchers have extensively described the…

So-called “SuperAgers” lose brain volume more slowly than their normally aging peers, protecting them from dementia, according to a new study that proves yet again that Alzheimer’s disease — like other dementias — is not an inevitable fate in predestined individuals. The study, “Rates of Cortical Atrophy in Adults 80…