Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could be the next frontier for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. A small phase 1 pilot study showed that some patients with AD who received constant stimulation to the fornix — the principle outflow tract from the hippocampus — had increased hippocampal volume after 1 year. There was also some evidence that…
Infants and toddlers with the Alzheimer’s disease-associated APOE4 genotype already showed distinctive patterns of brain structure relative to other young children, researchers said. MRI scans carried out in 60 normally developing children, age 2 to 25 months, who carried the APOE epsilon-4 allele, showed smaller volumes of gray matter and and lower white matter myelin…
“Could a scoop of peanut butter and a ruler become that elusive test?” If you treat the elderly, or any member of the growing number of families devastated by Alzheimer’s disease, you may be asked some version of that question, as posed by CBS News, in the coming weeks. You can thank media coverage of…
More and more research has raised concern over the dangers of concussions – one of the most common forms of head trauma – as many sufferers go on to experience persistent neurological symptoms throughout their lives. Now, scientists have discovered a clue as to why mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) can have such long-lasting health…
Pauline Anderson A second phase 3 trial investigating bapineuzumab IV in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been stopped, essentially spelling the end of the program to investigate this agent in patients with this type of dementia. The 18-month, randomized, double-blind, multicenter studies were examining the efficacy and safety of bapineuzumab, a…
High levels of a family of lipids called ceramides in the blood may be predictive of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. Women with the highest levels of ceramides had a 10-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared with those with the lowest levels, said Michelle M. Mielke, PhD, from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester,…
Pfizer Inc has announced topline results of a phase 3 trial of bapineuzumab showing treatment failed to meet the co-primary endpoint of change in cognitive or functional performance versus placebo in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who are positive for the apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) risk allele. Bapineuzumab is an investigational monoclonal antibody…
A study of senior citizens in Florida found that drinking coffee could delay the onset of or help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The study, carried out on adults over the age of 65 in Miami and Tampa, found that those with higher levels of caffeine in their blood avoided the onset of Alzheimer’s in the two-…
Response from Gayle Nicholas Scott, PharmD Assistant Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia; Clinical Pharmacist, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, Chesapeake, Virginia Coconut oil and a related medical food, Axona® (Accera, Inc; Broomfield, Colorado), are being promoted as treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD). Obtained from the kernel of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera),[1] coconut oil…