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Blood Vessel Damage Plays Key Role in Alzheimer's-related Dementia
For
many years, scientists have known that degeneration of neurons — nerve
cells that transmit signals to and from the brain — caused Alzheimer's ...
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Hundreds to participate in Alzheimer's Association Houston Walk
Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's Disease. This Saturday, hundreds of people will participate in the walk to end ...
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Sarasota scientists maybe find Alzheimer's breakthrough
Sarasota, Florida - A discovery by a group of Sarasota researchers is giving Alzheimer's patients hope after a common blood pressure medication led ...
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Roskamp makes breakthrough in Alzheimer's research
"These studies suggest there is a single drug target to inhibit all the three key pathologies of Alzheimer's disease," says neurobiologist Daniel Paris, ...
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3K walk to help fight Alzheimer's
Close
to 800 runners participate in the "Run for Ben" 5K/1K run/walk at
Treasure Valley Park in Washington City on Saturday, March 24, 2012.
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Though Their Memories Fail, Our Love Will Prevail. Help End Alzheimer's
In fact, women in their sixties are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's than they are to develop breast cancer. And there is no cure, but it's not for a ...
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Book Lover's Corner: “On Pluto_Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's”
(WTNH)– Author Greg O'Brien discusses Early Onset Alzheimer's for November is Alzheimer's Awareness and Caregiver's Month and his book “On ...
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Act on Alzheimer's Helps Families Cope Through Community
Across Minnesota, more than 94,000 people over the age of 65 have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or some form of dementia. 32 cities have ...
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WEB | ||||||||
Self-reported sleep disturbances linked to higher risk for Alzheimer's in men
... Alzheimer's disease than men without self-reported sleep disturbances. The results are published in the scientific journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
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Today's Top Alzheimer's News | UsAgainstAlzheimer's
David Rothkopf calls Alzheimer's a "massive freight train," the UK's attempt to improve dementia diagnosis by paying doctors, and new research links ...
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Before it is too late: Professional responsibilities in late-onset Alzheimer's research and pre ...
The
development of a wide array of molecular and neuroscientific biomarkers
can provide the possibility to visualize the course of Alzheimer's disease ...
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Today at 2:47am
I am an Advocate for Alzheimers & was diagnosed with this dreaded disease over 2 years ago. On this mornings broadcast Mike Hydeck did a brief ...
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Comment on a page
Alzheimer's Society staff and volunteers provide both local information and over 2000 services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Studies Link Cold Sore Virus to Alzheimer's Risk
Could the virus that causes common cold sores be connected to an increase in risk for Alzheimer’s disease?
Getty Images
The theory linking the herpes virus and Alzheimer's disease is that the virus weakens the immune system, allowing the virus to spread to the brain.
Friday, October 24, 2014
The virus that causes common cold sores -- herpes simplex --
might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, two studies by Swedish
researchers suggest.In fact, being a carrier of certain antibodies to the virus can double the risk of Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found.
"The identification of a
treatable cause [herpes simplex] of the most common dementia disorder is
a breakthrough," said lead researcher Dr. Hugo Lovheim, an associate
professor in the department of community medicine and rehabilitation at
Umea University in Sweden.
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But others aren't so sure that there's a clear cause and effect relationship between herpes simplex and Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, doubts that herpes and Alzheimer's disease are connected.
RELATED: How Contagious Are Cold Sores?
"From time to time data such as these appear in the literature, but they do not address causality or mechanism. The new data are likewise not definitive, and they do not say anything new about the association," he said.
"I do not disbelieve the data. I simply do not know whether the association has anything to do with the cause of Alzheimer's disease," Gandy added.
Herpes simplex is a common infection, affecting up to 90 percent of the population, according to background information in the article. It's the virus that causes cold sores, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Once you have herpes simplex, you have it for life, though the virus isn't always active, according to AAD.
The theory linking the herpes virus and Alzheimer's disease is that the virus weakens the immune system, allowing the virus to spread to the brain, which may start the process toward dementia, the researchers said.
In one study of nearly 3,500 people followed for an average of 11 years, Lovheim's team found that having certain antibodies to a herpes infection doubled the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
In the second study, blood samples were taken from 360 Alzheimer's patients an average of 9.6 years before being diagnosed with the disease. The researchers compared these with samples taken from people without Alzheimer's disease. When comparing all of the samples, the researchers found no association between Alzheimer's and herpes infection. However, when they looked only at people who'd had their blood taken at least 6.6 years prior, there was a significant association between the herpes virus and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
"I think herpes virus causes a significant proportion of all cases of AD -- about 40 to 50 percent -- according to our data," Lovheim said.
Lovheim said that these studies indicate that the role the herpes virus plays in the development of Alzheimer's disease is more than a chance association, but instead indicate a causal relationship.
"I think a causal relationship is likely, but like all epidemiological studies, there might always be confounders one has not thought about or not measured," he said. "In a few years we hope we will be able to start clinical studies to investigate whether antiviral drugs might slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease," he said.
However, Greg Cole, the associate director of the Geriatric Research and Clinical Center at the UCLA Alzheimer Disease Research Center in Los Angeles, isn't convinced.
"More than 90 percent of the population has antibodies to herpes, and they are not all destined to develop Alzheimer's disease," he said.
However, an immune response or infection connection between herpes and Alzheimer's disease is possible, Cole noted.
"Recent genetic studies have implicated variants of several genes controlling immunity with increased Alzheimer's disease risk. These new results warrant a closer look in larger populations," Cole said.
The studies were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Dear Donna,
Since 1998, my family has been on an unexpected personal journey. Like many confronted with multiple sclerosis (MS), we first reacted with disbelief and fear. However, guided by our faith and an extraordinary medical team, our fears gave way to hope.
After my diagnosis, I learned a lot about the promise of groundbreaking research to speed new treatments and cures. Most importantly, I learned I was not alone. More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from these devastating neurologic diseases.
Today, I’m proud to let you know about a collaborative new effort to accelerate medical innovation and inspire patients and families everywhere: The Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).
Please visit the website to learn more and see how you can make an impact.
You may see news stories about this new Center, because it’s something truly special. BWH’s globally recognized medical leaders have new ways of thinking about collaboration across five disease areas: MS, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors. I believe they’re ready to transform the future of medicine.
I know how strongly you hope for a better future. We all want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a world that is free of these devastating diseases.
Please take a moment to make an online contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more. With your help, I know we can accelerate treatments and cures for these devastating neurologic diseases.
Thank you,
Ann Romney
P.S. Please share this email with people you know who might be interested in learning more about neurologic diseases. The website includes useful information on new research and clinical trials.
SENATOR ED MARKEY ON APRIL 11, 2013 introduced a bill for an Alzheimer's Postage stamp to be sold in the same way as the Breast Cancer Stamp. Please send him an email saying you support this if you do or write him at 975 JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, Mass. 02203. 5.4 million people have this disease today with over 10 million caregivers. Every 69 seconds l in 6 women, 1 in 11 men are diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The Cure Alz. Fund has sponsored a Dr. Tanzi at Harvard/Mass. General for 10 years and he just created Alz. in a petrie dish which is as huge a breakthrough as the Salk polio vaccine. There is so much to do and if you write for this stamp, it will help.
The Bill no. is HR1508. You also can call your Senator or Congress rep at 202 224 3121. The email form is on Senator Markey's web site. Very easy.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Alzheimer's in a Petri Dish Could Revolutionize Research
An
elderly man holds a portrait of Laurel and Hardy during a memory
activity at the Cuidem La Memoria elderly home, which specializes in Alzheimer ...
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An Alzheimer's Complication: Some Care May Not Be Covered by Medicare
Even
though nearly 50 million people in the U.S. rely on Medicare to help
pay for their health care, millions of older people who have Alzheimer's ...
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Alzheimer's walk to be held Saturday
Lauren Ochinero, left of Salisbury, and Karen Ochinero, of Stevensville, during the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's. (Photo: Matthew S. Gunby photo).
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City Hall 'going purple' for Alzheimer's Walk
MURFREESBORO – November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver Month. In recognition of the battle against ...
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