For more than a decade now researchers have tried to “cure” Alzheimer’s disease by clearing away beta amyloid plaques and tau proteins with drugs. But, as we’ve reported repeatedly in this newsletter, clinical trials on these drug therapies have shown that eliminating the proteins does nothing to improve Alzheimer’s-related memory loss. Now, researchers point to [...]
Researchers have been working on blood tests, eye tests, even sense of smell tests-- all in an attempt to uncover a screening tool that reveals the very earliest signs of dementia, long before symptoms appear. As they search for what some have called the holy grail of neuroscience, a group of dementia researchers in Boston [...]
Beta amyloid plaques and tau tangles are well known hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. But over the last decade, a third hallmark has emerged – a more significant one in my opinion: the presence of a sustained inflammatory immune response in the brain. The relentless activation of immune cells is linked to amyloid and tau plaque [...]
I’ve often discussed the fact that research into Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia has increasingly shown how inflammation in the brain wreaks havoc on your memory. The new attention on brain inflammation has put medical researchers into a fast and furious mode as they try to figure out exactly when and how inflammatory [...]
Mary was only 58 years old, yet her cognitive abilities had already declined to the point of someone many years older, and any hope for Mary regaining her memory or maintaining independence was slim. So, with nothing to lose, two clinicians suggested a therapy that's FDA-approved for various health conditions, but not for treating Alzheimer's. [...]
Before astronauts are allowed to travel to Mars, scientists say they need to understand the impact of extended space flight on the body. Up until now, few men or women have remained in space long enough to know how the body would respond to a journey of nine months or longer. But a new study [...]
The husband of the Queen of England, Prince Philip, is known to be a blunt character with no interest in political correctness. As you can imagine, he's caused much embarrassment to the royal household through the years. Among his most colorful statements you’ll find these: To a teenager who wanted to go into space, Prince [...]
While the vast majority of scientists focus their Alzheimer’s research efforts on banishing plaque from the brain, others are looking at different ways to prevent and reverse dementia. One alternative is to target another factor linked to the disease -- brain inflammation. By stopping inflammation in its tracks, scientists found they were able to reverse [...]
We are living in a smartphone world. Take a look around. Almost everywhere you go, folks are staring at their phones like zombies. These little devices are obviously addictive. And too many people can’t seem to put them down or stop peering at their screens. The problem with this obsession goes beyond the social and [...]
In the last few years, there’s been a lot of buzz about improving your mind and memory through playing games, and a few enterprising companies have cashed in with various computer games to give your brain a workout. They purport to keep you mentally fit and prevent cognitive decline. Studies have confirmed that some of [...]
