In breakthrough research, scientists have, for the first time, diagnosed a neurodegenerative condition in living patients using a non-invasive technique. The condition, of course, is Alzheimer's. And unlike the blood tests that are under development to identify proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease in a patient’s blood, this test relies on a beam of light and [...]
By the time people are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, they may have had the disease for up to twenty years. During that time, the disease can damage cells and tissues in the brain that are hard, if not impossible, to restore to health. So, there's an urgent need for an early diagnostic tool to ensure [...]
While Alzheimer’s disease is certainly the best-known type of dementia, there are others to be aware of. One is called frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also known as early-onset dementia because it’s usually diagnosed in middle age, between the ages of 45 and 65. While FTD is not as common as Alzheimer’s disease, occuring in ten percent [...]
Just as challenging the body with weight-bearing exercise makes bones stronger and helps to slow bone loss with aging, challenging the brain with cognitive exercise can make it more resilient and help delay the onset of Alzheimer's. But how much of an effect does it have? How many extra healthy cognitive years will it give [...]
If you’re over 55 and want to know your risk of developing dementia within the next five years, you can now find out in a matter of minutes. Rigorous research conducted in Canada led to the development of an online calculator consisting of two dozen questions. In just five minutes you'll know your chances of [...]
Amyloid and tau proteins have long been linked to the development of Alzheimer's, yet frustratingly, their presence can't reliably predict the onset of the disease. The challenge for scientists has been to find a more reliable protein that can act as an early indicator, years before symptoms first appear. One group of scientists believe they [...]
The latest research points to a new hallmark of Alzheimer's disease that could prove to be far more promising as an early marker of the malady than the often talked about tau tangles and amyloid plaques. Detecting this marker when it first develops could provide the earliest indicator of the disease, as it can be [...]
For decades Alzheimer’s drugs have been developed to clear amyloid beta plaques from the brain. Yet when it comes to testing these drugs in clinical trials with Alzheimer's patients they’ve failed miserably. A new study suggests a surprising reason why. The research shows that some types of amyloid plaque actually protect the brain against memory [...]
There is no diagnostic test, objective measure or clear sign that chronic fatigue syndrome exists, still health authorities are beginning to accept that this syndrome is a real medical condition. Even so, the illness, sometimes called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is not always taken seriously by health care providers, with some patients complaining of hostile interactions [...]
In Alzheimer's disease, some types of brain cells are affected very early on, while others escape the disease process until much later. What causes this difference in vulnerability? Finding the answer to this question could pave the way for new targeted treatment strategies. When a team of scientists sought to solve this mystery, they made [...]
