Alzheimers News & Features

Offering fresh insight into the deep-seated roots of dementia, new research finds that diminished blood flow to the brain is tied to buildup a protein long associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The nine-year study of more than 2,000 older adults -- average age 74 -- found that people with severe apathy (a lack of interest or concern) were 80% more likely to develop dementia during the study period than those with low apathy.

New research suggests that people taking the drug appear to have significantly slower declines in thinking and memory as they age.

Many people who carry the risky variants never develop the disease; and many people who have Alzheimer’s don’t carry these genes. Knowledge of your status, then, can be unnecessarily frightening or falsely comforting.

A study led by Swedish researchers found the test did more than differentiate between Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.

Two new studies being presented Monday at this summer's virtual Alzheimer's Association International Conference found a lower incidence of Alzheimer's in people who got flu and pneumonia vaccines.

Dorina Cadar, lead researcher on the new study, said the goal is to identify risk factors that are influenced by lifestyle so steps can be taken to prevent mental decline.

New research suggests that eating more fruits or drinking more tea or red wine might help protect your brain.

In fact, people who are widowed and have high levels of beta-amyloid plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, appear to experience cognitive decline three times faster than similar people who have not lost a spouse, the researchers added.

A small group of young, healthy men deprived of just one night of sleep had higher blood levels of tau protein, which is linked to Alzheimer's disease, than when they had a full and uninterrupted night of rest.

The drug eases hallucinations that can cause anxiety, aggression and physical and verbal abuse.

Studies on aducanumab were halted earlier this year because the drug didn't appear to be effective. But the new results suggest it's effective at a high dose, the Associated Press reported.

Researchers report on a  potentially groundbreaking case of a woman whose genetic mutation staved off dementia for decades, even though her brain had already been damaged by Alzheimer's disease.

Some are urging caution about a new drug approved in China that claims to improve brain function in people with Alzheimer's disease.

The number of women with dementia is expected to rise from 4.7 million next year to 8.5 million in 2040. The number of men with dementia is projected to increase from 2.6 million to 4.5 million.

In the early stages of the disease, people with undiagnosed Alzheimer's are at high risk of making foolish and dangerous decisions about their finances, mostly because families may not know they need help, researchers say.

Most trans fats were banned in the United States last year. But foods with less than a half-gram of trans fats can be labeled as containing zero, so some foods still contain them.

Being calm and mature as teen were each associated with roughly a 10% reduction in adult dementia risk.

Health care professionals rely on several medications to lessen symptoms of agitation and aggression, but these medications carry significant risks. One, ironically, is worsening memory and thinking, the researchers said.

To help doctors get a better handle on their patients' mental state, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is urging physicians to assess patients aged 65 and older at least once a year.

Married people have a far lower chance of being diagnosed with this dreaded disorder than those who are divorced or separated, widowed, or never married, according to the study. And marriage is more protective than cohabitation, the study revealed.

Areas of the brain that keep you awake during the day are damaged in the early stages of the memory-robbing  disease, which is why people with Alzheimer's may nap excessively long before they start to struggle with forgetting things, the study authors said.

The analysis revealed a significant link between worsening depression symptoms and mental decline over two to seven years, and both of these trends seemed to be linked to a buildup of amyloid protein in brain tissue.

The blood test may be even more sensitive than the current gold standard -- a PET brain scan -- at detecting early amyloid accumulation in the brain, according to the authors.

Rates of Alzheimer's disease are higher in women than in men, and researchers now think they know why.