| Man at 40 Study shows that the brain function starts to slow around age 40. Dr. Bruce Yankner from Harvard Medical School has already identified the genes which play the key roles. Because of the wide differences in gene activity among people, individuals may approach a stage of "old age" at different rates. Reference: The Brain May Start to Age at 40 Years, Reuters, June 10, 2004. |
About Alzheimer's Disease
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's Disease affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. It starts out with mild memory loss and
confusion. It is an incurable and leads to destroy of the brain leaving patients helpless and death. Former US
President Ronald Reagan died with Alzheimer's, was diagnosed 10 years ago.
INTRODUCTION
Alzheimer's disease was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician in 1906. It is a disorder that
causes the gradual loss of brain cells, leading to dementia. Dementia is collection term for several symptoms
related to a decline in thinking skills, including a gradual loss of memory, problems with reasoning or judgment,
disorientation, difficulty in learning and loss of language skills. Alzheimer's disease advances at different rates for
different people. The duration of the illness may vary from a few years to 20 years. The areas of the brain that
control memory and thinking skills are affected first. Then, cells die in other regions of the brain. Eventually, the
patient will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function itself will
cause death.
RISK FACTORS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease include age, family history, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Big
Blood pressure drop may also lead to Alzheimer's [1]. The disease is highly related to amyloid plaques. Medical
Treatment includes cholinesterase inhibitors, Vitamin E, antidepressant, anxiolytics and antipsychotics. Alternative
treatments include ginkgo biloba/ginseng combo [research findings],niacin [2] huperzine A and acetyl-L carnitine
[1] Ed Edelson, HealthDay, Jul 1, 2004.A
[2] Anthony J. Brown, MD, Niacin may protect against Alzheimer's, Reuters, Jul 15, 2004
RECENT RESEARCH FINDINGS
According to a study led by Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases by 65%
among people aged 65 or older who suffer from diabetes mellitus.
Form of Diabetes Increases Risk of Alzheimer's Disease, HEALTH-AFP, May 17, 2004.
Aricept helps slow down the onset of Alzheimer's patients.
New Drug Helping to Slow Down Onset of Alzheimer's Disease, Voice of America, April 14, 2005.
Dimebon was once used to treat hayfever significantly improves symptoms in patients with mild to moderate
Alzheimer's disease. It is not clear exactly how the drug works but it has been shown in animals to have a
protective effect on nerve cells in the brain.
Alzheimer's drug trial 'promise' BBC July 18 2008
High insulin level raises risk for Alzheimer disease. Inflammation is shown to be a pathogenetic factor for
Alzheimer disease.
In a randomized crossover trial, sixteen healthy adults with mean age, 68.2 years received infusions of saline or
insulin on separate mornings. The researchers found that Insulin increased CSF levels of F(2)-isoprostane and
cytokines (both P<.01), as well as plasma and CSF levels of Abeta42.
Thus, moderate hyperinsulinemia [high insulin level] can elevate inflammatory markers and Abeta42 in the
periphery and the brain, thus high insulin level can increase the risk of Alzheimer disease. Fishel MA et al
Hyperinsulinemia Provokes Synchronous Increases in Central Inflammation and {beta}-Amyloid in Normal
Adults.Arch Neurol. 2005 Aug 8 2005
An ingredient in green tea, called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. In a
study of mice, EGCG decreased the production beta-amyloid.
Green Tea Compound Stops Alzheimer's in Mice HealthDay Online Publication, September 21, 2005
Daydreaming and Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers studied the brain activity of 764 people, including those suffered from Alzheimer's disease, those
with dementia and healthy individuals. They found that the areas of the brain that young, healthy people use when
daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
Daydreaming linked to Alzheimer's Los Angeles Time, CA, Online Publication, Aug 29 2005.
A beta vaccine for Alzheimer disease
Prevention of beta amyloid deposition is one of the most promising target of the treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
One of an interesting immune-mediated strategies is known as A beta vaccination.
After active and passive immunization of amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene- transgenic mice showed
significant reduction of beta amyloid deposits in the brain and the immunized mice showed improvement in
cognitive functions.
However, in human studies, about 6% of patients who received the vaccine developed meningoencephalitis.
However, an autopsy of a subject who had had the meningoencephalitis showed the disappearance of senile
plaques Tabira T Treatment of Alzheimer disease: A beta vaccine Rinsho Shinkeigaku. 2004 Nov;44(11):778-
80.
ROLE OF QUINOLINIC ACID IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Researchers have identified a toxin (called quinolinic acid) which may play a key role in the onset of Alzheimer's,
raising hope that a drug targeting the toxin could be developed to slow the degenerative brain disease.
Dr Karen Cullen from the University of Sydney said, "Quinolinic acid may not be the cause of Alzheimer's disease,
but it plays a key role in its progression." It kills nerve cells in the brain, leading to dysfunction and death, the
scientists said. Other researchers have already found quinolinic acid neurotoxicity in the brains of dementia
patients. Quinolinic acid is part of a biochemical pathway called the kynurenine pathway which is also found in
other brain disorders, including Huntington's disease and schizophrenia. There were several drugs in an
advanced stage of development for other conditions which targeted this pathway and that these drugs, which still
need to be tested, could be used to complement other treatments for Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's is a brain-destroying disease that affects millions of people around the world. As the population gets
steadily older, experts estimate numbers will balloon to as many as 16 million in the United States alone by 2015.
Outward symptoms start with memory loss, which progresses to complete helplessness as brain cells are
destroyed. In the brain, neurons die as messy plaques and tangles of protein form.
Source: Alzheimer's toxin may be key to slowing disease Reuters 04 Aug 2005 08:34:53 GMT
[1] Study: Exercise slows Alzheimer's brain atrophy AP July 28 2008- [2] Exercise 'slows down Alzheimer's'
BBC 14 July 2008 [3] Life With a Partner Minimizes Alzheimer’s Risk By MedHeadlines • Aug 2nd, 2008 •
Category: Alzheimer's Disease, Lifestyle, Medical Research, Neurology [4] Older People Get Brain Boost From
Interne tWebMD Health News Oct. 19, 2009 [5] High protein diets 'could cause Alzheimer's' Telegraph.co.
uk21 Oct 2009 [C1] Memory not first Alzheimer's sign BBC October 2009 08:29 UK
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's Disease affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. It starts out with mild memory loss and
confusion. It is an incurable and leads to destroy of the brain leaving patients helpless and death. Former US
President Ronald Reagan died with Alzheimer's, was diagnosed 10 years ago.
INTRODUCTION
Alzheimer's disease was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician in 1906. It is a disorder that
causes the gradual loss of brain cells, leading to dementia. Dementia is collection term for several symptoms
related to a decline in thinking skills, including a gradual loss of memory, problems with reasoning or judgment,
disorientation, difficulty in learning and loss of language skills. Alzheimer's disease advances at different rates for
different people. The duration of the illness may vary from a few years to 20 years. The areas of the brain that
control memory and thinking skills are affected first. Then, cells die in other regions of the brain. Eventually, the
patient will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function itself will
cause death.
RISK FACTORS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
Risk Factors for Alzheimer's disease include age, family history, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Big
Blood pressure drop may also lead to Alzheimer's [1]. The disease is highly related to amyloid plaques. Medical
Treatment includes cholinesterase inhibitors, Vitamin E, antidepressant, anxiolytics and antipsychotics. Alternative
treatments include ginkgo biloba/ginseng combo [research findings],niacin [2] huperzine A and acetyl-L carnitine
[1] Ed Edelson, HealthDay, Jul 1, 2004.A
[2] Anthony J. Brown, MD, Niacin may protect against Alzheimer's, Reuters, Jul 15, 2004
RECENT RESEARCH FINDINGS
According to a study led by Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases by 65%
among people aged 65 or older who suffer from diabetes mellitus.
Form of Diabetes Increases Risk of Alzheimer's Disease, HEALTH-AFP, May 17, 2004.
Aricept helps slow down the onset of Alzheimer's patients.
New Drug Helping to Slow Down Onset of Alzheimer's Disease, Voice of America, April 14, 2005.
Dimebon was once used to treat hayfever significantly improves symptoms in patients with mild to moderate
Alzheimer's disease. It is not clear exactly how the drug works but it has been shown in animals to have a
protective effect on nerve cells in the brain.
Alzheimer's drug trial 'promise' BBC July 18 2008
High insulin level raises risk for Alzheimer disease. Inflammation is shown to be a pathogenetic factor for
Alzheimer disease.
In a randomized crossover trial, sixteen healthy adults with mean age, 68.2 years received infusions of saline or
insulin on separate mornings. The researchers found that Insulin increased CSF levels of F(2)-isoprostane and
cytokines (both P<.01), as well as plasma and CSF levels of Abeta42.
Thus, moderate hyperinsulinemia [high insulin level] can elevate inflammatory markers and Abeta42 in the
periphery and the brain, thus high insulin level can increase the risk of Alzheimer disease. Fishel MA et al
Hyperinsulinemia Provokes Synchronous Increases in Central Inflammation and {beta}-Amyloid in Normal
Adults.Arch Neurol. 2005 Aug 8 2005
An ingredient in green tea, called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. In a
study of mice, EGCG decreased the production beta-amyloid.
Green Tea Compound Stops Alzheimer's in Mice HealthDay Online Publication, September 21, 2005
Daydreaming and Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers studied the brain activity of 764 people, including those suffered from Alzheimer's disease, those
with dementia and healthy individuals. They found that the areas of the brain that young, healthy people use when
daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
Daydreaming linked to Alzheimer's Los Angeles Time, CA, Online Publication, Aug 29 2005.
A beta vaccine for Alzheimer disease
Prevention of beta amyloid deposition is one of the most promising target of the treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
One of an interesting immune-mediated strategies is known as A beta vaccination.
After active and passive immunization of amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene- transgenic mice showed
significant reduction of beta amyloid deposits in the brain and the immunized mice showed improvement in
cognitive functions.
However, in human studies, about 6% of patients who received the vaccine developed meningoencephalitis.
However, an autopsy of a subject who had had the meningoencephalitis showed the disappearance of senile
plaques Tabira T Treatment of Alzheimer disease: A beta vaccine Rinsho Shinkeigaku. 2004 Nov;44(11):778-
80.
ROLE OF QUINOLINIC ACID IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Researchers have identified a toxin (called quinolinic acid) which may play a key role in the onset of Alzheimer's,
raising hope that a drug targeting the toxin could be developed to slow the degenerative brain disease.
Dr Karen Cullen from the University of Sydney said, "Quinolinic acid may not be the cause of Alzheimer's disease,
but it plays a key role in its progression." It kills nerve cells in the brain, leading to dysfunction and death, the
scientists said. Other researchers have already found quinolinic acid neurotoxicity in the brains of dementia
patients. Quinolinic acid is part of a biochemical pathway called the kynurenine pathway which is also found in
other brain disorders, including Huntington's disease and schizophrenia. There were several drugs in an
advanced stage of development for other conditions which targeted this pathway and that these drugs, which still
need to be tested, could be used to complement other treatments for Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's is a brain-destroying disease that affects millions of people around the world. As the population gets
steadily older, experts estimate numbers will balloon to as many as 16 million in the United States alone by 2015.
Outward symptoms start with memory loss, which progresses to complete helplessness as brain cells are
destroyed. In the brain, neurons die as messy plaques and tangles of protein form.
Source: Alzheimer's toxin may be key to slowing disease Reuters 04 Aug 2005 08:34:53 GMT
[1] Study: Exercise slows Alzheimer's brain atrophy AP July 28 2008- [2] Exercise 'slows down Alzheimer's'
BBC 14 July 2008 [3] Life With a Partner Minimizes Alzheimer’s Risk By MedHeadlines • Aug 2nd, 2008 •
Category: Alzheimer's Disease, Lifestyle, Medical Research, Neurology [4] Older People Get Brain Boost From
Interne tWebMD Health News Oct. 19, 2009 [5] High protein diets 'could cause Alzheimer's' Telegraph.co.
uk21 Oct 2009 [C1] Memory not first Alzheimer's sign BBC October 2009 08:29 UK
| Alzheimer's Disease updated in October 2009 |
Can we prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Dr. Robyn A. Honea at the University of Kansas found that patients with early Alzheimer's disease who exercised
regularly had less deterioration in the areas of the brain which control memory. [1]
The researchers found that patients with early Alzheimer's had a "significant relationship" between the size of
hippocampus, unlike healthy older adults. Those patients with better fitness ratings had less brain tissue atrophy
and those with worse fitness had more brain damage. [1]
Exercise
Dr Jeffrey Burns, from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said, "People with early Alzheimer's disease
may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly and potentially
reducing the amount of brain volume lost. Evidence shows decreasing brain volume is tied to poorer cognitive
performance, so preserving more brain volume may translate into better cognitive performance." [2]
Gary Small, MD, at UCLA found found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches
for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function. Previous studies
have shown that mental stimulation through brain training activities can increase the efficiency of cognitive
processing and slow this decline in brain function. The middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus are involved in
working memory and decision-making skills. When performing an Internet search, people make use of the ability
to hold information in working memory and extract important points among distracting graphics and words. Thus,
internet searches may retard aging. [4]
Diet
Researchers found that mice fed meals similar to those of the original Atkin's Diet had brains five per cent lighter
than all the others. Hippocampus were less developed in animals on the high protein diet. Professor Sam Gandy at
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine said: "High protein diets are used for weight control, and those diets sometimes
combine high fat and high protein, which may be doubly damaging, if the high fat increases the accumulation of
plaques and the high protein sensitizes nerve cells to the poison released by plaques." [5]
Living Environment
Men and women living with a partner in mid-life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of
age-related dementia. Previous studies have proven that an active lifestyle that includes a spouse or life partner is
generally more socially and intellectually stimulating than a solitary lifestyle.
A study shows that people with a spouse or partner in mid-life are 50% less likely to develop age-related dementia
than people alone in mid-life. Death of a spouse or partner before middle age seemed to have the most serious
consequences where Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are concerned. [3]
What are the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease? A recent study of 444 people, of whom 134 suffered from
dementia, suggests that a decline in spatial skills, such as reading a map or completing a jigsaw, may appear years
before diagnosis. The participants underwent a battery of various mental skills tests and the researchers found that
the visuospatial skills - required to perceive the distance between objects - began to decline sharply three years
before diagnosis. A sharp decline in memory skills may appear until one year before clinical diagnosis. [C1]
Dr. Robyn A. Honea at the University of Kansas found that patients with early Alzheimer's disease who exercised
regularly had less deterioration in the areas of the brain which control memory. [1]
The researchers found that patients with early Alzheimer's had a "significant relationship" between the size of
hippocampus, unlike healthy older adults. Those patients with better fitness ratings had less brain tissue atrophy
and those with worse fitness had more brain damage. [1]
Exercise
Dr Jeffrey Burns, from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said, "People with early Alzheimer's disease
may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly and potentially
reducing the amount of brain volume lost. Evidence shows decreasing brain volume is tied to poorer cognitive
performance, so preserving more brain volume may translate into better cognitive performance." [2]
Gary Small, MD, at UCLA found found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches
for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function. Previous studies
have shown that mental stimulation through brain training activities can increase the efficiency of cognitive
processing and slow this decline in brain function. The middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus are involved in
working memory and decision-making skills. When performing an Internet search, people make use of the ability
to hold information in working memory and extract important points among distracting graphics and words. Thus,
internet searches may retard aging. [4]
Diet
Researchers found that mice fed meals similar to those of the original Atkin's Diet had brains five per cent lighter
than all the others. Hippocampus were less developed in animals on the high protein diet. Professor Sam Gandy at
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine said: "High protein diets are used for weight control, and those diets sometimes
combine high fat and high protein, which may be doubly damaging, if the high fat increases the accumulation of
plaques and the high protein sensitizes nerve cells to the poison released by plaques." [5]
Living Environment
Men and women living with a partner in mid-life are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of
age-related dementia. Previous studies have proven that an active lifestyle that includes a spouse or life partner is
generally more socially and intellectually stimulating than a solitary lifestyle.
A study shows that people with a spouse or partner in mid-life are 50% less likely to develop age-related dementia
than people alone in mid-life. Death of a spouse or partner before middle age seemed to have the most serious
consequences where Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are concerned. [3]
What are the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease? A recent study of 444 people, of whom 134 suffered from
dementia, suggests that a decline in spatial skills, such as reading a map or completing a jigsaw, may appear years
before diagnosis. The participants underwent a battery of various mental skills tests and the researchers found that
the visuospatial skills - required to perceive the distance between objects - began to decline sharply three years
before diagnosis. A sharp decline in memory skills may appear until one year before clinical diagnosis. [C1]
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PHYTONUTRIENTS AND DRUG PRODUCTS. THIS WEBSITE ALSO TALKS ABOUT SOME POPULAR HEALTH ISSUES
AND DISEASES. ARTICLES IN THIS WEB SITE IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION, YOU
SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2008. DO NOT COPY NOR
TRANSFER ARTICLES TO OTHER WEBSITES NOR OTHER FORMS OF PUBLICATIONS. Privacy Policy. ARTICLE INDEX
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