FEATURED POST
Claim You Found a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease? Show Me the Science!
January 26, 2012 By dementiatoday Leave a Comment
Read the newspaper. Watch television or surf the internet. Medical information abounds. Some is scientifically sound, some based on opinion, and some is incomplete or even misrepresented. Evaluating the credibility of reports is very challenging for the unprepared consumer. The following questions can help you become “information literate.” Where does the information come from? PEER-REVIEWED [...]
LATEST POSTS
What are Neurofibrillary Tangles?
January 27, 2012
Neurofibrillary tangles are one of the two anatomical hallmarks that define Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The other hallmark is amyloid plaques. Technically, an individual may display all the behavioral and cognitive symptoms of AD, but if the brain does not contain the hallmark plaques and tangles, there is no diagnosis of AD. Normally, every brain cell [...]
What are Amyloid Plaques?
January 27, 2012
Amyloid plaques are one of the two brain abnormalities that define Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The other hallmark is neurofibrillary tangles. Technically, an individual may display all the behavioral and cognitive symptoms of AD, but if the brain does not contain the hallmark plaques and tangles, there is no diagnosis of AD. The appearance of amyloid [...]
What is a Neuron?
January 27, 2012
A neuron is a particular kind of cell that is specialized for the storage and transmission of information. Neurons are found in the brain as well as in the brainstem and spinal cord; they are also the nerve cells which transmit information to muscles and which register sensory information (e.g. touch stimuli). Neurons release chemicals [...]
What is a Neurotransmitter?
January 27, 2012
A neurotransmitter is one of a class of chemical substances that carry messages between neurons. Typically, a sending neuron releases small amounts of a neurotransmitter, and this activates receptors on the receiving neuron. Receptor activation then initiates a series of chemical changes in the receiving neuron, and if enough receptors are activated, the receiving neuron [...]
What is a Cholinesterase Inhibitor?
January 27, 2012
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical substance which neurons in the brain use to communicate with one another. Cholinesterase is an enzyme which normally cleans up unused acetylcholine, by breaking it down into its components acetate and choline. These components can then be recycled for later use.Cholinesterase inhibitors are drugs that prevent (or inhibit) cholinesterase from cleaning up unused [...]
New Discoveries In Cell Aging
January 27, 2012
A group of researchers led by the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB) and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) can now quantify with precision the effect of protein aggregation on cell aging processes using Escherichia coli bacteria and the molecule which triggers Alzheimer’s disease as models. Scientists demonstrated that the effect can be predicted before [...]
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Effective Pharmacological Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
January 27, 2012 By dementiatoday Leave a Comment
Am J Manag Care. 2011 Nov;17 Suppl 14:S346-55. Effective pharmacological management of alzheimer’s disease Alireza Atri, MD, PhD, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), ENRM VA Medical Center, 200 Springs Rd, Bedford, MA 01730. E-mail: atri@nmr.mgh.harvard. edu. Alzheimer’s dementia represents organ failure of the brain. It denotes a clinical milestone that is the result of [...]
Current Treatments for Alzheimer Disease
January 27, 2012 By dementiatoday Leave a Comment
J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2010 Sep;110(9 Suppl 8):S16-26. Current treatments for patients with Alzheimer disease Osborn GG, Saunders AV. Source Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harrogate, Tennessee 37752-8245, USA. Gerald.Osborn@lmunet.edu Abstract There is neither proven effective prevention for Alzheimer disease nor a cure for patients with this [...]
Vitamin d-mentia
January 27, 2012 By dementiatoday Leave a Comment
Neuroepidemiology. 2011;37(3-4):249-58. Epub 2011 Dec 7. Vitamin d-mentia: randomized clinical trials should be the next step. Annweiler C, Beauchet O. Source Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Angers University Hospital; Angers University Memory Center; UPRES EA 2646, University of Angers, UNAM, Angers, France. Abstract Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent in the elderly. Its possible role [...]
Here We Go Again: Coconut Oil the New Cure for Alzheimer’s?
January 20, 2012 By dementiatoday Leave a Comment
Commentary: Once again, the international news community has been reporting that coconut oil may be the new cure for Alzheimer’s. Claims about the effectiveness and safety of this product, as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease, are based on individual testimonials and have not been subject to the rigorous, scientific standards practiced by research and educational institutions around [...]