Posted:  12/30/08: 
Interesting perspective on diagnosing early-onset dementia.  In an article in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo,
a minister for the care of elderly people who is also a Northamptonshire MP has defended his plan to train all UK GPs to spot dementia early.

Click here to access the news article.  Charity backs dementia bid.

Posted:  12/9/08: 
Cold sore virus linked to Alzheimer's.  As reported on physorg.com and published in The Journal of Pathology, researchers in Manchester England have linked the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) to the development of protein plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.  "They believe the herpes simplex virus is a significant factor in developing the debilitating disease and could be treated by antiviral agents such as acyclovir, which is already used to treat cold sores and other diseases caused by the herpes virus. Another future possibility is vaccination against the virus to prevent the development of the disease in the first place."

Click here to access the full text article.  Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA is located within Alzheimer's disease amyloid plaques.

Posted:  11/25/08: 
Molecular Neurodegeneration, (an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal), recently published research that investigated the histopathologic and biochemical profiles of ten FAD (familial Alzheimer's Disease) cases expressing independent PSEN (presenilin) mutations. 

Click here to access abstract and link to full text article.  Histopathological and molecular heterogeneity among individuals with dementia associated with Presenilin mutations.

Posted:  11/18/08: 
Sciencedaily.com reports that a team of national researchers, led by Emory University, has developed a rapid screening test to detect mild cognitive impairment, often the earliest stage of Alzheimer's.  The findings are published in the online edition of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 

Click here to access abstract.  Development of a Rapid Screening Instrument for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Undiagnosed Dementia.

 Posted 11/11/08: 
In an article in Archives of Neurology, Kelley et. al. report that young-onset dementia (age at onset, <45 years) includes a broad variety of etiologies, with few patients having a potentially treatable disorder. 

Click here to access the abstract.  Young-Onset Dementia: Demographic and Etiologic Characteristics of 235 Patients.