Posted 5/6/2009: 
Risk of dementia and AD with prior exposure to NSAIDs in an elderly community-based cohort.  Click here to access the abstract.

Research published in Neurology concludes that "These findings differ from those of other studies with younger cohorts. The results observed elsewhere may reflect delayed onset of Alzheimer dementia (AD) in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) users. Conceivably, such delay could result in increased AD incidence in late old age. The relation of NSAID use and AD pathogenesis needs further investigation".

Posted 4/20/2009: 
Predictors of driving safety in early Alzheimer's disease.  Click here to access the abstract.

Researchers at the University of Iowa used a series of on and off road tests to measure the association of cognition, visual perception, and motor function with driving safety in Alzheimer's disease and found that clinicians may use these tests to help predict whether a patient with AD can safely operate a motor vehicle.

Posted 4/8/2009: 
Understanding social dysfunction in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia: the role of emotion and sarcasm processing.  Click here to access the abstract.

An article published in Brain identifies specific deficits in social interaction in patients with clinically diagnosed behavioral variant FTD patients whose brain imaging scans were abnormal (as compared to bvFTD patients with normal scans, patients with diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease, and controls).  Specifically, "... a multivariate imaging analysis [showed] that the sarcasm (and emotion recognition) deficit was dependent on a circuit involving the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, insula, amygdala and temporal pole, particularly on the right. "

Posted:  3/30/2009: 
PsychCentral.org reported on a study from the journal Diabetes that having diabetes increases the risk for Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias, particularly when the onset of diabetes is mid-life.

Click here to access the abstract from Diabetes:  Mid- and Late-Life Diabetes in Relation to the Risk of Dementia.

Click here to access the news article on PsychCentral.com. Diabetes Increases Alzheimer's Risk.

Posted:  1/28/2009: 
As reported in the December journal Neurology, a study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) in Miami and Tampa found MRI scans that detect shrinkage in specific regions of the mid-brain attacked by Alzheimer's disease accurately diagnose the neurodegenerative disease, even before symptoms interfere with daily function.  The study adds to a growing body of evidence indicating MRI brain scans provide valuable diagnostic information about Alzheimer's disease. The findings are important in light of many new disease-modifying drugs in trials -- treatments that may prevent mild memory loss from advancing to full-blown dementia if administered early enough.

Click here to access the news article on Physorg.com. MRI Brain Scans Accurate in early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Posted:  1/28/2009: 
Dr. Colm Cunningham and colleagues at Trinity College Dublin, in collaboration with Professor Hugh Perry at the University of Southampton have shown that the inflammatory response to infection in mice with prior neurodegenerative disease leads to exaggerated symptoms of the infection, causes changes in memory and learning and leads to accelerated progression of dementia. 

Click here to access the news article on Physorg.com. Inflammatory response to infection and injury may worsen dementia.

Posted:  1/26/2009: 
A group of researchers, part of a Mayo Clinic-led consortium, discovered a genetic defect found in Perry Syndrome.  The researchers suggest that this mutation, characterized by breakdowns along the cell's interior transportation grid, may be a common mechanism underlying neurodegeneration in other neurological disorders, including Parkinson's Disease, depression, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and even Alzheimer's.  This article describes a study to be published in the February 2009 issue of Nature Genetics (online January 11). 

Click here to access the news article on Physorg.com.  Brain Disorder Suggests Common Mechanism May Underlie Many Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Posted:  1/6/2009: 
New data from the Alzheimer's Society in Canada shows a growing prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias in that country, and presents numbers for those with early-onset dementia as well.  "We now know that here in B.C., more than 70,000 people are living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia," says Rosemary Rawnsley, Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. "The public tends to view Alzheimer's as something that impacts older people: our parents, our grandparents. This new data confirms that nearly 10,000 British Columbians under the age of 65 are currently living with this disease - people still in the work force, still vibrant and active in our communities as leaders and mentors, dreaming of a retirement they've spent years working towards."

Click here to access the news article.  Put your mind to it: Make change happen for those living with Alzheimer's

Posted:  1/6/2009: 
In an article related to the previous post, this article highlights the missed opportunity for drug intervention when individuals with early-onset dementia go undiagnosed.

Click here to access the news article.  7,500 miss out on vital drugs

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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.