If Parents Had Alzheimer's, Aging May Come Early

Middle-age people whose parents had Alzheimer's and who carry the so-called Alzheimer's gene might very well have the memory of someone 15 years older, a new study has found. Read more

An inexpensive, less invasive EEG test can predict early onset of Alzheimer’s

An EEG test developed by New York University School of Medicine is giving doctors a less expensive and less invasive technique to diagnose Alzheimer's at an earlier stage, when the disease can be more effectively treated. ... Continue Reading

Study shows declining mental performance begins in adults in their late 20s

Certain mental functions, including reasoning, mental speed and the ability to solve puzzles, begin to decline as early as age 27, a University of Virginia study shows. However, the ability to accumulate knowledge improves with age. ... Continue Reading

A4M Anti-Aging World Congress to Feature Leading Integrative Medical Expert, Eric R. Braverman, M.D.

Eric R. Braverman, M.D., one of the foremost integrative medical experts with offices in New York and Pennsylvania will be presenting “Hormones, Neurotransmitters and the Brain” and “Increasing IGF-1 Levels to the Upper Range of Normal to Fight Disease” at the 17th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine (April 23-25, 2009, Orlando Florida). ... Continue Reading

Turmeric shown to be a powerful natural healer

Studies have shown that the yellow-orange spice from the root of a plant native to Indonesia and southern India is one of nature's most powerful potential healers, from supporting healthy liver function to fighting cancer and Alzheimer's disease. ... Continue Reading

If Parents Had Alzheimer's, Aging May Come Early

(HealthDay News) -- Middle-age people whose parents had Alzheimer's and who carry the so-called Alzheimer's gene might very well have the memory of someone 15 years older, a new study has found.

This memory decline was not detected in people of middle age whose parents had Alzheimer's but who do not carry the gene, known as ApoE4, according to the study.

About 20 percent to 25 percent of the population have at least one copy of the ApoE4 gene, but not all people with the gene develop Alzheimer's, said study co-author Dr. Sudha Seshadri, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.

The study involved 715 participants in the ongoing Framingham Heart Study, including 282 whose parents, one or both, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other dementia. The participants averaged 59 years old and were healthy, with no memory complaints, said Seshadri, who is also a senior investigator with the Framingham study.

But when given a battery of cognitive tests, those who logged the lowest scores on verbal and visual memory tasks were people who were carriers of the ApoE4 gene and had parents with dementia.

Seshadri stressed that the neuropsychological tests and brain imaging conducted as part of the study offered a sensitive measurement of memory. The participants were "performing older than they're expected," she said, but added that there were "no memory symptoms associated with this." Participants still tested within the normal range for memory and were living normal lives, she said.

The results suggest that the Alzheimer's gene is facilitating the expression of some other gene, Seshadri said. "It's just giving us a clue that whatever [other] gene we find is going to have an interaction with ApoE," she said.

Finding other genes will require a sample of 10,000 to 20,000 people and the collaboration of several research groups, Seshadri said. But, she predicted that "within the next year or two, I think we are going to find more genes."

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and released Wednesday, is to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting, from April 25 to May 2, in Seattle.

But the findings should not send people scurrying for genetic testing, Seshadri and another expert said.

Alzheimer's is "not like Huntington's, where if you have the bad gene and you live long enough you're going to get it," Seshadri said. "E4 explains only part of the risk. Clearly there are other genes out there, but they probably have much smaller effects than ApoE4."

Dr. Gary J. Kennedy, director of the division of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said that the finding "needs to be seen with considerable caution so it doesn't get over interpreted."

For starters, he said, the study has not been peer-reviewed, meaning it has not been scrutinized and evaluated by other experts in the field, a process that precedes publication of research in a major medical journal.

Also, statistics in the abstract of the study do not indicate how big a risk factor carrying the ApoE4 gene is for those whose parents had dementia or Alzheimer's, Kennedy said, and the brain scans of the study participants did not show any volumetric changes. "If they saw volumetric changes, that would be scary," Kennedy said.

The bottom line then, according to Seshadri, is that 50-somethings who begin to lose their car keys don't need to start worrying as a result of this study.

"Those of us who lose our keys actually have pretty good memories," she said. "We remember we lost our keys." Besides, she said, people lose their keys "mainly because we were thinking of 15 other things when we put our keys down."

More information
The National Institute on Aging has more on Alzheimer's and genetics.

Natural protein found to prevent or reverse Alzheimer's disease in animal models

A University of California study using mice, rats and monkeys has demonstrated that a natural protein can potentially protect against Alzheimer's disease by slowing or even stopping its progression. ... Continue Reading

Boosting a protein produced by the brain can protect against Parkinson's

A study involving mice has shown that elevating the production of the Nrf2 protein in brain cells known as astrocytes can result in complete protection from Parkinson's disease. ... Continue Reading

Drinking coffee in middle-age reduces Alzheimer’s risk

New research suggests that drinking several cups of coffee each during middle-age, may significantly reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life. ... Continue Reading

Nanotubes aid neuron repair

New research suggests that nanotechnology may offer scientists with a novel way of treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. ... Continue Reading

Gender-linked Alzheimer’s gene discovered

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine have discovered a gene variant located on the X chromosome that is linked to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). ... Continue Reading

Potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s identified

Research into the pathology of Alzheimer's disease has led scientists from the US and Europe to discover that impaired energy metabolism may play a key role in the development of the disease. It is hoped that the discovery may lead to new treatments for the devastating neurodegenerative condition. ... Continue Reading

Acting out dreams ups risk of brain disease

New research suggests that people who physically act out their dreams are at higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. ... Continue Reading

Cardiovascular proteins linked to Alzheimer’s

New research suggests that two proteins known for their role in the cardiovascular system also play a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. ... Continue Reading

MRI scans can be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s

MRI scans can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, even before the onset of symptoms of dementia, say researchers. ... Continue Reading

Collagen protects brain from Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta protein, the accumulation of which is thought to cause Alzheimer's disease. ... Continue Reading

Cold sores linked to Alzheimer’s disease

People who suffer from cold sore, which are caused by infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1, may be at significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. ... Continue Reading

Gingko has no effect on dementia or Alzheimer’s Onset

Results of a study of more than 3,000 seniors have revealed that the popular supplement Gingko biloba has no impact on the development of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. ... Continue Reading

Hormone offers promise as treatment for Alzheimer's and stroke

Researchers have discovered a way to bypass the blood brain barrier, thus providing them with a way of quickly and easily delivering a hormone, which offers promise as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease and stroke, to the brain. ... Continue Reading

Lab studies link anesthetics to Alzheimer's risk

Researchers have shown that a common anesthetic gas can cause fragments of a normal brain protein called amyloid-beta to clump together, which is thought to be the main problem underlying Alzheimer's disease. Intravenous anesthetics have less of an effect, the team reports in the journal Biochemistry. ... Continue Reading