Learning how Alzheimer’s spreads is the brain critical for finding future treatments—especially if science continues to pursue an effective vaccine against Alzheimer’s. Wouldn’t it be great if at that time of birth or very short time afterward if there were a vaccine, an active vaccination that will protect us? Curious? Continue reading?
Source: BigThink
Research from the Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimers Research (http://www2.i-med.ac.at/psychlab/) at the Medical University Innsbruck (Austria) demonstrated that chronic high fat cholesterol diet in rats exhibited pathologies similar to Alzheimer’s disease. The results were published in Molecular Cellular Neuroscience (45(4):408-417, 2010) with lead author Dr. Christian Humpel. The study was co-authored by PhD students, Celine Ullrich and Michael Pirchl, from the same Laboratory.
Alzheimer’s disease is a severe neurodegenerative disorder of the brain that is characterized by loss of memory and cognitive decline. The majority of Alzheimer’s disease cases are sporadic (risk age >60 years), and only <2.5% have a genetic disposition. It is estimated that in 2050, approximately 80 million people will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. The major pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease are extracellular aggregates (plaques) of the small peptide beta-amyloid, hyperphosphorylation of the protein tau and subsequent formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, degeneration of neurons secreting the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, inflammation, and cerebrovascular dysfunction. [continue reading…]
There is growing evidence that exposure to a group of chemicals known as type-2 alkenes — which are found in the smoke inhaled from cigarettes, the exhaust of automobiles and even in French fries – can increase the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. [continue reading…]
Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that causes a decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. As our aging population booms, the Alzheimer’s epidemic will increasingly become a critical issue, not just for the elderly and their families, but also for society at large. BigThinks four-week series focuses on the latest research and thinking about Alzheimer’s, including cutting-edge advances in detection, prevention, and treatment.
While much remains unknown about the deadly disease, advances in research have shed new light on its mechanisms, and on how dementia affects the aging brain. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable—and ultimately deadly—form of dementia that causes loss of memory and other cognitive abilities. A degenerative disorder, the disease unravels the fundamental functions of the brain over time, taking with it many components of personality and identity. An estimated 5.3 million people in the U.S. currently have Alzheimer’s, and each year the disease ranks as the nation’s sixth or seventh leading cause of death. In 2007 alone, over 74,000 Americans died from Alzheimer’s.Curious? Continue reading
Source: BigThink
