Age
Age is a risk factor for AD. The prevalence of AD doubles every five years after the age of 60.

Family history

A family history of AD is a consistent risk factor, and represents around a fourfold increase in the risk of developing the disease. It is thought that as many as…    



Hospitalization can speed cognitive decline in elderly

Hospitalization of older people might place them at higher risk for accelerated cognitive decline, according to a study released Wednesday.

Rates of decline occurred twice as fast among elderly patients on average after a hospital stay compared with their previous rate of decline and with older people not admitted to a health care facility.…    



Evaluating the association of alcohol intake with cognitive functioning

Many observational cohort studies have shown that moderate alcohol use is associated with better cognitive function. However, since such studies are vulnerable to residual confounding by other lifestyle and physiologic factors, the authors conducted a Mendelian randomization study, using aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotype (AA, GA, or GG) as an instrumental variable in 2-stage…    



GMCSF treatment associated with improved cognition in cancer patients, USF-Moffitt study finds

Growth factors shown to cure Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model and administered to cancer patients as part of their treatment regimen were linked to significant improvements in the patients’ cognitive function following stem cell transplantation, a preliminary clinical study reports.

The findings by researchers at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and Moffitt…    



Link between brain insulin resistance, neuronal stress in worsening Alzheimer’s disease

Rhode Island Hospital researcher Suzanne de la Monte, M.D., has found a link between brain insulin resistance (diabetes) and two other key mediators of neuronal injury that help Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to propagate. The research found that once AD is established, therapeutic efforts must also work to reduce toxin production in the brain. The…    



Nicotine Analog Ups Brain Power in Alzheimer’s

An investigational drug targeting nicotinic receptors not only preserved cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease patients for 6 months, it showed signs of increasing it, a researcher said here.

Patients taking the highest dose of EVP-6124, a selective partial agonist of alpha-7 nicotinic receptors, in the 24-week trial showed a mean increase of 1.6 points…    



BUSM Study Identifies Pathology of Huntington’s Disease

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides novel insight into the impact that Huntington’s disease has on the brain. The findings, published online in Neurology, pinpoint areas of the brain most affected by the disease and opens the door to examine why some people experience milder forms of…