Breakthrough Mapping of Alzheimer's Genome Helps ID Four New Suspect Genes


BOSTON, Oct 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Four novel genes that may significantly increase the risk of the most common form of late-onset Alzheimer's have been identified by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, as reported in the November 7th issue of American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, part of a larger "Alzheimer's Genome Project" (AGP) established three years ago to identify the full set of Alzheimer's disease genetic risk factors, may lead to more aggressive therapeutic interventions to slow, stop or even reverse the effects of the disease. These new therapies would differ from current treatments that only address the symptoms of the disease.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's Early
Neurologists, Imaging Scientists Use Medical Physics to Spot Disease in Blood Vessels


May 1, 2006 — A new brain-imaging method allows physicians to diagnose Alzheimer's before its onset. A radioactive dye is injected in the blood and travels to the brain, where it attaches to plaque deposits of amyloid, a protein believed to cause Alzheimer's. The dye makes amyloid plaque look yellow in a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan.

Novel Therapeutic Compounds For Neurodegenerative Conditions


ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2008) — Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), disrupt the quality of life for patients, put a tremendous burden on family caregivers, and cost society billions of dollars annually.

Potential Strategy To Eliminate Poisonous Protein From Alzheimer Brains Identified



ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2008) — Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have identified a new strategy to destroy amyloid-beta (AB) proteins, which are widely believed to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). Li Gan, PhD, and her coworkers discovered that the activity of a potent AB-degrading enzyme can be unleashed in mouse models of the disease by reducing its natural inhibitor cystatin C (CysC).

Fatty diet could increase progression of Alzheimer's: Study


Marianne White , Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, October 28, 2008

QUEBEC - Eating foods rich in saturated fat and poor in omega-3 fatty acids could contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a new Canadian study suggests.