Posts Tagged ‘dementia’

Cause of Lou Gehrig’s disease found

NORTHWESTERN U. (US) — Scientists have identified a common cause for all forms of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes its victims. Continue…

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 9:52 - 2 Comments

Health & Medicine - Jul 19, 2011 12:13 - 1 Comment

Caregivers need respite from stress

PENN STATE (US) — Adult day care services are not only beneficial for seniors with dementia, but for their caregivers as well. (more…)

Alzheimer’s ‘curve ball’: Why cells die

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Scientists have discovered new information about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 25, 2011 16:25 - 4 Comments

Dementia risk at your fingertips

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Seniors worried about their risk of developing dementia can access an online assessment that provides a scientific way to learn about a disease that doctors now believe is best managed if caught early. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 3, 2011 16:09 - 0 Comments

Med helps depressed seniors stay sharp

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Depressed older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed improvements in language, memory, and executive functioning when they were treated with the dementia medication donepezil. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 20, 2010 9:40 - 0 Comments

Stop blaming plaques for Alzheimer’s

RUTGERS (US) — Age-related changes, like plaques and tangles, only lead to a slow natural decline in cognitive function; they don’t in themselves cause Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new hypothesis. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 16, 2010 9:41 - 0 Comments

Hospice for elderly a worthy benefit

BROWN (US) — More residents with dementia are seeking hospice and using it longer, according to a new study, that also estimates 40 percent of nursing home residents will die with some degree of dementia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Sep 23, 2010 12:48 - 0 Comments

Gene may predict Alzheimer’s pace

WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US)—A gene variation appears to offer clues to how fast Alzheimer’s disease will progress, according to new research. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 7, 2010 12:20 - 1 Comment

Biomarker may be Alzheimer’s holy grail

KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (UK)—An early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease may be evident in the blood levels of a single protein years before symptoms appear, new research finds. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 6, 2010 12:05 - 1 Comment

Depression hinders recovery from stroke

U. LEEDS (UK)—Depression after stroke is not uncommon, but is expected to be short-lived. When it lasts for several months and becomes severe, physical recovery is affected as well. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 10, 2010 12:47 - 1 Comment

Caregiving spouses at higher risk for dementia

JOHNS HOPKINS (US)—Husbands and wives caring for spouses with dementia are six times more likely to develop the memory-impairing condition than those whose spouses don’t have it, according to results of a 12-year study. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Apr 9, 2010 12:28 - 0 Comments

Home care enhances elderly patients’ lives

YALE (US) —Services to assist with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, and walking, are needed for all older persons at the end of life, regardless of the conditions leading to their deaths, but are most needed by those dying from advanced dementia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Feb 3, 2010 0:29 - 1 Comment

Dementia: Improving eating skills

U. SHEFFIELD (UK)—For the first time, researchers have shown that it is possible to improve the eating skills and nutritional status of older people with dementia. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jan 26, 2010 13:03 - 3 Comments

Why meat-eating humans outlive apes

USC—The same evolutionary genetic advantages that have helped increase human lifespans by regulating the effects of meat-rich diets also make us uniquely susceptible to diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 15, 2010 12:40 - 4 Comments

Where’d I put those keys?

NYU—Memory lapses in seniors—losing items, forgetting names—may be a symptom of subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), the earliest sign of cognitive decline. A new study shows that healthy older adults reporting SCI are 4.5 times more likely to develop more pronounced memory loss or dementia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 11, 2010 18:00 - 3 Comments

FDA drug warnings under the microscope

U. ROCHESTER—An FDA safety warning for commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications resulted in a decline in usage among the elderly with dementia, a new study shows. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Dec 9, 2009 14:20 - 5 Comments

Childhood trauma lingers in mind, body

DUKE (US)—Negative experiences in childhood may alter not only an adult’s psychology but also physical health into middle age and beyond. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 23, 2009 5:00 - 0 Comments

Stem cells fertilize brains of Alzheimer’s mice

Frank LaFerla (left), Mathew Blurton-Jones, and colleagues have found that neural stem cells could be a potential treatment for advanced Alzheimer’s disease.