Alzheimer's disease

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Cell Phone Use Linked to Heart Disease

Study finds average American owns 2 cell phones

(Newser) - Add another ill to the cell phone pile: Using one may cause heart disease and kidney stones, researchers have found. The radiation emitted by the phones causes red blood cells to leak hemoglobin, which can lead to heart and kidney problems. An earlier study reported this same radiation can also...

Columbo Star Has Alzheimer's

Daughter seeks legal custody to shelter ailing dad

(Newser) - Peter Falk has Alzheimer's disease and no longer recognizes people, says the Columbo star's daughter. Catherine Falk filed court papers seeking conservatorship of her father, reports TMZ, saying he "requires full-time custodial care for his health and safety" and that she fears he "can easily be deceived into...

Dementia Patients Often Can't Detect Sarcasm

New tests could help with diagnoses

(Newser) - People suffering from dementia often can't pick up on sarcasm, a finding that could help with diagnoses and in improving patients' relations with caregivers, AFP reports. Australian researchers say patients under age 65 suffering from frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of the disorder, were unable to detect sarcastic...

Cold Sore Drugs Could Treat Alzheimer's

(Newser) - British researchers have firmed up a link between cold sores and Alzheimer's disease, the Times of London reports. The virus behind the sores apparently helped cause Alzheimer's in 60% of cases studied, which may mean that common antiviral drugs can stop the disease. “If we are right, there is...

Ailing Biotech Firms Need Shot in the Arm

Flatlining economy threatens breakthrough medical research

(Newser) - For the first time in years, the biotech industry is in desperate need of a lifeline, Bloomberg reports, as the economic crisis threatens to shove companies into bankruptcy and derail the development of potentially life-saving drugs. “I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” admitted one CEO....

What Really Happened in Astor's House

Millionaire's former staff say abusive son bilked her of $60M

(Newser) - A new book about Brooke Astor portrays the New York philanthropist as a frail, paranoid 105-year-old pressured to give up her fortune. Drawing on notes from Astor's former staff, Mrs. Astor Regrets describes son Tony Marshall's alleged bilking of her millions. Astor's staff "filled 30 journals over four years...

Vitamin Could Delay Onset of Alzheimer's

B3 pills caused big improvement in mice; human trials to begin

(Newser) - A simple dose of vitamin B3 may be one of the keys to combating the brain deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease, California scientists say. The team found that diseased mice given high levels of the vitamin retained normal memory ability over the four months of a study, and healthy...

Web Use Gives Brain a Boost
Web Use Gives Brain a Boost
Oct 14, 2008 3:56 PM CDT

Web Use Gives Brain a Boost

For middle-aged, regular Internet surfing is better than reading a book: study

(Newser) - Sudoku not your thing? Web surfing may help boost brain power and prevent brain shrinkage in middle-aged and older people in a way that reading books cannot, the BBC reports. By studying the brain scans of volunteers aged 55 to 76, researchers found that experienced internet users show enhanced activity...

Chemistry Nobel Goes to 3 Who Found Glowing Protein

Compound vital to Alzheimer's research

(Newser) - The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded today to three scientists who discovered green fluorescent protein, a compound that allows biochemists to study cellular processes. The glowing protein, first found in jellyfish more than 40 years ago, can be attached to other structures and has been critical in research on...

For a Lifelong Healthy Diet, Look to the Mediterranean

Diet is healthy and satisfying, doctors say

(Newser) - A Mediterranean getaway may be too expensive these days, but a taste of the region is just what the doctor ordered. The most thorough study to date of the Mediterranean diet confirms long-held beliefs about its health benefits, writes Dr. Peter Libby in the New York Times. It’s “...

Genome Project Is a Bust: Expert
Genome Project Is a Bust: Expert
Sep 16, 2008 11:40 AM CDT

Genome Project Is a Bust: Expert

$3B effort to pinpoint disease-causing genes too broad, Duke doc says

(Newser) - The idea behind mapping the human genome (and spending $3 billion to do so) was to uncover common gene variants that cause disease. But a Duke University geneticist says that natural selection has worked better than we thought, that there are no common variants but rather a multitude of rare...

Low B12 Levels Tied to Brain Shrinkage, Memory Loss

Many adults deficient in crucial nutrient

(Newser) - Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory loss, particularly in the elderly, reports the BBC. People short on the nutrient were 6 times more likely than individuals with normal levels to experience brain shrinkage, which is strongly linked to dementia, a new study shows. Forty percent of people are believed to...

Brain Doesn't Remember Events—It Relives Them

Study records evidence supporting long-suspected memory pathway

(Newser) - Scientists for the first time have observed how brain cells drum up a memory, and the findings buttress the notion that our minds don't so much remember events as relive them. When recalling short film clips they had seen, patients' brains repeated the same pattern of neuron activity they experienced...

To Remember, Exercise
 To Remember, Exercise 
Sep 3, 2008 4:26 PM CDT

To Remember, Exercise

Australian study shows exercise improves 'flawed memory'

(Newser) - A little sweatin' to the oldies might help oldsters with mild memory problems, an Australian study suggests. Volunteers who took part in “home-based physical activity” showed a “modest improvement in cognitive function" over those who did not. Results showed that just a few hours of walking per week...

Scientists Tinker With Biological Clock

New discovery on engineered liver genes could slow aging

(Newser) - US researchers believe they have found a way to turn back the clock on the processes which make organs age. Scientists engineered genetic alterations to make the livers of older mice function like younger mice, the BBC reports. The discovery may lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's and other diseases...

10 Factors That Affect Memory
 10 Factors That Affect Memory
Aug 6, 2008 1:52 PM CDT

10 Factors That Affect Memory

From diet to depression, here's what to watch

(Newser) - New research suggests our lifestyle choices affect memory loss almost as much as aging. Forbes looks at 10 surprising factors, positive and negative, that determine how sharp you'll stay:  
  1. Tofu—eating too much can increase dementia in the elderly.
  1. Carbs—likewise, too many derail Alzheimer's-fighting enzymes in the brain.
...

New Drug Twice as Effective Against Alzheimer's: Study

Treatment breaks apart protein clusters in brain cells of patients with disease

(Newser) - A new treatment could slow Alzheimer’s patients’ mental decline twice as fast as current drugs, the Chicago Tribune reports. A recent study found that the treatment—a chemical known commercially as “rember” that has been previously used to treat other conditions, and in blue dye—significantly reduces the...

'Pre-Dementia' on the Rise
 'Pre-Dementia' on the Rise
Jul 29, 2008 5:33 AM CDT

'Pre-Dementia' on the Rise

Mild impairment strikes nearly a million elderly a year, especially men

(Newser) - Almost a million Americans each year develop a mild form of memory loss that is often a precursor to Alzheimer's, according to new research. Mild Cognitive Impairment—more serious than normal "senior moments"—was found to be more common in men, the Los Angeles Times reports. Doctors warn...

Don't Talk Down to Alzheimer's Patients: Docs

Trouble communicating leads to frustration, uncooperative behavior

(Newser) - Even after they lose the ability to communicate easily, Alzheimer’s disease patients remain aware of the world around them and know when they're being talked down to, a study shows. Video evidence suggests patients are twice as likely to accept help from caregivers, and to not shut down or...

MRIs Hold Promise of Early Alzheimer's Detection

Brain plaque spotted in rabbits

(Newser) - Researchers are a step closer to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease using conventional MRI scanners. Plaque associated with Alzheimer's has been detected in rabbits by a team in Canada using MRI equipment, Reuters reports. Currently, the disease is diagnosed based on a series of tests, but a diagnosis can only...

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