Alzheimer's? Why?

[Michaelangelica]

Studies: Coffee May Lower Alzheimer's Risk
Researchers Think Caffeine May Reduce Inflammation in the Brain, Preventing Memory Loss




* Play CBS Video Video Caffeine And Alzheimer's

Can coffee prevent Alzheimer's disease? Dr. Jennifer Ashton talks to Maggie Rodriguez about how your morning cup of joe could help prevent memory loss.


Two new studies have found that your morning cup of coffee might help treat or even prevent memory loss. Dr. Jennifer Ashton stopped by "The Early Show" to discuss these latest findings.

As Dr. Ashton explained, the studies were done on mice.

Studies: Coffee May Lower Alzheimer's Risk - The Early Show - CBS News

See also
smoking tin foil

[Michaelangelica]

Dementia - reduce yourr risk

Alzheimer’s Australia runs a highly successful community education program called Mind your Mind. A consumer-focused booklet is available called “Mind your Mind - a user’s guide to dementia risk reduction”.

Mind Your Mind - Alzheimers AustraliaAimed at people aged 40 plus, the user friendly booklet offers advice and strategies to help consumers understand how they can reduce their risk of dementia in later life and promote brain-healthy habits.

While we cannot control all dementia risk factors, such as age and our genes, the good news is we can control our lifestyle and habits. Studies of large groups of people show that those who adopt ‘brain-healthy’ lifestyles do have a reduced risk of developing dementia.

Changes in the brain may start decades before symptoms appear, so it is never too early to adopt brain-healthy habits.

“Mind your Mind – a user’s guide to dementia risk reduction” outlines the seven signposts to a healthier life:

*

Mind your Brain. Intellectually stimulating activities such as crosswords, puzzles, reading, playing board games or musical instruments can reduce the risk of dementia in later life.
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Mind your Body. There is now emerging evidence that, in addition to protecting us from heart disease, stroke and diabetes, regular exercise can reduce the risk of dementia.
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Mind Your Diet. The link between diet and brain health is becoming increasingly recognised by health professionals.
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Mind your Health Checks. Strokes, heart disease, cardiac rhythm abnormalities and diabetes are all risk factors for dementia. Regular checks of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are recommended.
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Mind your Social Life. Research shows that people who are regularly engaged in social interaction maintain their brain vitality. A recent study reported that leisure activities combining physical, mental and social activity may have beneficial effects in the prevention of dementia.
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Mind your Habits. Risks associated with smoking include vascular degeneration, stroke and heart disease, all of which have been associated with increased risk of dementia. Moderate alcohol use may be protective of cognitive decline. Have two alcohol-free days per week. Reduce your stress and get a good night’s sleep.
*

Mind your Head. Wear seat belts, use headgear when cycling, and take care as a pedestrian.
*

A good rule of thumb is that whatever is good for your heart is also likely to be good for your brain.

About dementia

Dementia is a general term for more than 70 conditions causing progressive deterioration in thinking, memory and everyday abilities.
While it is more common as people age, dementia is not a normal part of ageing.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.

We are now entering a period of rapid growth in the prevalence of dementia. There are an estimated 212,000 people in Australia with the condition and by 2050 this number is projected to increase to 730,000.

National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500

Website: Alzheimers Australia

[Michaelangelica]

A newsletter from the UK Alzheimer's UK research trust

Alzheimer's Research Trust Latest News
22/07/2009

Government must triple dementia research funding or 'pay price'
ART leads scientists and charities in calling for the government's dementia research summit to 'end years of underfunding'.

International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease takes place in Vienna
ART's Alison Cranage reports from the world's largest gathering of dementia scientists.
Sir Terry Pratchett visits ART

World-renowned fantasy writer Sir Terry Pratchett visited the office of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and reaffirmed his support of the charity’s campaign for fairer government dementia research funding.

Caffeine boosts memory in mice
Researchers in the US have shown that caffeine can boost memory in mice with Alzheimer's symptoms.

Parachute jump at 82 - in aid of ART
St Ives octogenarian Sheila Wood is set to defy the conventions of fundraising by pensioners, when she swaps the more typical cake sale for a parachute jump in aid of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust.

Study investigates alternative to antipsychotics
A new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, will investigate whether the use of memantine could be a safer replacement to commonly-prescribed antipsychotic drugs for relieving symptoms of agitation.

New test improves dementia diagnosis
Cambridge scientists, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, have developed a test to help diagnose early dementia that is faster and more accurate than current tests.

Follow @alzrestrust on Twitter
Twitter users can follow the Alzheimer's Research Trust and keep up with the latest news at Alzheimer's Research (alzrestrust) on Twitter


Click here for all the latest news stories on dementia research

[lemit]

I was surprised to read in The New York Times that Walter Cronkite had died of "complications resulting from dementia," as announced by his son.

Does that mean brain function was lost in the stem, causing respiratory or cardiovascular functions to stop?

Thanks.

--lemit

[Michaelangelica]

Search for a Cure: Episode 02, 13/07/2009
The Nerve Killer

Amyloid – a protein which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone has it in their body, but not everyone develops the disease.
But why?
And why does the risk increase with age?
To the project page

DFG ScienceTV
DFG ScienceTV - Search for a Cure

Search for a Cure
More than one hundred years ago, Alois Alzheimer described for the first time the disease that now bears his name. In spite of intense research, there is still no medication that can cure Alzheimer's. But the biologists working with Professor Haass at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich are hot on the tracks of the disease—with the help of the zebra fish. As en embryo, this fish is transparent, thereby allowing researchers to observe developments and changes in a living organism. Will the zebra fish help scientists to understand Alzheimer’s?

DFG ScienceTV - A Look into the Brain

[maikeru]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Studies: Coffee May Lower Alzheimer's Risk - The Early Show - CBS News

See also
smoking tin foil

One more important reason to have a cuppa.

[Michaelangelica]

Alcohol may deter dementia

Thursday, 27 August 2009
Australian National University

People who drink in moderation are
25 per cent less likely to develop dementia
than those who abstain from alcohol.
Image: iStockphoto

“We found that light to moderate drinkers were 28 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than non-drinkers, 25 per cent less likely to develop vascular dementia, and 26 per cent less likely to develop ‘any dementia’.”

The meta-analysis analysed the outcomes of 15 research studies meeting rigorous scientific criteria exploring links between drinking and dementia, drawing on the results for more than 10,000 people worldwide.
Alcohol may deter dementia*(Science Alert)

[Michaelangelica]

I just listened to this very interesting show on Younger Onset Dementia. YOD is very different from Alzheimer's and can strike as early as 30. It has a different presentation/symtamology and seems to be connected with loss of the inhibitory functions of the frontal lobe.

Monday 31 August 2009


Younger onset dementia
Dementia is not inevitable as you age, but it becomes increasingly common the older you get. However, in some rare cases dementia can occur in people at the age of 40, 50 or 60. In this program Lynne Malcolm speaks with a 74-year-old woman who is caring for her 56-year-old daughter who has a memory span of just two minutes; and with a neuroscientist who explains younger onset dementia, why it occurs, what the early signs are and how to treat and cope with the disease.

The Health Report
(Program will be available for download in a couple of days)

[Michaelangelica]

A meeting on in Sydney this week
Alzheimer's is being called the health crisis of the future
The 7.30 Report - ABC
You need tonight's program.
22/09/09

[Michaelangelica]

Great talk today from one of the Yanks out here for the Alzheimer's confrence

National Press Club Address - Dr Constantine Lyketsos: Alzheimers Research Expert
12:30pm Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009
News CC
Dr Constantine Lyketsos: Alzheimers Research Expert presents "Dementia: Facing The Epidemic"
Also showing on ABC
Dr Constantine Lyketsos: Alzheimers Research Expert - 3:25am Thursday, September 24
- 12:30pm Wednesday, September 30
- 3:25am Thursday, October 1
- 12:30pm Wednesday, October 7
- 3:25am Thursday, October 8

A great pity transcpts are not available TMK.

A few points of interest
Alzheimer's is a woman's disease.
Twice as many women as men over 80 get it
and most carers of Alzhimer's people are women.
So a double whammy, impacting on women much more than men.

Downs connection
All people with Downs Syndrome (Trisomy 21) get Alzheimer's (at about age 40?)

Euhtinasia
When asked about the terminal prognosis of the later stages of AL and if Euthinasia shoul be adopted Dr Constantine Lyketsos said he was a doctor, such adecison was one for society. Physicians, he felt, should not be (deliberately? ) killing people. He also compared the AL sufferer with Downs sydrome people

Brain bank.
People donating their used brains for resarch. This he said was very important for future research, not just those wth the disease, but also those without it as well.
Donate here?

Australian Brain Bank Network
The donation of post-mortem (autopsy) brain tissue for research is of fundamental importance to further our understanding of the causes of brain and mind conditions, and to develop more effective diagnostic tools and treatments for these conditions.
For more information about donating brain tissue for research, visit: National Neuroscience Facility

Research
He sees a breakthrough in the 'amaloid' theory ( a cause?, of a big % of AL) in 5 yers or so, But he was talking of time frames of 20 years in terms of a real breakthough. He felt this, fouth cause of death in older people, was no being given the reserch money it needed in time to prevent a major epidemic. He compared the funding to Aids and military expenditure
Breakthroughs in stem cell approches are likey to come from Australia, where three of the major corner stone breakthroughs have already come. He said (and I didn't catch his reasons) that Australians were able to do reseach better, ? and more economically than Yanks.