An international team of scientists has reported finding two more genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Includes comments by co-author and WUSTL professor of genetics in psychiatry Alison Goate.

References:

1. Sept. 8, 2009 — More Alzheimer genetic risk factors found in the United Press International

and 3 others.

WUSTL neurologist and study author James Galvin says more than 74 percent of Parkinson's patients have trouble sleeping, and up to 80 percent of patients age 65 and older who have Parkinson's disease for seven years will develop dementia.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Sleep linked to Parkinson's dementia in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Technological and computational advances have enabled researchers to image the brain's wrinkled exterior in stunning detail, mapping the size and shape of each fold. Scientists pursuing this new discipline of "cortical cartography'' expect it to yield insights into how the brain develops and what happens when things go awry. WUSTL neurobiologist David Van Essen comments.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Unfolding the mysteries of the brain in the The Boston Globe

WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and colleagues have devised a test that shows whether an experimental medication has a chance of working in Alzheimer's patients.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — David Holtzman: Attacking Alzheimer's With a New Test for Amyloid Beta in the U.S. News & World Report online

WUSTL scientists have pinpointed compounds in the spinal fluid which may give an early warning of how fast patients with mild dementia will decline.

References:

1. May 11, 2009 — Chemical clue to dementia decline in the BBC News

Matthew Herper reports on the controversy surrounding the FDA and its policy for approving new schizophrenia drugs. Includes comments by WUSTL psychiatry professor John Newcomer.

References:

1. May 8, 2009 — Is The FDA Easing Up? in the Forbes

Alzheimer's patients sift the important from less important less efficiently early on, according to a study conducted by WUSTL researchers.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Early Alzheimer's, think less efficiently in the United Press International

and 2 others.

A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person's risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. "This is a worrisome association," says WUSTL endocrinologist Philip Cryer. But he cautions that an association doesn't prove that one factor causes the other.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Hypoglycemia linked to dementia in the Science News Web edition

In some cases the Justice Department can intervene to make state-run institutions comply with civil rights laws. The statute is known as CRIPA -- the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. WUSTL law professor Margo Schlanger, who used to work on CRIPA cases as a Justice Department attorney comments.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — Settlements In Mental Health Cases Face Scrutiny in the NPR All Things Considered

In the largest study of SSRIs in older people with anxiety disorders, a team of psychiatric researchers found the drug escitalopram improved anxiety symptoms and quality of life. The study was conducted by WUSTL associate professor of psychiatry Dr. Eric J. Lenze while at the University of Pittsburgh. His team studied 177 people over the age of 60.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2009 — Antidepressant Eases Anxiety in Older Adults in the The Washington Post

and 4 others.

Anne Underwood writes on the biology of aging and anti-aging research being done by scientists, including WUSTL nutritional sciences professor Luigi Fontana, who is tracking the progress of 45 members of the Calorie Restriction Society.

References:

1. Dec. 15, 2008 — Never Say Die in the Newsweek

and 1 others.

People who carry two copies of a particular gene have roughly eight to 10 times the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease than people who do not. WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and graduate student Mary Beth Finn, were among the group of scientists that conducted research for this study.

References:

1. Nov. 14, 2008 — Alzheimer's Gene Slows Brain's Ability To Export Toxic Protein in the ScienceDaily.com

A study using an advanced brain scanning technology supports the growing body of evidence that education levels and some form of intellectual activity decrease the impact of Alzheimer's disease. WUSTL neurology professor and study author Catherine Roe comments.

References:

1. Nov. 11, 2008 — 'Cognitive Reserve' May Help Fight Alzheimer's in the The Washington Post

and 6 others.

Older adults with type 2 diabetes are apt to have memory problems after eating a meal loaded with fat, but a new study has found the damage can be undone if they take antioxidant vitamins along with the unhealthy food. More study is definitely needed, said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at WUSTL.

References:

1. June 26, 2008 — Unhealthy Meals Dull Older Diabetics' Memory in the U.S. News & World Report

and 5 others.

Contrary to prior studies, a new trial shows that daily use of two popular pain-relieving drugs, Celebrex and naproxen, does not prevent cognitive decline in people with a family history of Alzheimer's disease. WUSTL neurology professor John Morris, who is director of WUSTL's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and a member of the medical and scientific advisory council for the Alzheimer's Association, comments.

References:

1. May 12, 2008 — Celebrex, Naproxen Won't Prevent Mental Decline in the U.S. News & World Report

and 9 others.

German researchers are reporting a new approach to the possible prevention of the molecular "debris" that's associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
WUSTL neurology professor James Galvin called the German research "a novel idea."

References:

1. April 24, 2008 — Study Details New Molecular Approach to Preventing Alzheimer's in the The Washington Post

and 7 others.

The recent report that having a pot belly in your 40s roughly triples your risk of dementia in later life is just the tip of an ominous iceberg. WUSTL research on liposuction in which found no change in the women's cholesterol levels, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity or other health risks. "If they had lost that much fat by dieting, they would have substantially improved their metabolic profile, but they didn't," says Samuel Klein, director of WUSM's Center for Human Nutrition and the study's principal investigator.

References:

1. April 15, 2008 — Gut Check: Why Doctors Say Not All Fat Is Created Equal in the The Wall Street Journal

and 2 others.

WUSTL researchers have found that a key ingredient for the formation of Alzheimer's plaques is produced by a brain cell activity. WUSTL neurology professor and the study's first author John Cirrito comments.

References:

1. April 9, 2008 — Researchers zero in on Alzheimer's plaque origin in the Agence France Presse

and 13 others.

David Carr, clinical director of WUSTL's division of geriatrics and nutritional science, said the fact that McCain has gone five years without a melanoma recurrence is good news.

References:

1. March 27, 2008 — McCain works to answer age and health questions in the Boston Globe

and 5 others.

Harvard researchers report in the Sept. 21 issue of Cell that they have uncovered a molecular clue that seems to explain why cutting calories might lengthen your life.
It turns out that mitochondria guard against cell death, and two specific genes within the mitochondria actually carry out that task. Mitochondria are compartments within a cell that are dedicated to energy production, and their loss is thought to be a major cause of aging.
WUSTL molecular biology and pharmacology professor Shin-ichiro Imai comments on the Harvard study.

References:

1. Sept. 20, 2007 — Researchers Pinpoint Link Between Caloric Restriction and Longevity in the CBC News (Canada)

and 7 others.