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 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

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 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.

Researchers at WUSTL and the University of Milan found that levels of a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease rise as people recover from brain injuries - a surprising finding that may help explain why injuries boost the risk of developing the disease. WUSTL neurology professor David Brody comments.

References:

1. Aug. 28, 2008 — Tracking Alzheimer's-linked protein in live brains in the Associated Press

and 79 others.

The method by which "bad" proteins bump off neurons is also a matter of dispute. Scientists are drawing ever closer to solutions for these mysteries, and what they discover may one day help head off these diseases or even repair some damage after rogue proteins have vandalized the brain or spinal cord.

References:

1. Aug. 16, 2008 — Neuron Killers in the Science News

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.

Age-related brain changes may make it harder for older adults to understand humor, a new study shows.
The study comes from WUSTL psychology graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2007 — Humor Hampered By Aging Brain? in the CBSNews.com

and 1 others.

It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age.
The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.
The research conducted by WUSTL graduate student Wingyun Mak and WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter.
Findings were published earlier this month in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

References:

1. July 11, 2007 — Joke comprehension may decrease with age, study at St. Louis university suggests in the International Herald Tribune (France)

and 206 others.