Alzheimer's

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While exercise is constantly touted as the best way to have a fit and healthy body, it may also be the single most important tool to combat everything from obesity to depression to ADD and Alzheimer's, according to research by one Harvard professor. Moderate exercise, even just five or 10 minutes at a time, can help supercharge the brain's mental circuits and help beat Read more...

Losing sleep could lead to losing brain cells, a new study suggests. Levels of a protein that forms the hallmark plaques of Alzheimer's disease rise in the brains of mice and in the spinal fluid of people during wakefulness and fall during sleep, researchers report online September 24 in Science. Mice that didn't get enough sleep for three weeks also had more plaques in their brains than Read more...

University of California-Irvine neuroscientists say they've discovered a person's eyes might provide faster Alzheimer's diagnosis and treatment. The researchers said they found retinas in mice genetically altered to have Alzheimer's undergo changes similar to those that occur in the brain -- most notably the accumulation of amyloid plaque lesions. In addition, the scientists said they found Read more...

U.S., Canadian and British researchers found a high-protein diet may shrink the brain, a phenomenon linked to Alzheimer's disease. Lead author Sam Gandy, a professor at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a neurologist at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York, and colleagues tested four differing menus on mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease. The mice were fed Read more...

A compound in olive oil targets and blocks toxic proteins that damage brain cells and cause memory loss in Alzheimer's disease victims, U.S. researchers said. The compound, oleocanthal, alters the structures of the proteins, ADDLs, said William L. Klein of Northwestern University and Paul A.S. Breslin of Monell Chemical Senses Center. "Binding of ADDLs is thought to be a crucial Read more...

The bad news is that every 70 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's disease. The good news is you can lower your odds of being one of them. "There are no guarantees in this game, but by addressing lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, you can decrease your risk of getting Alzheimer's," said Dr. Richard Restak, Clinical Professor of Neurology at George Washington Read more...

An Israeli study finds the simple act of closing one's eyes might lead to new neurological treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Tel Aviv University Professor Talma Hendler, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, says it's no surprise scary music is scarier with your eyes closed. And it's that phenomenon, Hendler says, that might open the door to a new way of treating people Read more...

WASHINGTON -- More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain-destroying illness -- and it's an ominous forecast as the population grays. The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimated Read more...