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It's rare to get any good news associated with reports of Alzheimer's disease, but neuroscientists have just released word that one drug is dramatically reducing symptoms. It seems to do this by dissolving a protein that builds up in the brain — and it manages to create major improvements within days. More »
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People attempting the arduous task of quitting smoking often turn to "nicotine replacement therapies" like patches and gum. These help with the physical aspect of withdrawal and the whole "quitting the actual smoking" part. Well, that's the theory anyway. According to a new study published in the journal Tobacco Control, these nicotine replacement therapies don't help. At all. Their research of almost 800 smokers attempting to quit in Massachusetts saw the same relapse rate regardless of if they use NRTs or not. Regardless if they were light or heavy smokers or if they received counseling or not, chewing the gum or using the patches didn't seem to help. More »
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For centuries, we've used a dye derived from lichens to provide the red coloring for food and fabrics. This dye contains a compound called orcein, and we've just discovered its most remarkable property: it can fight Alzheimer's disease. More »
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Buff moms make for healthy babies. Exercise during pregnancy has been shown to have numerous benefits for mother and child alike, and now new research suggests that exercising during pregnancy could even protect your child from developing neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, later in life. More »
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Psychologists in the Netherlands have documented the case of a 58-year-old woman who was misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Her condition deteriorated to the point where she became permanently confused, and at one point suicidal — before another doctor realized the diagnosis was incorrect. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5833719&view=rss&microfeed=true While red food dye may still be a problem in young humans, for roundworms a commonly used lab dye remarkably increases their longevity. Basic Yellow 1, aka Thioflavin T is used in laboratories around the world. Apparently, for the commonly experimented on worm C. elegens, it provides a substantial lifespan boost. Healthy nematodes treated with the dye lived 50% longer, and those bread to have symptoms mimicking Alzheimer's showed slowed disease progress. More »
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A 91-year-old man suffering from dementia gets offered a new drug that gives him a stark choice, in Walter Mosley's new novel. Are we finally going to get an Alzheimer's disease novel to compete with Vernor Vinge's Rainbow's End? Spoilers... More »
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Alzheimer's disease is caused in part by a build-up of protein debris in the brain. Scientists already knew that this protein debris, called amyloid peptides, is infectious. But now it turns out that it's easier to catch than they thought. More »
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It's bad enough news that Eli Lilly & Co. pulled the plug on an experimental Alzheimer's Disease drug, semagacestat, after dreadful clinical trials. But Lilly's failure makes it more likely Alzheimer's treatment research has been going down a blind alley. More »
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Aging rats have had their memory loss reversed, thanks to a compound that helps them form new memories again. The compound could be a breakthrough treatment for Alzheimer's. More »
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Rapamycin is a bacterial byproduct discovered in the soil of Easter Island. It extends the lives of animals, and now two independent studies show that it can reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Is this the drug we've been waiting for? More »
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Transplanting small numbers of nerve cells directly into the brain has restored the learning ability of brain-damaged rats — and might be able to defeat the memory loss of Alzheimer's disease. More »
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BrainCells, a new company based in San Diego, is testing several drugs that will give you a super-powerful, enhanced memory (and maybe other cognitive properties too) by growing more neurons in your head. Going simply by the names BCI-540 and BCI-632, the compounds can stimulate 20 percent more brain cells brain to grow than normal. Much of the new growth would be replacing cells that our brain is losing all the time. More »
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