Alzheimer Related News Items
News as of 06 /06/04
For more info on these abstracts write/call Ed Cabic (edcabic@comcast.net or 410-992-7197)
For more AD information, see Alzheimer Information athttp://www.connext.net/~seniors/infoad.htm
Copies of these reports are posted there
This web page was started at the Florence Bain Senior Center in Columbia MD
Top Items
Diabetes May Raise Risk of AD - Findings from a new study indicate that patients with diabetes mellitus are 65 percent more likely to develop AD than are people without diabetes. The results support several recent reports that have linked the two diseases. In contrast, in some earlier studies, researchers were unable to show an association. According to lead author Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, what sets the current study apart from its predecessors is its forward-looking design and the rigorous method of assessing mental, or cognitive, function. The researchers assessed the outcomes of 824 older Catholic nuns, priests, and brothers who participated in the Religious Orders Study. All of the subjects were AD-free and 127 had diabetes mellitus at the start of the study. During an average follow-up period of 5.5 years, 151 subjects developed AD, the authors note. As noted, the presence of diabetes raised the risk of AD by 65 percent. Reuters Health 5/18/04 Archives of Neurology 2004;61:657-660
Specific Plasma Lipids Appear Associated with Vascular Dementia but Not With AD - Lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and higher levels of non-HDL-C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are associated with an increased risk of vascular dementia, according to findings from cross-sectional and prospective community- based cohort studies, but these data also do not associate plasma lipid levels with the risk of AD. “Treatment with agents to lower lipid levels was negatively associated with the risk of AD but not VaD [vascular dementia],” writes corresponding author Richard Mayeux, MD, Gertrude H. Sergievski Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States, and colleagues. They analysed the relationship between plasma lipid levels and AD or vascular dementia in random sampling of Medicare recipients during 1992-1994 and1999-2002. “We found that the risk of VaD increases with lower HDL-C levels and higher levels of non-HDL-C and LDL-C in cross-sectional or longitudinal analysis,” the authors conclude, adding “Our results do not support the hypothesis that the risk of AD is associated with plasma lipid levels.” “They also do not support the hypothesis that statin use is associated with a lower risk of AD,” the authors add, suggesting “The relation between HDL-C level and VaD needs further exploration in a larger prospective study.” By Joene Hendry Doctor’s Guide 5/19/04 Arch Neurol 2004;61:705-714
Another Enzyme Target in AD - The enzyme alpha secretase could join its beta and gamma cousins as a promising new target for AD drugs, if research conducted in Germany is borne out in additional study. Researchers from the University of Mainz in Germany found that alpha-secretase plays a key role in the formation of the amyloid deposits or plaques that are laid down in the brains of AD sufferers and are a hallmark of the disease. The latest research, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (15 May), now suggests that alpha-secretase could also be a valid target for the disease. The plaques in AD are made up of amyloid beta-peptide (AB peptide) so strategies for a pharmacotherapy aim at reducing the generation of this peptide from the breakdown of amyloid precursor protein (APP). “In the APP processing pathway, alpha-secretase cleavage of APP generates an alternative breakdown product of the protein that cannot generate AB peptide,” said the authors of the study. DrugResearch-er.com 5/18/04 Journal of Clinical Investigation 113 (10) May2004 1456-1463
Switch Safe from Donepezil to Galantamine - - Nearly all AD patients switched from long term donepezil therapy to galantamine did so with little or no adverse effects, according to a 1-month follow-up study presented 5/18/04 at the American Geriatric Society Annual Meeting. Of 84 patients studied, 1 had noticeable cognitive decline when donepezil was ceased and galantamine was started. Three other patients reported confusion during step 2 of a 3-step procedure for making the switch. “Usually patients had been on donepezil for a number of years, and [were] declining,” said Pritesh Patel, MD, a fellow at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, New Jersey, affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Patel said the impetus for switching usually comes from family members or when patients change facilities and formularies change. Both agents are anticholinergics, with galantamine acting on the nicotinic as well as muscarinic sites. “A lot of patients don’t tolerate [either of] these medications,” he said, so both have to be titrated up carefully. New drugs acting through glutamate transmission are in the pipeline or already approved, and these give “almost no nausea or GI side effects,” Dr. Patel said. By Roberta Friedman Doctor’s Guide 5/19/04
Patients May Need More Meds - Many patients with AD are not getting enough cholinesterase-inhibiting medication, and physicians ought to be tailoring AD treatments more specifically to suit their individual patients’ needs, according to conference president Dr. Ezio Giacobini at the 8th International Montreal/Springfield Symposium on Advances in AD Therapy in Montreal in May 2004. Many patients need more than just the standard 5 mg to 10 mg dose and they may benefit from remaining on treatment for five years or more. Cholinesterase inhibitors, thought to have only short-term effects on memory, are now showing that in the long term they can protect the hippocampus from atrophy, said Dr. Giacobini, former chairman of the department of pharmacology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, who founded the Springfield Symposium in 1988. “We know that in people with AD the hippocampus shrinks by 1.5% every year, but now we see from a study using PET scans that there was no disappearance in the hippocampus over one year on patients taking cholinesterase inhibitors. That is very, very important because this could help slow down the disease.” Many patients were probably not getting as much medication as they needed for their individual circumstances and requirements, he added. “I suspect that many patients are under-dosed,” said Dr. Giacobini, now at the department of geriatrics at the Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève. The Medical Post 5/11/04
Risperidone Helps Reduce Psychosis in AD Patients - The atypical antipsychotic drug risperidone was more effective than placebo for the psychotic and aggressive symptoms that are associated with AD, according to a poster presented here May 18th at the American Geriatric Society Annual Meeting. Agitation also responded to doses of the drug tested, which ranged from 0.5 mg to 2.0 mg a day, but hallucinations did not. Study investigator Ira Katz, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said these are important symptoms “because they lead to caregiver burden, and increase the risk of nursing home placement.” “If the patient is wandering and shouting in the halls of the nursing home,” the decision to add risperidone is not straightforward, said Dr. Katz . However, the drug should clearly be added to treatment “if the patient is slugging the spouse.” By Roberta Friedman Doctor’s Guide 5/20/04
Genes & Genetic Issues
A Bipartisan Push on Stem Cell Studies - Nancy Reagan, the former first lady, lent her prestige on May 8, 2004, to the effort to expand the stem cell research that could offer hope of curing diseases such as AD, which afflicts her husband and millions of others. Many other Republicans and conservatives, including those who, like Reagan, consider themselves staunchly “pro-life,” are stepping forward on this issue. The result is a bipartisan letter-to-the-president campaign that has taken on surprising dimensions on both sides of Capitol Hill. The letter left the House with 206 signatures -- only 12 short of a majority. Among the signers were 36 Republicans, including a dozen ardent conservatives and opponents of abortion. A companion letter has been circulating in the Senate. Before the Memorial Day break, it had collected 56 signatures, 13 from Republicans. With a majority of the 100 senators already aboard, sponsors are hoping to run the total up to 60 before dispatching it to the White House. In their letter, the members of Congress pointed out that the 78 stem cell lines the president thought would be available under his guidelines have shrunk to 15 -- not nearly enough to meet the growing research demand. By contrast, there are an estimated 400,000 embryos frozen in labs supporting fertility clinics -- embryos that are in excess of childless couples’ needs and that are likely to be destroyed. The letter writers ask the president to allow couples to donate those eggs for stem cell research. By David S. Broder Washington Post 6/3/04
Californians to Vote on 3 Billion Dollars for Stem Cell Research - Californians will vote in November on whether to publicly fund three billion dollars in stem cell research, which
would put them at the center of a stormy ethical debate, officials said. A controversial ballot initiative aimed at winning taxpayers’ money to underwrite research that will use embryonic stem cells to develop cures for AD and other illnesses has qualified for a referendum. The plan is to be decided November 2, when Californians vote for a new president. The research would be financed by a state bond issue over 10 years. Scientists would be allocated 295 million dollars a
year for their work over that period. AFP 6/4/04
World’s First Stem Cell Bank Opens - The world’s first embryonic stem cell bank opens in Britain today, breaking new ground in one of the most controversial areas of medical research. The bank aims to store and supply stem cell lines for research and ultimately for treatment of conditions like diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s and AD. Its store of stem cells is expected to number tens of thousands. By Kate Kelland Reuters 5/19/04
Researchers Complete Analysis of Human Chromosomes Nine and 10 - Scientists have produced a complete map of the human chromosomes nine and 10, which are linked to diseases including cancer, diabetes and AD, according to Nature magazine. An international consortium of public scientists announced last year they had completed what was called the Human Genome Project, producing a map of 95 percent of the human genetic code. Work continues, however, to decipher the function of the estimated 30,000 to 40,000 genes that encode more than 10 times that number of proteins to make a human being. This latest work brings to nine the number of human chromosomes which have been fully sequenced and analysed. Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes -- 22 pairs plus two sexual chromosomes. AFP 5/26/04 S. J. HUMPHRAY et al. Nature 429, 369-375 (2004) [gene 9] and P. DELOUKAS et al. Nature 429, 375-382 (2004) [gene 10]
Caregivers
When AD Steals the Mind, How Aggressively to Treat the Body? - The question of how aggressive to be in treating late-stage AD patients is one of the most wrenching and contentious issues in medicine. For every patient who reaches the final stage of the disease, there typically are about five or six family members faced with decisions about whether to authorize medical treatments for patients whose bodies live on though their minds are gone. New research has found that AD patients at the end of their lives often receive everything that medicine has to offer. For example, a recent study of nursing home patients, by Dr. Susan Mitchell of Harvard and the Hebrew Rehabilitation Home for the Aged, found that those with end-stage AD received more aggressive medical treatment — including feeding tubes, intravenous fluids and antibiotics and hospitalizations — than cancer patients at the end of their lives. But AD patients rarely receive the palliative care intended to relieve suffering but not to prolong life that is normal in cancer cases; they make up only 7 percent of people who receive hospice care. The comparison with cancer patients is imperfect because cancer patients often die more quickly, and , unlike AD patients, they can speak for themselves about their care. But some experts and family members argue that intensive treatment in cases of late-stage AD patients is inappropriate, even cruel, and that its costs are excessively high. By Gina Kolata NY Times 5/18/04 Article for purchase for $2.95 at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/health/18DEME.html
Can Chips Cure AD? - Next month, giant chipmaker Intel will start tracking the lifestyle of 11 patients in the early stages of AD by deploying dozens of wireless sensors around their homes. Over a period of two months, the company will monitor how much time patients spend inter- acting with relatives and friends, and relay the information electronically to their caregivers. If the system works, Intel plans to place the technology next year in some 200 households where people 80 years and older live. Their memory will still be intact. But the statistics are grim. Half will probably develop some form of dementia at some point. The technology that Intel is putting together could allow patients to cope with daily life by prompting them to call someone, eat breakfast or take their medicine. It can also alert a caregiver that a patient hasn’t slept, for example. “It sounds trivial but it’s the difference between staying at home, or going to a nursing home,” says Eric Dishman, a sociologist who’s spearheading the project at Intel. In its new project, Intel will be using off-the-shelf sensors that wirelessly transmit data to a computer. It will place them in kitchens, bathrooms, phones and computers in households in Portland, Ore., and Las Vegas. Through the use of algorithms, it will then crunch the data to measure how much time a patient spends on the phone, talking to visitors or e-mailing. Intel will then formulate a so-called sociability index, which it will analyze over a two-month period to gauge any cognitive decline. “It’s a starting place,” says Dishman. “It can ease the stress until there’s a cure.” By Zina Moukheiber Forbes.com 5/13/04
Testing
Antibody Detection in AD May Improve Diagnosis, Treatment - People with AD have three to four times more antibodies to two major players in the destructive disease than their healthy counterparts, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta have found. The ability to measure these specific antibody levels could lead to a method for early diagnosis of the disease – when treatment has the most potential – and even help identify those at risk, say lead researchers Drs. Shyamala Mruthinti and Jerry J. Buccafusco. The finding may also enable development of a monoclonal antibody that selectively destroys the deadly protein-receptor combination, they say. The study of plasma samples from 33 patients with AD and 42 healthy people showed a similar effect on leukocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune response: leukocytes from AD patients had four times the markers for (1) amyloid-ß peptide and (2) receptor for advanced glycation end products, or RAGE. The findings support the theory that autoimmunity and resulting inflammation play a big role in the destructive brain disease. PR 6/2/04 published online on ScienceDirect and scheduled for publication in the September issue of Neurobiology of Aging.
New Test Enables AD Diagnosis - There may soon be a new way to definitively diagnose AD before death. While the only diagnosis that can be made with certainty is at autopsy, brain scans combined with clinical assessment may soon enable physicians to determine if a live patient has the disease, noted lead author of a recent AD study, Dr. Frederick Bonte of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas. By testing blood flow in a specific region of the brain, he and co-researchers found they could diagnose AD with a high degree of certainty. The researchers included 60 people in their study. Using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the researchers looked at the posterior cingulated cortex, which normally has reduced blood flood in people with AD. Among the suspected AD patients, 16 exhibited significant blood flow reduction in the posterior cingulated cortex. Of the 20 patients suspected of having frontotemporal disease, only one showed signs of reduced blood flow in the region. That patient was later reevaluated and diagnosed with AD. The 20 volunteers had normal SPECT scans. “The sign (reduced blood flow), when present, is reliable,” Dr. Bonte noted. By Nancy Deutsch Medical Post 5/25/04
DNA Barcodes Ease Disease Diagnosis - Similar to the way barcodes on grocery item are scanned, tagged blood samples could be analyzed for the presence of diseases ranging from cancer to AD, as well as identify exposure to bioterror agents such as anthrax and smallpox. Using nanotechnology, researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois have developed a way to label tiny disease markers in blood with unique DNA tags, which they call bio-barcodes. “This test has the potential to completely revolutionize medical diagnostics,” says Northwestern researcher Chad Mirkin. Genetic screening involves analyzing a person’s DNA to determine the susceptibility to and presence of specific diseases. The most common method used to screen genes for disease is called polymerase chain reaction—a highly sensitive test that uses an amplification technique to detect small amounts of DNA in blood samples. The new test, called bio-barcode amplification, is easier, faster, more accurate and less expensive than polymerase chain reaction, says Mirkin. In addition, unlike conventional tests that require one or more vials of blood, the new test only needs a single drop of blood to paint a person’s comprehensive disease profile. By Gabe Romain Betterhumans Staff 5/4/2004 Journal of the American Chemical Society; 2002; 124(15) pp 3820 - 3821; (Communication) DOI: 10.1021/ja0178766
Quick Test Helps Spot Dementia - A test called the “seven minute screen” is an accurate means of testing for dementia, Dutch researchers report. Lead author Dr. Etienne F. J. Meulen told Reuters Health it “is a cognitive screen with good predictive validity for all types of dementia. Using this test, it is possible to detect dementia at an early stage.” Meulen, at the General Hospital Slotevaart, and colleagues evaluated a Dutch translation of the screening test, which consists of four brief assessments of mental functioning. The researchers used it to screen 542 patients with various types of dementia or depression and 45 healthy controls. AD was diagnosed in 177 patients and other types of dementia in 164. The test identified 92.9 percent of those with AD. Under the study conditions, the researchers found that the average time to administer the test was, in fact, 12.4 minutes. This ranged from 8 to 22 minutes, with longer times needed to assess subjects with more severe dementia. In an editorial, Dr. Victor W. Henderson of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, points out that clinical assessment for dementia “is more commonly triggered by patient of caregiver complaints” than by screening. Never-theless, in some circumstances, he concluded, “12 minutes could be a rewarding investment, suggesting a useful niche for the optimistically named 7 minute screen.” By David Douglas Reuters Health 5/31/04 Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2004;75:700-705
Brain Disease Research, Particle Physics Meet in the Middle (Ware) - The study of AD and the analysis of particle collisions may not appear to have much in common, but behind the scenes, middleware being developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is helping groups of researchers in neuroscience, physics and other fields to apply the power of grid-based computational resources. Spanning 14 universities and 22 research groups, the growing Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) is establishing the cyberinfra- structure, or integrated information technology configuration, needed to facilitate health care research for large-scale data sharing and analysis. The ability to share and compare massive data sets such as MRI brain scans or high-resolution electron microscopy images is essential to participants’ research into AD, depression, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis and other disorders.
PR 5/27/04
Prevention
Good Heart, Sound Mind - How can you keep your mind sharp? There’s no definitive answer as of yet, but “in general, we use the old phrase, ‘What’s good for the heart is good for the head,’” said Dr. Frederick Schmitt of the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. In other words, strive for “low blood pressure, keep your blood sugar under control, keep your weight down, exercise, reduce cholesterol levels,” said Schmitt, a neurology professor. “All of that stuff is good for your heart ... and it’s the heart that helps feed the brain and the whole body.” The Alzheimer’s Association is spreading a similar message in a national campaign called “Maintain Your Brain.” Campaign advice includes taking a multivitamin containing folic acid, vitamin E and vitamin C and eating foods, such as salmon, that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. “One of the things we’ve learned from animal research is that there are more connections formed in the brain in animals who are put in a complex environment,” Schmitt said. “The animal’s brain gets stimulated, and the same thought applies to people. Exercising the brain helps create more connections — keeps it active longer.” By Darla Carter The Courier-Journal Louisville KY 5/27/04
Brown Rice May Prevent AD - Japanese cosmetic manufacturer FANCL announced 5/20/04 that its research group has discovered the effectiveness of pre-germinated brown rice against AD in collaboration with Meijo University Professor Makoto Ukai. Based on their animal experi-ments, they have confirmed that there is a possibility that a continuous intake of brown rice effectively inhibits learning and memory deficits induced by beta-amyloid protein. Detailed research results will be discussed in the forthcoming July 1 issue of “Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin,” which is published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. Currently, FANCL markets “hatsuga mai,” a pre-germinated brow rice product, in Japan. JCNN 5/20/04 An online version is already available under the title “Effect of pre-germinated brwon rice on beta-amyloid protein induced learning and memory deficits in mice” at https://denshi.pharm.or.jp/home/pubpharm/pubview.asp?p=b040013
Other Items
AD Foreseen as a Growing Problem -Reagan Lived with Disease 10 Years - AD, the feared ailment that afflicted former President Reagan for a decade before he died 6/5/04, will be a growing problem as the population ages. The progressive degenerative disease of the brain currently affects about 4.5 million Americans, and the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that by the middle of the century, the numbers will grow to 14 million if a cure or treatment is not found. AD patients don’t die from the disease. Reagan, 93, succumbed to pneumonia, a common complication. A lack of nutrition that often comes with AD makes patients susceptible to fatal infections. AD predominantly affects people over 65, and the risk increases with age. The number of people with the disease doubles every five years after 65, and nearly half of those 85 and older have it. Complications from AD are the ninth-leading cause of death among those 65 or older. “It’s mostly a function of aging,” said Dr. Robert Tan, a gerontologist and professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. “If you live long enough, you’ll probably get it.” By Todd Ackerman Houston Chronicle Medical Writer 6/6/04
AD Vaccine Shows Mixed Results - Some of the patients in the now-abandoned Wyeth/Elan AD vaccine trial have continued to do well, a two-year followup of patients in Switzerland has shown. Those patients who were good responders to the initial doses of vaccine and developed high levels of antibodies to amyloid plaque have shown significantly slower rates of decline of cognitive functions and activities of daily living, the Swiss researchers announced in May 2004 at the 8th International Montreal/Springfield Symposium on Advances in AD Therapy. The patients also scored better on hippocampus-dependent memory tests compared with patients who did not have antibodies to beta-amyloid, said Dr. Roger Nitsch, director of the division of psychiatric research at the University of Zurich, who headed the Zurich arm of the trial. “We found that after 24 months, certain of our patients who had been vaccinated did really quite well. They were stable and did not deteriorate in the way and at the rate that patients at that stage of AD usually do.” David Galloway, coordinator for the Wyeth/Elan project, said the companies involved had no plans to test another vaccine at present. The intention now is to press ahead with a preparation that delivers the antibodies against beta-amyloid directly into the blood stream through an infusion, said Galloway. “We know that these antibodies can prevent production of amyloid and we will be presenting results from our studies later this summer,” he said. The Medical Post 5/11/2004
Elan to Sponsor the 9th International Conference on AD - Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced 5/17/04 it is the premier sponsor of The 9th International Conference on AD and Related Disorders, presented by the Alzheimer’s Association. New data from Elan’s AD research and development programs will be presented at the conference, and Elan will also host a symposium featuring leading AD researchers from throughout the field. The conference will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from July 17th through July 22nd. Elan, in collaboration with Wyeth, is researching a number of novel immunotherapeutic approaches as potential treatments for AD. The Elan-Wyeth research involving beta-amyloid and plaque will be the subject of a number of presentations at the conference, including key new findings from a Phase II immunotherapy clinical trial. While that compound is no longer in development, Elan and Wyeth have initiated a Phase I trial studying a new monoclonal antibody specifically designed and engineered to clear the neurotoxin beta-amyloid peptide that accumulates in the brains of patients with AD. At the conference, Elan will also present data on its research in beta secretase inhibitors and gamma secretase inhibitors. PR 5/17/04
Researchers Discover Protein That Dissolves Amyloid Fibers - Amyloid fibers, those clumps of plaque-like proteins that clog up the brains of AD patients, have perplexed scientists with their robust structures. In laboratory experiments, they are able to withstand extreme heat and cold and powerful detergents that cripple most other proteins. A study published May 20, 2004 in the advance online publication of the journal Science suggests that yeast may succeed where scientists have not. The research by a team at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research reports on a natural biological process by which yeast cells dismantle amyloid fibers. Studies has been made on a yeast protein called Sup35, a protein that helps cells translate genetic information into strings of amino acids – the building blocks of protein molecules. Sometimes Sup35 suddenly forms amyloid fibers similar to those found in AD patients. Previous research in the Lindquist lab described how a protein called Hsp104 seemed to affect Sup35’s ability to form amyloid fibers. While these types of relationships between chemicals aren’t unheard of, “it was counter-intuitive. Both high levels of Hsp104 and the absence of Hsp104 caused the same effect. That certainly made us want to figure out what was going on,” says Susan Lindquist, director of Whitehead and a professor of biology at MIT. “It was hard to come up with a definitive experiment in a living cell that would explain this sort of thing.” In this new study Sup35 and Hsp104 were isolated and the researchers found that small amounts of Hsp104 catalyzed the formation of amyloid fibers, but large levels of the protein actually caused the fibers to dissolve. PR 5/20/04 Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1098007 published 5/20/04
New Approaches
NA-1 Blocking Fyn to prevent amyloid proteins from damaging synapes
Brain Block Fights AD - Blocking an enzyme in the brain of mice with AD suppresses symptoms and extends lifespan, suggesting new treatments for AD. Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco, California examined how changing levels of an enzyme called Fyn affects AD symptoms such as the accumulation of large clumps of amyloid proteins (plaques) in the brain and the degradation of synapses. “Our results suggest that Fyn plays a key role in AD-related synaptic impairments, and that it can worsen the toxicity of amyloid proteins,” says Gladstone researcher Jeannie Chin. “We are excited about the possibility that pharmacological modulation of Fyn might be of therapeutic benefit in this disease.” Fyn is a biological catalyst that regulates cells’ responsiveness to nervous system stimuli. It is involved in many processes related to normal brain functioning, The researchers determined that changing Fyn levels had no effect on some aspects of AD, such as plaque formation, but that blocking Fyn expression prevented amyloid proteins from damaging synapses and extended the lives of AD mice. In contrast, increasing Fyn expression worsened synaptic damage and led to more premature deaths. Because Fyn is involved in many processes related to normal brain functioning, suppressing its activity completely might have detrimental effects, says Mucke. Therefore, he and colleagues aim to examine whether partial suppression is beneficial as a treatment for AD. By Gabe Romain Betterhumans Staff 5/21/04
NA-2 Use ABCA2 to prevent breakdown on myelin
Cancer Drug Resistance Research Leads to Possible Therapeutic Target for AD - A protein that allows human cancer to resist multiple anticancer drugs also appears to play a key role in AD, according to research conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center. The protein, the human ABCA2 transporter, one of a large family of ATP-binding proteins that transport a variety of molecules across biological membranes, is active in brain tissue, could be a target for new drugs to treat patients with AD. The research was conducted in the Fox Chase laboratory of Kenneth D. Tew, Ph.D., D.Sc. The ABCA2 protein transporter is expressed at high levels in brain tissue and may be linked with the transport of molecules relevant to the etiology of AD, including those involved in the formation of amyloid plaques. The association of the transporter with AD first emerged from a comparative gene expression pattern analysis that Tew did. According to Tew, ABCA2 can play a role in cholesterol transport and also in myelination --an “insulation” for nerve cells in mammals and other vertebrates. Because these neurons are longer than other cells, they are more vulnerable to damage. Myelin protects them by sheathing their axons--threadlike extensions of the nerve cells--in alternating layers of protein and fat. A new model of human brain aging (Neurobiology of Aging, January 2003) postulates that mid-life breakdown of myelin could be a possible key to the later development of AD. “Imaging studies and examination of brain tissue have shown that the deterioration of myelin triggers the degeneration of complex neural connections,” Tew said. “This may be due to genetic factors as well as the brain’s own process of increasing cholesterol and iron levels in middle age. In samples of brain sections from AD, the ABCA2 protein shows unusual patterns of expression,” Tew added. “That also suggests that this transporter has a possible role in AD.” PR 5/20/04 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal (http://www.fasebj.org/ ) advance online publication May 20th doi:10.1096/fj.03-1490fje and will appear in the journal’s July issue.
New Alzheimer’s Association Report Predicts Disease will Soar 600 Percent among Hispanics by 2050 - AD and related dementias are projected to increase more than six-fold among Hispanics in the U.S. during the first half of the 21st century, according to a new report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association. This increase means that 1.3 million Hispanics will have AD by 2050, compared to fewer than 200,000 currently living with the disease. “This report should serve as a wake-up call to Congress and the nation,” said Steve McConnell, Ph.D., senior vice president and public policy for the Alzheimer’s Association. “As the fastest growing population in the country and the group that will have the greatest life expectancy of all ethnic groups, Hispanics will experience a dramatic rise in their risk of AD. This will overwhelm their families and communities unless we take action now.” The report, entitled “ AD among the Hispanic Population,” brought swift reaction from major Hispanic groups and leaders. “The Congress and the Administration must quickly approve the Alzheimer’s Association’s request for an additional $40 million for AD research,” said Hector Flores, National President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which includes 600 councils and 115,000 members nationwide. “This is our best hope for developing new medicines to help those with the disease and to ultimately find a cure.” HispanicBusiness.com 5/18/2004 The report can be found at http://www.alz.org/Media/newsreleases/2004/040511_eng.asp
Hippocampus (HC)
H-1 HC involved with signaling old memories
Scientists Show Hippocampus’s Role in Long Term Memory - The formation of new memories and the retrieval of older memories are both evidenced in the hippocampus region of the brain, according to recent research by NYU neuroscientists. The role of the hippocampus in the formation of new memories has been well-documented, but the contribution of this structure to the representation and retrieval of long-term memories is less clear. A team of scientists led by NYU Professor of Neural Science Wendy Suzuki recorded the activity of individual hippocampal neurons as animals retrieved well-learned information from memory. Suzuki’s team found that the response of the hippocampal neurons differentiated between the well-learned stimuli significantly better than the novel stimuli. This differentiated response in the hippocampus provides strong evidence for a memory signal specific for the well-learned information. “We know that the hippocampus is involved in transferring immediate or short-term memories into long-term memories, but its specific contribution to the representation of very well-learned information was not well-understood.” said Suzuki. “These findings are exciting because they suggest that the hippocampus is involved in signaling even very well-learned information. This may be a way that well-learned information is incorporated into our memories of everyday episodes or events.” By demystifying the role of the hippocampus in both the acquisition and retrieval of everyday memories, this research forms the necessary first steps towards understanding and developing treatments for devastating memory-related diseases such as AD. PR 5/12/04 Neuron, Vol 42:477-487 13 May 2004
H-2 HC also works with subiculum for short term memory
New Research Suggests Two Brain Areas Critical for Short-term Memory - Research in animals has revealed new information about how animals and humans may store and retrieve short-term memories, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. “For the first time, we’ve found that two different areas of the brain share the function of storing and remembering events for short-term memory,” said Sam Deadwyler, Ph.D., lead researcher. “These new findings broaden our understanding of how memory works.” Deadwyler and co-investigator Robert Hampson, Ph.D., showed that the hippocampus, a structure long believed to be important for short-term memory, shares this function with another adjacent brain area, the subiculum. The research shows that both structures are required to process information correctly. Knowing more about memory – and what goes wrong in conditions such as AD - could lead to more sensitive tests for early diagnosis, as well as new drugs to enhance and recover memory, said Deadwyler. In addition, the findings that two brain areas act together to establish and retrieve short-term memories suggests the possibility that humans could be retrained to use one area if the other is damaged or diseased. PR 5/12/04 Neuron, Vol 42,465-476 13 May 2004
A True Scientific Breakthrough: the Blue Rose - The blue rose is the “Holy Grail” of horticulture. Scientists have now found a way to produce this blue rose. The discovery was made by chance by two biochemists conducting research into drugs for cancer and AD in a medical laboratory at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Professor Peter Guengerich and Dr Elizabeth Gillam were trying to find out how the human liver breaks down drugs when they came across a liver enzyme that had a startling effect. “When we moved a liver enzyme into a bacterium, the bacterium turned blue,” Dr Guengerich said. “We were aware that there were people in the world who had been interested in making colored flowers, especially a blue rose.” Dr Gillam had the idea moving the gene into plants - and produce a blue rose. The scientists, who have patented the process, describe their findings in an article in the next issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. By David Harrison Telegraph.co.uk 5/23/04
AD16\adnews0604f.wpd