Merck announced last month that it is moving ahead with MK-8931, an experimental BACE inhibitor drug designed to slow the production of amyloid beta protein in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Beta secretase (BACE) inhibitors work by interfering with the process that creates amyloid beta protein in the first place, in… Read More »
Can a simple blood test be possible to screen for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain conditions? New research discussed at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) last month suggests that reliable, low cost blood serum analysis for brain biomarkers is a possibility within the next decade or so. Blood tests are an attractive screening option… Read More »
I’m at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Boston this week, and one of the most discussed topics is the power of brain imaging tests to detect amyloid beta protein in the brain, one of the main hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging tests can identify amyloid beta deposits in… Read More »
The PLoS ONE science journal published an interesting study performed by the Brain and Aging Research Program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The study sampled apolipoprotein levels in blood samples from over 600 older adults participating in the ongoing Sydney Memory and Aging Study. Apolipoproteins are proteins that transport cholesterol… Read More »
A topic that received a lot of attention at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine update on Alzheimer’s research was the use of Eli Lilly’s Amyvid for detection of amyloid beta deposits in the brain, one of the physical signatures of Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Gil Rabinovici, MD, a physician and researcher at… Read More »
What is Mild Cognitive Impairment? Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, is an intermediate stage condition between normal cognitive functioning and Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia: Signs of MCI include a “change in cognition” — this typically means memory problems, but it can also include planning and reasoning skills that could negatively affect higher… Read More »