Articles related to ALZHEIMER'S/DEMENTIA

Yes, you read that right. According to a recent study in Scientific Reports, Chlamydia pneumoniae assaults the central nervous system by traveling up via the nose canal and into the brain. When the bacteria reach the brain, they encourage the production of amyloid beta protein, which is regarded to be a defining feature of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The presence of vitamin D in the brain and its link to improved cognitive performance in aged subjects was originally discovered by a Tufts University study. Higher vitamin D concentrations were linked to a 25% to 33% decreased risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment in four different brain areas. Authors did note, however, that the observational nature of the study and the lack of a diverse subject population were two of its drawbacks, and there may be further explanations for the results.

Biomarkers may be used in the dementias to distinguish different aspects of the underlying pathology, detect presymptomatic pathological changes, predict decline or conversion between clinical disease states, and/or monitor disease progression and response to treatment. In this review, the authors discuss the currently available biomarkers, with a particular focus on the three most common neurodegenerative dementias: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Gantenerumab treatment generated a slowing of clinical decline from baseline score on the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), but at levels that did not reach statistical significance. The relative reduction in clinical decline was 8% in GRADUATE I and 6% in GRADUATE II compared with placebo.

At the time of this study, in 2016, dementia was seen in 10% of those over age 65 in the US, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in 20%, with increased risk for every 5 year advance in age. Risk was 80% higher for non-Hispanic Black individuals and approximately 40% higher in Hispanic persons, compared with White individuals. Dementia and MCI were inversely correlated with years of education, though.

In the confirmatory trial, Clarity AD, of 1,795 patients with early AD, findings showed a reduction of dementia scoring of 27% vs. placebo. These findings were seen as early as 6 months.