20 Things To Know About Alzheimer's Disease

Please Help Support Alzheimer's Research Today!

Your Alzheimer's donation will help billions live without it.

Alzheimer's facts

( efficiently crosses the blood-brain barrier )

A compound that previously progressed to Phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment slows neurological damage and improves brain function in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the March 14 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest the drug epothilone D (EpoD) may one day prove useful for treating people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Nerve cells in people with Alzheimer's disease contain tangles - distorted clumps made up of the protein tau. Under normal circumstances, tau helps stabilize structures in nerve cells known as microtubules, which help transport nutrients and other substances from one end of the cell to the other. A growing body of evidence suggests the disruption in normal tau function during Alzheimer's disease could cause microtubules to break down, resulting in nerve cell damage.

In a previous study, Kurt Brunden, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and Department of Chemistry treated young mice that had been bred to develop symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease later in life with EpoD. Treatment with EpoD - a drug that stabilizes microtubules - prevented microtubule breakdown and cognitive difficulties associated with Alzheimer's disease.

In the new study, Brunden's group examined the effects of EpoD on older mice that already displayed memory deficits and tau tangles similar to people with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers, led by first author Bin Zhang, PhD, administered EpoD weekly to these older Alzheimer's model mice for three months before evaluating them. Compared with Alzheimer's mice that did not receive the treatment, the EpoD-treated mice had reduced formation of tau tangles in the brain. These mice also outperformed animals that did not receive the drug in learning and memory tests. Continue to read: medilexicon.com

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/02/07/2047945/obama-to-seek-more-alzheimers.html#storylink=cpy

TODAY'S PHOTO

Red yeast rice fortified beverage shows cholesterol busting potential

A beverage containing red yeast rice may reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 18%, and offer a blood lipid lowering alternative for people intolerant to statins, says a new study. Read more: nutraingredients.com

Беларусь ТВ