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A common sleep aid restores healthier sleep patterns and protects mice from the brain damage seen in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The drug, lemborexant, prevents the harmful buildup of an abnormal form of a protein called tau in the brain, reducing the inflammatory brain damage tau is known to cause in Alzheimer's. The study suggests that lemborexant could help treat or prevent the damage caused by tau in multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome and some frontotemporal dementias. "In this new study, we have shown that lemborexant improves sleep and...

Higher scores on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) are associated with an increased incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Diet has been identified as a potential avenue for reducing dementia risk. Previous observational studies have linked anti-inflammatory diets, such as the Mediterranean and MIND diets, with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk. The DII is a standardized tool that quantifies the inflammatory potential of diets by analyzing nutrients, bioactive compounds, and food components. Prior studies have suggested that higher DII scores are associated with systemic inflammation, which is separately understood to contribute to neurodegenerative processes. Researchers...

Ketone bodies, produced by the body to provide fuel during fasting, have roles in regulating cellular processes and aging mechanisms beyond energy production. Research shows that ketone bodies can best be understood as powerful signaling metabolites affecting brain function in aging and Alzheimer's disease. A new study demonstrates that ketone bodies and similar metabolites have profound effects on the proteome and protein quality control in the brain. Scientists, working on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and aging, and in the nematode C. elegans, reveal the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate interacts directly with misfolded proteins, altering their solubility and structure so they...

A drug commonly used to treat glaucoma has been shown in zebrafish and mice to protect against the build-up in the brain of the protein tau, which causes various forms of dementia and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers screened more than 1,400 clinically-approved drug compounds using zebrafish genetically engineered to make them mimic so-called tauopathies. They discovered that drugs known as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors—of which the glaucoma drug methazolamide is one—clear tau build-up and reduce signs of the disease in zebrafish and mice carrying the mutant forms of tau that cause human dementias. Professor David Rubinsztein, Dr. Angeleen Fleming...

Researchers recently investigated the effect of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on brain health and memory to determine if consumption of extra virgin olive oil, the main component of the Mediterranean diet, can delay cognitive decline in people with Down syndrome (DS). DS is the most common genetically induced form of physical and intellectual disability, and while modern medical advances have helped to prolong life expectancy from around 40 years to an average of 60, the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in DS patients has become more common than ever before. Individuals with DS develop age-dependent cognitive decline and synaptic...

Infection with the virus that’s the main cause of cold sores may double a person’s risk of developing dementia, according to a new study. Adding to growing evidence of a link between the two, further research is needed to investigate whether anti-herpes treatment reduces the risk and may open the door to developing new vaccines. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common, lifelong infection that’s treatable but not curable. It’s estimated that, globally, around 67% of people under 50 have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, the main cause of oral herpes or cold sores, and around 13% have...

Researchers have discovered the link between the gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease. For the first time, researchers have found that Alzheimer's symptoms can be transferred to a healthy young organism via the gut microbiota, confirming its role in the disease. The study supports the emergence of the gut microbiome as a key target for investigation in Alzheimer's disease due to its particular susceptibility to lifestyle and environmental influence. The study shows that that the memory impairments in people with Alzheimer's could be transferred to young animals through transplant of gut microbiota. Alzheimer's patients had a higher abundance of inflammation-promoting bacteria...

Prior vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis (Tdap/Td); herpes zoster (HZ), better known as shingles; and pneumococcus are all associated with a reduced risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, according to research. Researchers performed a retrospective cohort study that included patients who were free of dementia during a two-year lookback period and were at least 65 years old by the start of the eight-year follow-up period. They compared two similar groups of patients using propensity score matching, one vaccinated and another unvaccinated, with Tdap/Td, HZ, or pneumococcal vaccine. Ultimately, they calculated the relative risk and absolute risk reduction...

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine—which prevents tuberculosis—offers multiple beneficial effects, and it's currently a recommended therapy for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In a new study, treatment with the BCG vaccine was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Although previous research has suggested a link between the BCG vaccine and a lower risk of dementia, studies were limited by size, study design, or analytical methods. To conduct a more robust study, Marc Weinberg, MD, Ph.D., and colleagues followed 6,467 individuals for up to 15 years after they were diagnosed with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The group included 3,388...

Painful, stiff or swollen joints are a common complaint among older adults, and for many, may be the first sign of arthritis - but the condition shouldn’t be an inevitable part of growing older as it can be avoided.What was once an easy run may feel tougher to complete. Or perhaps a challenging game of tennis might leave your hip or ankle sore for days. Painful, stiff or swollen joints are a common complaint among older adults — and for many, they’re the first sign of what may feel like an unavoidable diagnosis: Arthritis. In a 2022 survey of more...

The exercise was simple: inhale for a count of five, then exhale for a count of five. Do that for 20 minutes, twice a day, for four weeks. Volunteers' heart rate variability increased during each exercise period and the levels of amyloid-beta peptides circulating in their blood decreased over the four weeks of the experiment. That's because the way we breathe affects our heart rate, which in turn affects our nervous system and the way our brain produces proteins and clears them away. A 2020 study found that heart rate variability drops on average 80 percent between twenty and sixty...

Six minutes of high-intensity exercise could extend the lifespan of a healthy brain and delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. New research published in The Journal of Physiology shows that a short but intense bout of cycling increases the production of a specialized protein that is essential for brain formation, learning and memory, and could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline. The specialized protein named brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways) and the survival of neurons. Animal studies have shown that...

Clinical studies testing the safety and efficacy of 40Hz sensory stimulation to treat Alzheimer's disease have found the therapy was well tolerated, produced no serious adverse effects and was associated with some significant neurological and behavioral benefits. Tsai's lab discovered exposing mice to light flickering or sound clicking at the gamma-band brain rhythm frequency of 40Hz produced improvements in learning and memory; reduced brain atrophy, neuron and synapse loss; and showed lower levels of hallmark Alzheimer's proteins amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau. In the Phase 1 study, volunteers filled out a questionnaire. Meanwhile, measurements taken with EEG scalp electrodes clustered...

Researchers have demonstrated that a bacteria can travel through the olfactory nerve in the nose and into the brain in mice, where it creates markers that are a tell-tale sign of Alzheimer's disease. The study showed that Chlamydia pneumoniae used the nerve extending between the nasal cavity and the brain as an invasion path to invade the central nervous system. The cells in the brain then responded by depositing amyloid beta protein which is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The olfactory nerve in the nose is directly exposed to air and offers a short pathway to the brain, one which...

Prior to Steven Owens taking his retirement in 2018 he was an engineer. The 59-year-old who once built satellites for launch into outer space also played the guitar and saxophone. That was before his diagnosis. On Valentine’s Day 2017, Owens was told that he had early onset Alzheimer’s disease. On Valentine’s Day five years before, his mother passed away from the same disease. Dementia is one of the most common ailments associated with aging. Now, studies are showing a link between experiences of racism and poor memory, cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s disease is what most often comes to mind when anyone...

Researchers have found that oral administration of rapamycin to an Alzheimer's disease mouse model causes an increase in beta (β)-amyloid protein plaques. β-amyloid buildup is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Rapamycin is approved to treat transplant and cancer patients. Publicly available data suggest that the drug might also improve learning and memory in aged mice. However, the researchers observed that after rapamycin treatment, a protein called Trem2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) is dramatically diminished. Trem2 is present in microglia, which are immune cells in the brain and spinal cord. "Trem2 is a receptor located on the surface...

New research into how a common parasite infection alters human behavior could help development of treatments for schizophrenia and other neurological disorders. Scientists say behavior changes in those infected with T. gondii, which currently infects 2.5 billion people worldwide and causes the disease Toxoplasmosis, could be linked to lowered amounts of norepinephrine, a chemical released in the brain as part of the stress response. Norephinephrine also controls neuroinflammation, the activation of the brain's immune system against infection. Norepinephrine and neuroinflammation are associated with neuropsychological disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and ADHD. T. gondii can only sexually reproduce in cats....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should use its legal authority to cut back a hefty premium increase soon hitting millions of enrollees, as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers call for action amid worries over rising inflation. Last month, Medicare announced one of the largest increases ever in its “Part B” monthly premium for outpatient care, nearly $22, from $148.50 currently to $170.10 starting in January. The agency attributed roughly half the hike, about $11 a month, to the need for a contingency fund to cover Aduhelm, a new...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved what it described as a “first-of-its-kind” treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, which it says “targets the fundamental pathophysiology of the disease.” The approved drug, aducanumab, is what the Washington Post described as the “first drug cleared that is designed to alter the course of the disease by slowing the deterioration of brain function — not just to ease symptoms.”

Joe Biden will address the nation’s largest Muslim American PAC on Monday, as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee continues to reach out to groups he didn’t court during the primary. Emgage Action, the political arm of a 14-year-old Muslim outreach organization, will host Biden at its Million Muslim Votes Summit, held online. The conference comes 11 months after just two then-Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former HUD secretary Julián Castro, attended the Islamic Society of North America’s convention. Emgage had criticized the two dozen Democrats, like Biden, who found somewhere else to be. “Muslim American communities are...