Category Archives: Research

Could Existing Drugs like Viagra Treat Alzheimer’s Disease?

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At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists raced to find treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When they screened thousands of existing drugs to see if they interfered with the virus, an Ebola drug called remdesivir emerged as one of several antivirals worth further testing. 

Clinical trials quickly followed, finding that remdesivir provided modest recovery benefits for high-risk and hospitalized patients, culminating in approval by the end of 2020. 

Neuroscientists are borrowing from the same playbook to accelerate the development of new Alzheimer’s treatments. Developing drugs from scratch often takes more than a decade and can cost billions. And in recent years, that’s only yielded two disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s: Leqembi and Kisunla,. 

With many experimental dementia drugs failing late in clinical trials, repurposing existing medications approved for other diseases provides another path toward finding new treatments. Because such drugs are already approved for other diseases, they have a well-established safety profile and can move straight to human trials. 

In recent years, this strategy has yielded a diverse array of promising hits, from Viagra to rheumatoid arthritis drugs. 

Read more HREAt the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists raced to find treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When they screened thousands of existing drugs to see if they interfered with the virus, an Ebola drug called remdesivir emerged as one of several antivirals worth further testing. 

Clinical trials quickly followed, finding that remdesivir provided modest recovery benefits for high-risk and hospitalized patients, culminating in approval by the end of 2020. 

Neuroscientists are borrowing from the same playbook to accelerate the development of new Alzheimer’s treatments. Developing drugs from scratch often takes more than a decade and can cost billions. And in recent years, that’s only yielded two disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s: Leqembi and Kisunla,. 

With many experimental dementia drugs failing late in clinical trials, repurposing existing medications approved for other diseases provides another path toward finding new treatments. Because such drugs are already approved for other diseases, they have a well-established safety profile and can move straight to human trials. 

In recent years, this strategy has yielded a diverse array of promising hits, from Viagra to rheumatoid arthritis drugs. 

Read more HERE

Lithium levels tied to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

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Alzheimer; News from the web:

Levels of lithium were significantly reduced in the prefrontal cortex of people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

In a mouse model of AD, a low-dose lithium salt in the diet reversed memory loss and prevented cognitive decline in aging mice.

While more study is needed, lithium replacement could be a potential approach to prevent and treat AD.

Read all about it HERE

Exercise targets specific brain cells to protect against Alzheimer’s

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Alzheimer; News from the web:

Using advanced single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and a widely used preclinical model for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers from Mass General Brigham and collaborators at SUNY Upstate Medical University have identified specific brain cell types that responded most to exercise. These findings, which were validated in samples from people, shed light on the connection between exercise and brain health and point to future drug targets. Results are published in Nature Neuroscience. 

Read all about it HERE

Depression and Bipolar Disorder May Be Early Signs of Alzheimer’s

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Alzheimer; News from the web:

Family members remember some of the early signs of Alzheimer’s in their loved ones quite well. This type of dementia often begins with struggles in communication, lapses in memory, and confusion around everyday problem-solving.

But scientists are now uncovering evidence of another early signal — mood disorders, like depression and bipolar disorder, that begin later in life. While a link between these conditions and Alzheimer’s has long been suspected, what’s been missing is a clear understanding of how the two connect in the brain.

That’s starting to change. A research team from Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) recently found significant amounts of tau protein — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s — in the brains of people with late-life mood disorders (LLMDs). Their study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests that these psychiatric symptoms might serve as a warning sign for neurodegenerative disease.

Read all about it HERE

Compound Produced by Gut Bacteria May Slow Alzheimer’s Progression

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Alzheimer; News from the web:

A compound found in the gut may reduce some of the manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

While mounting evidence has pointed to a connection between the gut microbiome and the degenerative effects of Alzheimer’s disease, the mechanisms are not well understood, said Robert Vassar, PhD, the Davee Professor of Alzheimer Research and professor of Neurology and director of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, who was senior author of the study.

Read all about it HERE

FDA Approves First Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease

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Alzheimer; News from the web:

Now doctors have a new tool: an Alzheimer’s blood test. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first test that uses a blood sample to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The disease, which causes a decline in memory and thinking skills, affects nearly 7 million Americans—and is projected to become more prevalent.

Read all about it HERE