Researchers identify promising Alzheimer’s disease drug target

Indiana University School of Medicine scientists have identified a promising drug target for Alzheimer’s disease. The team found that removing an enzyme from neurons in the brain substantially reduces amyloid plaques—a hallmark characteristic of the disease—and may provide further resilience against disease progression.

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First intervention shown to Lower Alzheimer’s and Dementia Incidence

In a world’s first, an NIH-funded randomized controlled trial of more than 2,800 older adults (the “ACTIVE Study”) has reported a modest amount of cognitive training significantly reduced Alzheimer Disease and related dementias diagnoses, as reported in Medicare data over a 20-year follow-up period. The results are published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions,

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Medicare caregiver support program yields better outcomes than Alzheimer’s medication alone, study finds

Patients with dementia who participated in a Medicare-funded collaborative care program that provided support and medical advice for caregivers were able to remain in their home communities longer before entering nursing homes, according to a new study. This compares to those patients who were taking lecanemab, one of two approved drugs that have been shown to slow progression of Alzheimer’s in some patients, a February study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging found. 

Scientists Uncover a Hidden Early Stage of Alzheimer’s That They Can Stop

Scientists at Tokyo Metropolitan University have turned to polymer physics to better understand one of the defining features of Alzheimer’s disease: the formation of tau protein fibrils. Their research shows that these fibrils do not form directly. Instead, tau proteins first gather into large clusters, similar to how polymers begin to crystallize. When researchers disrupted these early clusters, fibrils failed to develop in solution.

This finding points to a major shift in how future treatments for neurodegenerative diseases might be designed.

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Scientists Discover Brain-Penetrating Compounds That May Calm Alzheimer’s-Linked Inflammation

Researchers have created a targeted compound that blocks an enzyme linked to inflammation in individuals with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease, while still maintaining normal brain activity and successfully passing through the blood-brain barrier.

Scientists at the University of Southern California report that they have found new druglike compounds that could calm a major source of brain inflammation tied to Alzheimer’s disease. The study was just published in the Nature journal npj Drug Discovery.

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