The Latest On Alzheimers Research

"Alzheimer's is going to be a huge burden on our society," warns NY neurologist Gunnar Gouras. "It is now, and it will be greater unless we have more effective medications.'' A plethora of 2008 studies indicated that Alzheimers research must be at the forefront of our medical agenda or we will be facing an epidemic by 2025, as the aging baby boomer generation reaches 65+, when this degenerative disease will kick into overdrive. To be blunt, it's predicted that 1 in 8 baby boomers (10 million) will come down with Alzheimers symptoms. Medicare spending is expected to jump from $21 - $38 billion over the next decade. "I think that in baby boomers, there's a lot of denial,'' says Karen Holland of the Alzheimers Association's NY chapter. "It's the same problem with people not wanting to do wills because you don't want to think about that.''

Some of the newest Alzheimers research has focused on brain cell connectors. A new study done by Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine found a connection between signs of Alzheimers and a brain protein called kalirin-7. "We already knew that kalirin controlled the synapses," lab researcher Peter Penzes explains. "But now we understand how it works and that it could be responsible for memory storage. Kalirin acts like a volume dial, making the synapses stronger. This suggests that a drug that would stimulate kalirin could improve memory or delay the progression of memory loss." The next step in this Alzheimers brain research is, of course, human clinical trials.

Alzheimers research coming out of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine indicates that impaired immune cells and inflammation in the hippocampus realm, as well as twisted tangles of tau protein, cause the majority of Alzheimers symptoms. "Abolishing the inflammation caused by the accumulation of the tau protein might be a new therapy for treating neurodegenerative disorders," reports senior author Virginia Lee PHD. "This work points the way to a new class of drugs for these diseases." Their study found that after administering an anti-inflammatory, 60% of their Alzheimers mice survived, contrasted by the usual 20%.

Alzheimers research suggests that two-thirds of people serving as an Alzheimers caregiver suffer from depression. It can be extremely difficult to process a loved one's personality changes, diminished capacity to communicate and slow deterioration. Many caregivers feel lonely, isolated and suffer from a combination of anticipatory grief (the fear of losing someone before they've died) and ambiguous loss (the discordant feeling of caring for someone who is physically alive but socially lacking). Attending an Alzheimers support group can help caregivers maintain a positive attitude, while research groups continue to search for better treatment options.

Just enter your name and email to get your FREE Alzheimer gift immediately ! Name:                  Email Address: Your name and email address will not be sold, shared or disclosed to anyone. We promise to respect your privacy.