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. *** The President was in India for the G20 summit and held a presser in Hanoi, Vietnam during which the pre-selected reporters he called on all had at least one thing in common. Toward the end he was asked about U.S.-China relations by VOA correspondent Anita Powell, and specifically that he hasn’t spoken with Xi in 10 months. *** “And look, nobody likes having celebrated international meetings, if you don’t know what you want at the meeting. If you don’t have a game plan. He may have a game plan. He just hasn’t shared it with me,” said Biden...

A team of researchers has found that a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) is potentially effective as a therapy for Alzheimer's disease. The team studied ponesimod, an oral medication that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat relapsing forms of MS. The medication reduces inflammation in the brain by targeting a specific receptor in the immune system to help regulate the body's response and prevent it from attacking the central nervous system. This receptor is activated by a lipid termed sphingosine-1-phosphate. Said Bieberich. "Since this drug is already in clinical use for therapy of...

Older adults who play digital puzzle games have the same memory abilities as people in their 20s, a study has shown. The study also found that adults aged 60 and over who play digital puzzle games had a greater ability to ignore irrelevant distractions, but older adults who played strategy games did not show the same improvements in memory or concentration. It is known that as humans age, their mental abilities tend to decrease, particularly the ability to remember a number of things at a single time—known as working memory. "It instead seems to be the strategy elements of the...

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is disruption to the body's circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock. Nearly 80% of people with Alzheimer's experience these issues, including difficulty sleeping and worsening cognitive function at night. However, there are no existing treatments for Alzheimer's that target this aspect of the disease. A study has shown in mice that it is possible to correct the circadian disruptions seen in Alzheimer's disease with time-restricted feeding, a type of intermittent fasting focused on limiting the daily eating window without limiting the amount of food consumed. In the study, mice fed on a time-restricted...

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...

Dr. Heather Sandison has recently published a groundbreaking study highlighting significant improvements in cognitive function among individuals with cognitive decline. The study is the second to employ a multimodal, individualized care plan and offers further hope for managing and potentially reversing cognitive impairment. The study focused on individuals with objective cognitive impairment (OCI), a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Sandison and her team recruited 34 participants from the San Diego, CA area to receive a comprehensive intervention based on potential contributors to cognitive decline, such as lifestyle changes, nutraceutical support, and medications. Over the course of six months, the participants...

Whether enjoyed on its own or mixed into a latte, Americano or even a martini, espresso provides an ultra-concentrated jolt of caffeine to coffee lovers. But it might do more than just wake you up. Research shows that, in preliminary in vitro laboratory tests, espresso compounds can inhibit tau protein aggregation—a process that is believed to be involved in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Recent research has suggested that coffee could also have beneficial effects against certain neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Although the exact mechanisms that cause these conditions are still unclear, it's thought that a protein called tau...

Ramaswamy's Bermuda-based company, Axovant Sciences, had been formed only eight months earlier, but here it was raising $360 million to develop an Alzheimer's drug that had been all but abandoned by giant pharma GlaxoSmithKline. On the first day of trading the stock almost doubled, giving Axovant a market capitalization of nearly $3 billion. Considering that Ramaswamy had persuaded Glaxo to part with the unproven remedy for a mere $5 million up front, the newlyweds were ecstatic, as was a veritable wedding party of hedge fund pals who had followed Ramaswamy into the stock. Yet as quickly as it started, the...

RUSH researchers recently discovered that a muscle-building supplement called beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, also called HMB, may help protect memory, reduce plaques and ultimately help prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. HMB is not a prescription drug or a steroid, but an over-the-counter supplement that is available in sports and fitness stores. Bodybuilders regularly use HMB to increase exercise-induced gains in muscle size and strength while improving exercise performance. HMB is considered safe even after long-term use, with no known side effects. "This may be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to halt disease progression and protect memory in Alzheimer's...

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced Wednesday that he would resign from his post after an independent investigation found “serious flaws” in some of the research he oversaw decades earlier. The panel of experts, which formed in January to look into allegations of research misconduct, found that Tessier-Lavigne did not personally engage in any fraud or manipulation of research data, nor did he have any knowledge of the malpractice going on in the lab. Still, the report found that on various occasions, when concerns about his papers emerged, Tessier-Lavigne “failed to decisively and forthrightly correct mistakes in the scientific record.”...

What are the first signs of young-onset Alzheimer’s disease? It isn't memory loss and mistaking the symptoms can put people off seeking medical help, says a University of Reading neuroscientist. Alzheimer’s disease is often thought of as a condition that only affects the elderly. But around 3.9 million people worldwide aged 30 to 64 live with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease - a form of dementia in which symptoms appear before the age of 65. English journalist and broadcaster Fiona Phillips, 62, recently revealed that she’d been diagnosed with it. In the interview, Phillips shared that the main symptoms she had experienced...

Regular physical exercise, such as resistance training, can prevent Alzheimer's disease, or at least delay the appearance of symptoms, and serves as a simple and affordable therapy for Alzheimer's patients. This is the conclusion of an article. During the study, the mice were trained to climb a 110 cm ladder with a slope of 80° and 2 cm between rungs. Loads corresponding to 75%, 90% and 100% of their body weight were attached to their tails. The experiment mimicked certain kinds of resistance training undertaken by humans in fitness centers. At the end of a four-week period of training, blood...

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday fully approved the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, amid concerns about its safety, cost and accessibility. The move marks the first time that a drug meant to slow the progression of the disease has been granted full regulatory approval. Other approved drugs only target its symptoms. "I don't think we can understate the significance of this moment," said Donna Wilcock, the assistant dean of biomedicine at the University of Kentucky. About 6.7 million adults ages 65 and older in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Leqembi, from Japanese drugmaker Eisai...

Use of menopausal hormone therapy is associated with an increased rate of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, suggests a large study. An increase was seen in long term users of menopausal hormone therapy, but also in short term users around the age of menopause (55 years or younger) as is currently recommended. Menopausal hormone therapy (widely known as HRT) is used to relieve common menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. Treatments include tablets containing estrogen only, or a combination of estrogen and progestogen, as well as skin patches, gels and creams. The effect of short term use of...

Jack Hanna, the zookeeper who became famous as the director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, is currently battling Alzheimer's disease, and it's getting progressively worse. The 76-year-old was first diagnosed in fall 2019 with early Alzheimer's, and now it's gotten to the point where he doesn't even know his own family. "The Jack people knew isn't here anymore, but pieces of my husband are," Suzi, who has been married to Hanna since 1968, said in a new interview. "And I'm going to hang onto them for as long as I can." “He just stopped remembering who I was in...

Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction medication Viagra can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 69%. Credit: Audrey Disse, CC BY-SA 3.0 Research published recently suggests that Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug Viagra can decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 69 percent. The research, which was published in Nature, found that the medication has a direct effect on brain health and significantly reduces the toxic proteins that can cause dementia. The study’s findings are so promising that the drug may someday be used to counter dementia. A new team of experts is preparing to conduct another...

About two-thirds of the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to arise from genetic influences, but about a third could be influenced by environment and lifestyle, opening the door for behavioral interventions that could delay or prevent pathophysiological changes that occur with AD. Now a new study in a mouse model of AD examines the effects of environmental enrichment on AD symptom progression and pathology. Dr. Kempermann commented, "AD does not start when the symptoms become obvious. There is a decades-long silent period, during which the pathology progresses undetected." Dr. Kempermann said, "However, we discovered that there are already...

A recent phase three study conducted by Eli Lilly examined the safety and efficacy of the study drug donanemab in participants with early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced in a press release on May 3, 2023, that a clinical trial of the experimental Alzheimer's drug, donanemab, showed it could significantly slow the progress of cognitive decline, allowing patients increased independence. The drugmaker's announcement revealed that the drug succeeded in halting early AD progression in nearly half of the participants, slowing cognitive decline rates by 35% compared to control participants. Donanemab is an antibody that targets protein...

A deep slumber might help buffer against memory loss for older adults facing a heightened burden of Alzheimer's disease, research suggests. Deep sleep, also known as non-REM slow-wave sleep, can act as a "cognitive reserve factor" that may increase resilience against a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid that is linked to memory loss caused by dementia. The new research reveals that superior amounts of deep, slow-wave sleep can act as a protective factor against memory decline in those with existing high amounts of Alzheimer's disease pathology—a potentially significant advance. The researchers recruited 62 older adults from the Berkeley Aging...

From the original video release: 1,759,896 views Jun 14, 2012 "A Better Place" is the second video from Glen Campbell's critically acclaimed album "Ghost On The Canvas." The video features a special guest appearance from Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Them Crooked Vultures), and is directed by Kii Arens and Jason Trucco. The legendary singer, guitarist, and television star, Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year. Following more than 20 Top 40 hits and selling 50 million records worldwide, Campbell this year received a Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award (his 8th GRAMMY to date). He is...