New Research on Treating Alzheimer's and dementia

A research study by scientists in Australia and the US provides an explanation for why clinical trials of drugs reducing proteins in the brain that were thought to cause dementia and Alzheimer ’s have failed.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomThe study has opened the way for potential new treatments with existing drugs.What is the Difference Between Alzheimer ’s and DementiaSubscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading - This is a Free Service - Join NowThe researchers assembled evidence from a wide range of human studies and animal models ofdementia-related diseases to show that inflammation is a major cause of dementia, not just a consequence.They show thatmany genes linked with dementia regulate our susceptibility and response to inflammatory damage.“For decades, scientists have thought that dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are caused by protein aggregates forming in the brain. But recent clinical trials of drugs that reduce the aggregates have failed.  ~ says project leader Professor Robert Richards, from the University of Adelaide ’s School of Biological SciencesInflammation has long been known to increase as dementia-related diseases progress, but only now is it identified as the cause. Previously it was thought to act simply to clean up tissue damage caused by the protein aggregates.“We know that inflammation has different phases – early on it can be protective against a threat by actively degrading it,but if the threat is not removed, then persistent inflammatio...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: Alzheimers Dementia alzheimers information alzheimers podcasts alzheimers research new research Source Type: blogs