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☆ Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months. “I don’t use the term ‘reverse.’ I don’t know what reverse means when it comes to the field of Alzheimer’s,” Isaacson said. ‘It was time to turn to my brain’Slowly, Nicholls’ heart condition began to improve, but the bad news didn’t end there. A brain scan found telltale signs of vascular damage in Nicholls’ brain, which occurs when the tiniest blood vessels are starved of oxygen. Not only was Nicholls blood negative for amyloid and tau, the test suggested that his brain amyloid might be normal, with no distinguishable signs of the disease.

Persons: Sanjay Gupta, Anderson Cooper ”, Richard Isaacson, Simon Nicholls, “, ”, Isaacson, “ Simon, ” Isaacson, Nicholls, ” Nicholls, Anderson Cooper, It’s, APOE4, Simon, ” Simon Nicholls, Sylver, Lewy, Richard Isaacson ‘, APOE ε4, “ I’ve, Isaacson doesn’t, “ I’m, Shocked, Dr, we’d, “ It’s, Salvadore, Richard Isaacson “, ‘ It’s, I’m Organizations: CNN, telltale, ” CNN, Boca Raton Locations: Boca Raton , Florida, New York City, Florida, Nature, Miami, Isaacson’s Florida, tirzepatide

☆ Genes known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s may actually be an inherited form of the disorder, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Among people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, researchers recognize familial forms of the disease and sporadic cases. This shifting appreciation of inherited risk, researchers say, is due to a better understanding of the role of a fourth gene that carries the blueprints to make a lipid-carrying protein called apolipoprotein E, known as APOE. One known as APOE2 is thought to be protective against the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They also compared people with two copies of APOE4 to people with other inherited forms of the disease — early-onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD) and Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease (DSAD). Gene testing isn’t currently recommendedIt is also likely to change how people who carry the APOE4 gene are diagnosed and treated.

Persons: APOE4, ”, Dr, Juan Fortea, Sant, Fortea, Charles Bernick, Bernick, Alzheimer’s wasn’t, isn’t, they’re, ” Fortea, Sanjay Gupta, Reisa Sperling, “, ” Sperling, ” Dr, Sterling Johnson, Johnson Organizations: CNN, Nature, National Alzheimer’s Coordinating, Neurology, Hospital de, Cleveland Clinic Lou, Brain Health, CNN Health, Alzheimer’s Research, Brigham, Women’s, Alzheimer’s, University of Wisconsin Locations: Alzheimer’s, Spain, United States, Santa, Barcelona, Wisconsin

☆ How to fight dementia, according to neurologists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

What about diabetes, cancer, thyroid disease, high blood pressure or heart disease? Some of the questions might seem unexpected to those who don’t write about brain health. However, my risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common type after Alzheimer’s disease, is elevated. "Such spikes cause brain inflammation, disrupt brain metabolism and increase shrinkage of the thinking part of the brain," Isaacson said. The National Institute on Aging currently supports nearly 500 active clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Persons: Louise Dittner, Krysta, Ryan LaMotte, It’s, ”, Natalia Rost, “, Rost, ” Rost, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, mockingbird …, birthed, it’s, I’ve, Isaacson, Sandee LaMotte Organizations: CNN, Comprehensive, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, American Academy of Neurology, Boca Raton, Weill Cornell Medicine, Presbyterian, Mayo Clinic, Volunteers, Alzheimer’s, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, neonatologists, Florida, United, New York, New York City, Nature

☆ Sweet spot for HRT may reduce dementia risk by nearly a third, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Just how harmful or helpful hormone replacement therapy may be also depends on the type of hormones that are prescribed, especially at older ages. Estrogen-only hormone therapy can be prescribed if the uterus has been removed via hysterectomy. Scientists are developing a new generation of hormone replacement called selective estrogen receptor modulator, or SERM. Scientists are working on new forms of hormone replacement therapy that go directly to the brain, thus making them safer for menopausal women. In addition, some women are not candidates for hormone replacement therapy, perhaps due to family history, heart conditions or clotting disorders.

Persons: hasn’t, “, ”, Lisa Mosconi, Mosconi, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, gynecologists, midlife, ” Mosconi Organizations: CNN, Weill Cornell Medicine, “ Locations: New York City, midlife, Florida

☆ Insight: Promising new Alzheimer's drugs may benefit whites more than Blacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The company told Reuters that 49% of Black volunteers did not meet the trial's amyloid threshold requirements compared to 22% for whites and 55% for Hispanics. "Is it because MCI (mild cognitive impairment) or early dementia type-symptoms in Blacks are caused by other reasons more so than Alzheimer's?" In 96 dementia trials from 2000-2017, diverse populations only made up around 11% of enrollment, according to a 2018 study. Among Black people who died of Alzheimer's, their dementia was more likely to result from multiple causes, such as vascular disease. "Is it that it's not Alzheimer's disease?

Persons: Barrington, Vickie Riley, Charlie, Harriet Shaffer, Barrington Riley, –, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Crystal Glover, Eisai, Ivan Cheung, Cheung, Shobha, Biogen, Mark Mintun, Alzheimer's, Dr Lisa Barnes, Barnes, Joshua Grill, we're, Reisa Sperling, Brigham, Julie Steenhuysen, Caroline Humer, Suzanne Goldenberg, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Emory University Brain Health, Americans, Reuters, Prospective Black, Rush, Disease Research, and Drug Administration, FDA, Black, MCI, National Institutes of Health, Rush Center, University of California, Women's Hospital, Thomson Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Chicago, Tokyo, Irvine, United States

☆ Sales of Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi may be slow initially but could pick up in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sales of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi may be slow initially due to logistical requirements but could pick up in 2024, analysts said after the groundbreaking treatment won approval in the U.S.Wall Street is chewing over the Food and Drug Administration's Thursday approval of Leqembi – a milestone in the treatment of the disease, even though the drug isn't a cure. Leqembi, from drugmakers Eisai and Biogen , is the first medicine proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in people at the early stages of the memory-robbing disease. Yee added that the firm's channel checks suggest doctors see the registry requirement "as a potential real-world challenge – at least in the initial phase." That includes navigating Medicare's registry requirement and coordinating PET scans and MRIs to screen for dangerous side effects of the drug. But Goodman, like other analysts, also noted that "we continue to expect a slow ramp in 2023 and acceleration moving into 2024."

Persons: Jay Reinstein, drugmakers, Yatin Suneja, Jefferies, Michael Yee, Yee, Paul Matteis, Marc Goodman, Goodman Organizations: Georgetown University Hospital, Wall, Food, Leqembi, FDA, National Institute, Aging, ARIA, SVB Securities Locations: Washington , DC, U.S

Trial data showed that the treatment slows progression of the brain-wasting disease by 27% for patients in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. The FDA placed its strongest "boxed" safety warning on Leqembi's label, flagging the risk of potentially dangerous brain swelling for Alzheimer's drugs in the same class. Leqembi is an antibody designed to remove sticky deposits of a protein called amyloid beta from the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Biogen and Eisai stock has risen since FDA granted accelerated approval to Alzheimer's drug Leqembi earlier this yearLeqembi's new label explains the need to monitor patients for potentially dangerous brain swelling and bleeding associated with amyloid-lowering antibodies. The first FDA-approved disease-modifying Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, was also developed by partners Eisai and Biogen, but Medicare coverage restrictions have severely limited its use.

Persons: Leqembi, drugmakers, Ivan Cheung, Chiquita Brooks, LaSure, Babak Tousi, Tousi, Biogen, Dr, Erik Musiek, Eli Lilly, Co's, Cheung, Joanne Pike, Eisai, Leqembi's, Deena Beasley, Julie Steenhuysen, Bill Berkrot, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Cleveland Clinic, Washington University, Barnes, Jewish, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Association, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, Los Angeles, Chicago

All six advisers on the panel voted in favor of Leqembi for treatment of the mind-wasting illness. That approval would also make Leqembi the first disease-modifying drug ever to achieve the regulatory milestone. Leqembi won accelerated approval by the FDA in January based on its ability to remove sticky amyloid plaques from the brain. Most U.S. Alzheimer's patients are Medicare-eligible. “We are in full agreement with the FDA Advisory Committee that Leqembi provides clinical benefit and that this benefit outweighs the risks."

Persons: Eisai, Leqembi, Tanya Simuni, Robert Alexander, Joanne Pike, Leroy Leo, Khushi, Julie Steenhuysen, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Alzheimer's Association, FDA, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, CAA, Medicare, Wall Street, Analysts, Alzheimer's, Thomson Locations: Leqembi, U.S, Bengaluru, Chicago

☆ Factbox: What is APOE4 and how does it relate to Alzheimer's disease?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Three decades ago, scientists discovered that the gene also plays a role in Alzheimer's risk, though exactly how is still not clear. APOE3 is the most common, and does not raise Alzheimer's risk. APOE4 increases Alzheimer's risk and is linked with an earlier onset of the disease. Some 25% of people have one copy of APOE4 and 2-5% have two copies. Children of a parent with two copies of the APOE4 variant are presumed to have at least one copy, increasing their own risk.

☆ 'It totally backfired': The pitfalls of Alzheimer's genetic testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

CHICAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Wendy Nelson watched her mother slowly die of Alzheimer's disease, unable to move or swallow at the end. When her father's memory began to fail a year later, one of her two sisters doubted it could be Alzheimer's, Nelson said. THE TESTING REVOLUTIONUntil recently, most doctors tended not to order genetic tests to determine Alzheimer's risk, because there were no effective treatments to slow or prevent the disease. US regulators recommend genetic testing before starting treatment with Leqembi. Some members of families with increased genetic risk of Alzheimer's say it might be better not to know at all.

☆ Here's where to look for the next developments in the fight against Alzheimer's disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 5.8 million Americans were living with the disease in 2020 . BIIB 6M mountain Biogen's stock is trading well above its lows Leqembi treats Alzheimer's disease by targeting amyloid-beta plaques in the brain. Attention shifts to Eli Lilly Shares of other Alzheimer's drug developers have often mirrored Biogen's moves. Small drug developers Smaller Alzheimer's drug developers have also been boosted by research developments. Still in an early stage of its research, Prothena has traded as a proxy for developments in Alzheimer's treatment.

They have found that in Puerto Rico, people have a higher propensity for Alzheimer's and part of the reason could be a genetic variant they have uncovered. While, in the U.S., 10.7% of the population age 65 and older has Alzheimer's, in Puerto Rico the number is 12.5%. In the U.S., it's the fifth-leading cause of death in those over 65 but in Puerto Rico, it ranks fourth in the same age group. It was more than three decades ago when Alzheimer’s genetic research pioneer Margaret Pericak-Vance was at Duke University that she began trying to involve more diverse populations in research. A variant only found among Hispanic CaribbeansDr. Katrina Celis, Director of Research Support Larry Adams, and Dr. Parker Bussies prepare to see Alzheimer’s patients and their families in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Alzheimers Disease Initiative, known as PRADI.

☆ Eisai, Biogen Alzheimer's drug slows cognitive decline, safety for some becomes focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The drug, lecanemab, was associated with a type of brain swelling in 12.6% of trial patients, a side effect previously seen with similar drugs. He suggested that could be because homozygous study patients who were given a placebo fared better than expected. Overall, lecanemab patients benefited by 23% to 26% compared with a placebo on these secondary trial goals. Detailed data from the study were presented at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease meeting in San Francisco and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Howard Fillit, chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, said doctors always balance the benefits and risks of therapies.

☆ Experimental drug appears to slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trial but raises safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It involved 1,795 adults, ages 50 to 90, with mild cognitive impairment due to early Alzheimer’s disease or mild Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Such a score is consistent with early Alzheimer’s disease, with a higher number associated with more cognitive impairment. By 18 months, the CDR-SB score went up 1.21 points in the lecanemab group, compared with 1.66 in the placebo group. Overall, there were serious adverse events in 14% of the lecanemab group and 11.3% of the placebo group. The researchers also wrote that about 0.7% of participants in the lecanemab group and 0.8% of those in the placebo group died, corresponding to six deaths documented in the lecanemab group and seven in the placebo group.

☆ Chris Hemsworth receives ‘strong indication’ of a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease while filming new show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Chris Hemsworth embarked on a personal and physically demanding journey for his new series “Limitless” that ultimately led to a sobering discovery. Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death in the hope that we’ll somehow avoid it,” he told Vanity Fair. “I think that’s my favorite episode. “Doing an episode on death and facing your own mortality made me go, ‘Oh God, I’m not ready to go yet,’” he later added. “I want to sit and be in this space with a greater sense of stillness and gratitude.

☆ Cercetătorii au descoperit o genă care reprezintă un factor major de risc în cazul Alzheimerului
▼ + stars: | 2020-05-10 | by ( ) tvrmoldova.md time to read: +2 min

Această variantă genetică poate fi folosită pentru a prezice degradarea funcţiilor mentale, independent de depunerile de proteine. Astfel, APOE4 joacă un rol important în cazul traumelor suferite de către bariera sânge creier, responsabilă de protejarea ţesuturilor cerebrale de toxine. Acesta mai adaugă: Deteriorarea severă a celulelor vasculare numite pericite a fost legată de probleme cognitive mai severe în cazul persoanelor care prezentau APOE4. Cercetătorii explică faptul că APOE4 reprezintă una dintre variantele genei responsabile pentru codificarea proteinelor care transportă colesterolul prin creier. Dintre acestea, după cum explică cercetătorii, o parte dintre participanţii erau sănătoşi, în timp ce cealaltă parte prezenta deja forme uşoare de degradare a funcţiilor cognitive.

Persons: Alzheimer, Makoto Organizations: Science Alert Locations: APOE4, California de Sud, Statele Unite ale Americii, neuroştiinţe

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