Information on Alzheimer’s Disease from the National Library of Medicine
Alzheimer's disease (AD), one form of dementia, is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Read an overview of Alzheimer's disease, presented by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
Information on Alzheimer's Disease from Johns Hopkins Disease Research Center
Alzheimer's disease is a disorder occurring in mid and late life in which the patient's memory, thinking and behavior are impaired because specific brain cells degenerate. With the passage of time, Alzheimer's disease gets steadily worse. At the present time, there is no cure. The Alzheimer's disease Association estimates that 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease and 100,000 die of the disease each year. More at Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
Information on Alzheimer's Disease from The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation
This section covers the primary areas of Alzheimer's research, the importance of continued efforts in research and what science is learning about environmental and risk factors. More at The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.
Information on Dementia from Consumer Reports
What is it? What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed? How common is it? What will happen? Questions to ask. Key points. More at ConsumerReports.org.
Alzheimer's Fact Sheets and Reports
The Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center Web site will help you find current Alzheimer's disease (AD) information and resources from the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
Forgetfulness: Knowing When to Ask for Help
Many people worry about becoming forgetful. They think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Over the past few years, scientists have learned a lot about memory and why some kinds of memory problems are serious but others are not. See more from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health.
Pittsburgh Compound B Identifies Alzheimer’s-Associated Plaques in Symptom-Free Older Adults
In the largest study of its kind, Pittsburgh Compound B, an imaging agent that could facilitate the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, has been used to identify amyloid deposition in the brains of clinically older adults. See the UPMC press release.
Obesity: Bad for the Brain
Elderly people who are overweight or obese tend to have less tissue in certain areas of the brain, suggesting they might be at greater risk for dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other cognition-impairing conditions… See the UPMC press release.
Video: Alzheimer's Disease Animation
This video animation shows how an abnormal tau protein in Alzheimer's patients can cause the microtubule structures to collapse. Presented by OurAlzheimer's.com.
Podcast: Tips for slowing the mental decline of Alzheimer's.
Things to do that may slow the mental decline that accompanies Alzheimer's disease. Listen to the interview with Glenn Smith, Ph.D., presented by the Mayo Clinic.
Podcast: Caregiving tips for Alzheimer's disease.
Things that you can do to be a more effective caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's disease. Listen to the interview with Glenn Smith, Ph.D., presented by the Mayo Clinic.
Podcast: Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's disease
The use of cholinesterase inhibitors in people with Alzheimer's disease has long been a focus of interest and concern. In this podcast, Jacqueline Birks, a researcher from Oxford, England, reports the results of an updated systematic review studying the benefits and harms of one of these agents, rivastigmine, including a novel mode of percutaneous administration...provided by the Cochrane Collaboration.
Uncertainties about the Effects of Treatments for dementia as reported by the NHS Evidence UK Database
Reliable up-to-date systematic reviews have revealed important continuing uncertainties about treatment effects of Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine for the treatment of psychotic symptoms in dementia over six months, Cognitive stimulation and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer’s disease over six months, and Non-pharmacological interventions that allow safe wandering for people with dementia.
Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
Patients with dementia display a broad range of cognitive impairments and neuropsychiatric symptoms that can cause significant distress to themselves and caregivers. As a result, individualized and multimodal treatment plans are required. See National Guideline Clearinghouse major recommendations.
Abstract: Core candidate neurochemical and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease
In the earliest clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) when symptoms are mild, clinical diagnosis can be difficult. AD pathology most likely precedes symptoms. Biomarkers can serve as early diagnostic indicators or as markers of preclinical pathologic change. See Abstract at pub med.
Abstract: Cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease
Since the introduction of the first cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) in 1997, most clinicians and probably most patients would consider the cholinergic drugs, donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine, to be the first line pharmacotherapy for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. See Abstract at pub med.
Abstract: Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the commonest cause of dementia affecting older people. One of the therapeutic strategies aimed at ameliorating the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer's disease is to enhance cholinergic neurotransmission in relevant parts of the brain by the use of cholinesterase inhibitors to delay the breakdown of acetylcholine released into synaptic clefts. See Abstract at PubMed.
Abstract: Memantine treatment in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease already receiving a cholinesterase inhibitor: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of memantine in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) receiving cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) treatment. See Abstract at PubMed.
Abstract: Donepezil for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to assess whether donepezil improves the well-being of patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. See Abstract at PubMed.
Abstract: Galantamine for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.
Galantamine is a specific, competitive, and reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical effects of galantamine in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), probable or possible Alzheimer's disease (AD), and potential moderators of effect. See Abstract at PubMed.
Abstract: Parental history of Alzheimer's disease associated with lower plasma apolipoprotein E levels
BACKGROUND: Variation in APOE genotype is a determinant of Alzheimer disease (AD), but the risk associated with variation in plasma apoE levels has yet to be determined.See abstract at PubMed.
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Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet
Source: National Institute on Aging
