In a new study published today (10 November), researchers have found that consuming a probiotic drink improved the memory and thinking skills of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Category Archives: The Clinic
New drug reduces Alzheimer’s protein levels in clinical trial
In results from a phase 1 clinical trial published today (Wednesday 2 November), a potential new drug called verubecestat has been shown to reduce levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid in brain and spinal fluid in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The results are published in Science Translational Medicine.
Review investigates acupuncture for people with memory problems
A review of existing evidence suggests that acupuncture may be linked to benefits for people with early memory and thinking problems, but that more evidence is required due to concerns about the methods used in the original studies. The analysis is published on Thursday 4 August in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine
Phase III tau drug fails to meet endpoints but shows silver lining as monotherapy
At AAIC2016, researchers from TauRx Therapeutics Ltd presented results from a phase III clinical trial of the drug leuco-methylthioninium-bis(hydromethanesulfonate) or LMTM in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease
Smell and eye tests may detect memory decline and dementia
There is growing evidence that problems identifying odours may be associated with cognitive decline, and therefore, may be used to predict dementia. In two studies presented today at AAIC, researchers from Columbia University used the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a 40-item ‘scratch and sniff’ test to understand how changes in odour identification are associated with cognitive decline.
Innovative project reduces antipsychotic drug use in dementia care home
In research presented today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2016, a team based in New South Wales, Australia, has shown how non-drug approaches to manage behavioural symptoms can reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs.
Diabetes drug could influence brain activity in Alzheimer’s
Researchers in Denmark have released findings from a small clinical trial of the diabetes drug liraglutide in people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
New vaccine against Alzheimer’s protein to enter clinical trial
A new treatment aimed at clearing abnormal clumps of protein called tau tangles from the brain in Alzheimer’s disease is entering an early-stage clinical trial in the UK. The treatment, known as ACI-35, is being tested in a clinical trial run by a Swiss company called AC Immune. The trial will be led by Prof Roy Jones, a consultant geriatrician based in Bath, and run across sites in Bath, Liverpool and Finland
Extending use of existing Alzheimer’s drug could delay move into nursing home
Newly-released follow-up analysis from a 2012 clinical trial led by a UK-based research team suggests that continuing treatment of the commonly-prescribed dementia drug donepezil into the later stages of Alzheimer’s could reduce a person’s likelihood of moving into a nursing home.
Researchers suggest omega-3 and exercise do not improve memory and thinking skills in the elderly
Researchers in the United States have conducted two clinical trials to assess the benefit of nutritional supplements and exercise on memory and thinking skills. The studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on 25 August 2015.