Author Archives: jpnd

A recent research study identified a previously unknown cellular process that causes selective motor neuron degeneration

A recent research study identified a previously unknown cellular process that causes selective motor neuron degeneration, but it also appears to tie together several of the pieces of the pathological jigsaw in motor neuron disease:

• disruption of RNA metabolism
• oxidative stress and
• programmed cell death pathways

Published in the journal Nature, from an international consortium, led by the scientists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, the researchers created a mouse that has a defect in an enzyme called CLP1 and these mice develop progressive motor neuron degeneration.

Full article is available at the link below:

A major 18-month human drug trial gets under way this week to see whether a blood pressure medication can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms

The study - NILVAD (nilvadipine in Alzheimer’s disease) involves nine countries and has funding worth €6 million provided by the European Community’s seventh framework programme research budget.

There has been no new drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s since 2002 and many originally promising lines of research for new treatments have come to nothing.

More information available at the links below:

A new study shows that the results could be used in future drug trials for people who are gene positive for HD but who are not yet showing overt symptoms.

Scientists have identified a set of tests that could help identify whether and how Huntington’s disease (HD) is progressing in groups of people who are not yet showing symptoms.
 
The latest findings from the TRACK-HD study, published in The Lancet Neurology, could be used to assess whether potential new treatments are slowing the disease – up to 10 years before the development of noticeable symptoms.
 
Lead author Sarah Tabrizi from University College London’s Institute of Neurology explained that currently, the effectiveness of a new drug is decided by its ability to treat symptoms.
 
"These new tests could be used in future preventative drug trials in individuals who are gene positive for HD but are not yet showing overt motor symptoms. These people have the most to gain by initiating treatment early to delay the start of these overt symptoms and give them a high quality of life for a longer period of time."

More information available at the links below:

European Month of the Brain kicks off

At the start of its European Month of the Brain, the European Commission has announced funding of around 150 million euros for 20 new international brain research projects, bringing the total European Union (EU) investment in brain research since 2007 to over 1.9 billion euros.

More information at the first link below:

More than 50 events on the human brain are on the ‘European Month of the Brain’ programme, from conferences, workshops and meetings to summer schools and teaching courses. 

Activities in your country are availablehere or at the second link below:

Music effective for reducing anxiety and managing BPSD

The authors of this study investigated the effects of music therapy on the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD), cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with dementia.

Indications are that music therapy is effective for reducing anxiety and managing BPSD.

The full study, published in Ageing Research Reviews, is available at the link below:

No firm evidence of benefit for any treatment or approach

A systematic review has examined the best 32 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating treatments for cognitive decline, including drug treatments, hormone therapies, nutritional supplements, physical activity and cognitive exercises. The authors looked comprehensively at pharmacological treatments and non-pharmacological treatments in healthy adults. The study was recently published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

There was no firm evidence that pharmacological treatments – such as cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonists or vitamin pills – are of any benefit for preventing cognitive decline. Oestrogen therapies may actually cause a decline in memory.

Contrary to other research, there was only inconsistent evidence concerning the benefits of physical activity for preventing cognitive decline. The authors discovered some evidence (from only three studies) that brain training exercises might help prevent cognitive decline; as measured in terms of auditory memory (for spoken information) and attention.

The authors conclude that most treatments and approaches for preventing cognitive decline do not appear to work (or may occasionally be harmful), and that even the benefits of cognitive training remain uncertain. The studies examined so far have been variable in quality, so further high-quality research is needed.

TED Talk by Neurosurgeon Andres Lozano

In a recent TED talk, neurosurgeon Andres Lozano discusses recent developments in the potential uses of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the alleviation of symptoms across many different neurological / neuropsychological conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease, dystonia, depression and other mental illnesses, and possibly even for the improvement of cognitive functioning in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

"Deep brain stimulation is becoming very precise. This technique allows surgeons to place electrodes in almost any area of the brain, and turn them up or down – like a radio dial or thermostat – to correct dysfunction".

Note: Some of this promising work on the treatment of dementia is at an early stage and clinical trials are still underway.

A study of 20-year changes in dementia occurrence suggest decreasing incidence in central Stockholm, Sweden.

A study – based on two cross-sectional surveys of people aged 75 years or over in Stockholm – explored whether the prevalence, survival, and incidence of dementia changed from 1987-1994 to 2001-2008 (in Stockholm, Sweden).

It was found that the prevalence of dementia was stable from the late 1980s to the early 2000s in central Stockholm, Sweden, but the survival of patients with dementia had increased (probably due to improvements in health care); which implies that incidence of dementia may have decreased during the same period.

This research is contrary to the widespread presumptions concerning an increasing incidence of dementia.

Pubmed link to the study is available at the link below:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has launched a new arm of their Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), studying at-risk populations in Parkinson’s Disease

The PPMI has completed enrollment of its initial 600-member cohort of Parkinson’s patients and controls, and is now launching additional study cohorts to leverage the existing PPMI infrastructure and evaluate multiple potential biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The first of these new cohorts recent launched and will investigate risk factors for PD that may enable diagnosis before the onset of motor symptoms.

More information at the link below: