What Role Do Amyloid Plaques Play In Alzheimer’s?

Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The interesting thing is, not everyone who develops these plaques gets Alzheimer’s. Answering this question could reveal new clues about the underlying cause of the disease. Scientists don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s. But the brain’s of everyone with Alzheimer’s do share a hallmark: clumps of toxic beta-amyloid […]

Brain Power: Understanding Bioenergetics

The brain’s power generators, mitochondria, could hold the key to Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding them better is also shedding light on the potential of diabetes drugs in treating Alzheimer’s. Despite accounting for just two percent of our body weight, the brain consumes 20 percent of the body’s energy. Driving energy production to fuel the brain are […]

Alector & Abbvie’s Alzheimer’s Phase 2 Trial is Recruiting

K2 Medical Research is recruiting for a Phase 2 trial of Alector and Abbvie’s new experimental Alzheimer’s drug, AL002.  K2 is screening possible trial participants for a Phase 2 clinical trial of an Alzheimer’s drug called AL002. This antibody drug is designed to activate a receptor in the brain called TREM2. TREM2 is important because […]

Dogs for Dementia – Real Ones, and Robots

Long-term care homes are looking for new ways to improve the lives of their residents. Using dogs and dog robots, scientists have found an unlikely intervention that could reduce psychiatric symptoms in dementia.  There’s a good reason that cute dog videos regularly reach millions of views on YouTube or Facebook. Anyone with a dog will […]

Coffee & Alzheimer’s Disease – What’s the Verdict?

By: Simon Spichak With all the seemingly contradictory headlines, it is hard to tell whether coffee is good or bad for you. This article explores the issue. There’s nothing like the first cup of coffee in the morning to jumpstart the day. Because the average American drinks more than three cups of coffee every day, […]

Eli Lilly’s Donanemab Prevention Trial is Recruiting

K2 Med is recruiting for a new Phase 3 trial for Eli Lilly’s new Alzheimer’s drug donanemab. By: Simon Spichak K2 is screening possible trial participants for a Phase 3 clinical trial of an Alzheimer’s drug called donanemab. Donanemab is designed to target beta-amyloid plaques which clump in the brain and lead to inflammation that […]

Why Are Musical Memories the Last to Go in Alzheimer’s?

When it comes to music and the brain, there is a very special link. By: Simon Spichak When Tony Bennett’s family announced last February that he had Alzheimer’s disease, few could have guessed that the 94-year-old singer would still hold two major concerts — performing dozens of songs for huge audiences and recalling all the […]

Alzheon’s Experimental Alzheimer’s Pill Recruiting for Trials

K2 is recruiting for a new Phase 3 trial for Alzheon’s new drug, which aims to be the first oral disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s. Join A Study Recently, K2 started screening possible trial participants for a Phase 3 clinical trial of a new Alzheimer’s drug. This drug, called valiltramiprosate, is designed to prevent protective forms of […]

Why can’t the brain regrow neurons?

Alzheimer’s kills brain cells. Can we help the brain make new ones? By: Simon Spichak If you scrape your knee or break a bone, new cells repair the damage before you even know it. Other organs in the body are even better at regrowing themselves: The cells lining the gut regenerate every three to four […]

The Quest to Develop an Alzheimer’s Vaccine

By: Simon Spichak In the past decade, scientists have learned a great deal about the immune system, leading to the development of immunotherapies for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. In Alzheimer’s, immunotherapy drugs called monoclonal antibodies can now bind to Alzheimer’s-associated protein plaques that build up in the brain, flagging them for clearance by the […]

How Gut Bacteria Affect Aging and Cognition

By Simon Spichak, Reporter at Being Patient The human body is host to trillions of microscopic organisms — collectively called the microbiome — that shape our health across the lifespan. This exciting field of research provides a new approach to understanding and treating cognitive decline and dementia. Unlike the genetic code stored within each of […]