Secret behind why Alzheimer’s patients cannot make new memories discovered

Scientists discover molecule that stops new memories forming in people with Alzheimer's disease, raising hopes of new drugs to treat dementia.

A drug to prevent the devastating memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease is a step closer after scientists discovered the secret behind why people with dementia cannot form new memories.

It was previously thought that Alzheimer's was primarily caused by the build up of sticky amyloid plaques in the brain which stop neurons from firing.

But drugs to clear the plaques have so far failed to bring any improvement to sufferers.

Many scientists believe that the amyloid plaques trigger a 'cascade effect' of other symptoms meaning that by the time they are spotted it is already too late.

Researchers at Penn State University have now discovered that those plaques may be triggering overproduction of a chemical that drives memory loss by preventing a key part of the brain from functioning.

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MPs and peers call for new national dementia strategy

All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia says new plan should improve post-diagnosis support.

Good dementia support must be available in every area of the country, a report by a group of MPs and peers has said.

In a report published today, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dementia recommended a series of areas that could be addressed by a new dementia strategy.

It said post-diagnosis support must be a priority but that “this sense of urgency has yet to filter down to clinical commissioning groups and local authority level, and we want to see this happen as soon as possible”.

The group said there had been improvements in the care of people with dementia since the National Dementia Strategy for England was published in 2010 but it was unacceptable that it was still so piecemeal.

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Sleepless nights raise brain levels of Alzheimer’s protein: study

After a night of no sleep, even a healthy brain has higher than normal levels of the protein that forms the signature tangles in Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the Netherlands.

“We think normal healthy sleep helps reduce the amount of (amyloid) beta in the brain and if your sleep is disturbed this decrease is prevented,” said the study’s senior author Dr. Jurgen Claassen, from Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen.

In people who repeatedly fail to get a good night's sleep, the amyloid-beta concentration may build up and could be one factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

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Prevent Alzheimer’s by vaccinating at 40, scientist suggests

A vaccine could wipe out plaques that stop the brain from signalling if given before the onset of the disease, experts say

Alzheimer’s Disease could be prevented by vaccinating people as young as 40, decades before any symptoms emerge, it has been suggested.

James Nicoll, professor of neuropathology at Southampton University, found that a vaccine can kick-start the immune system into action, and wipe out plaques that stop the brain from signalling.

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