A new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter found that commonly used drugs, including antibiotics, vaccines, and anti-inflammatory medications, may reduce the risk of developing dementia. The research, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, analyzed the health records of…

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified a promising new blood-based biomarker that could help detect early brain changes linked to cognitive impairment and dementia. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, demonstrates that elevated levels of placental growth factor…

Older adults who experience skeletal muscle loss may be at a significantly higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The study suggests that people with greater muscle loss, measured in a muscle…

The link between loneliness and dementia has been quantified by analyzing data from more than 600,000 people around the world—the largest study of its kind. Researchers at Florida State University College of Medicine conducted a meta-analysis of 21 longitudinal studies. Their work showed that experiencing feelings of loneliness increased the…

AviadoBio and Astellas Pharma have announced a potential $2.5B+ agreement for AVB-101, an investigational AAV-based gene therapy in Phase I/II development for patients with frontotemporal dementia with progranulin mutations (FTD-GRN). The deal involves $50M upfront. Adam Pearson, chief strategy officer, Astellas, said “AVB-101 represents a truly innovative approach to the…

A recent study from researchers in South Korea contends that certain diabetes medications known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may be linked to a reduced risk of developing dementia and Parkinson’s disease. The findings, published this week in the journal Neurology, are significant given the rising prevalence of these neurodegenerative…

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in the blood could provide a new way to diagnose mild cognitive impairment and predict progression to dementia years before it is officially diagnosed, two studies suggest. The findings could lead to greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the plaques, tangles and brain atrophy that are hallmarks…

A research study led by Seoul National University College of Medicine shows that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors could help prevent dementia in some people with type 2 diabetes. The study, published in the BMJ, showed that compared to people taking an alternate diabetes drug known as a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4)…

A team of researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet says that a ten-year study has shown the potential benefits of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) as treatment for patients suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies. Lewy body disease includes both dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease with and without…

Research led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine shows higher than normal levels of neurofilament light chain protein can be detected in the blood of patients with presymptomatic, early-stage Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Writing in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease, levels of tau and amyloid beta…

Early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers’ start showing up during midlife, whereas late-life measures of AD, such as neuronal injury and astrogliosis biomarkers, are all associated with manifest dementia, according to new research from a team that looked at blood samples from over 1,500 people in both mid- and later-life. Neurofilament…

William Chou, MD, strives to bring more hope to patients with neurodegenerative diseases. And Passage Bio, where Chou is president and CEO, may now have the green light to test their lead gene therapy asset more broadly than the initial focus of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) caused by mutations in one…

Dementia is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, but not all patients with it will go on to develop the progressive brain disorder for which there is no cure. Early detection, however, allows for the treatment of symptoms and the building support and medical care teams. Now, a team of…

A new method for predicting dementia has over 80% accuracy and works up to nine years before a diagnosis. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London report. They say the new method provides a more accurate way to predict dementia than memory tests or measurements of brain shrinkage, two commonly…

Researchers at the McMaster University, in a new meta-analysis, have found that donepezil, a medication commonly prescribed for dementia does not increase the risk of death and certain heart rhythm problems, contrary to past warnings. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, noted that past warnings…