Rays of Hope in the Fight Against the Spread of Alzheimer’s

Nearly five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Experts predict the number will reach 16 million by 2050.

Scientists are working to prevent that projection from becoming a reality - or at least trying to find a treatment that will ease the effects of the debilitating, memory-robbing disease. In the past few months, Alzheimer's researchers have made notable progress that could one day lead to improved treatments for the disease or even methods of preventing it. Nonetheless for many of us who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s, breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research have been slow to show promise.

"Science usually works in a slow, deliberate fashion," says Peter V. Rabins, M.P.H., M.D., director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry & Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins. "That is a strength, because it can prevent mistakes such as exposing people to drugs that don't work and that have serious side effects. But it leads to frustration in people when they or their loved ones have the disease being studied."

Here’s a brief overview of a few recent studies you’ll want to follow in the months ahead …

• Biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid in brains and spinal cords of people with mild cognitive impairment, the precursor to Alzheimer's disease, can predict Alzheimer's up to 10 years before symptoms appear. This finding can open the door to the development of new treatments that may stop the disease's progression early on.

• People who have amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition in which the only difficulty is with memory, appear to be at increased risk for developing Alzheimer's. Patients with aMCI have more memory loss than normal for their age, but their symptoms aren't as severe as Alzheimer's are. A simple questionnaire can help identify people with aMCI, thereby allowing them to begin Alzheimer's diagnostic testing and treatment sooner rather than later. 

• Inherited early-onset Alzheimer's disease may be more closely related to late-onset Alzheimer's than previously thought. Scientists have found similar gene mutations in both forms, leading some experts to believe that each may have the same causes. Detection of the gene may give doctors a new tool to help determine the correct treatment approach in current Alzheimer's patients.

• People who participate in cognitively stimulating activities like reading, writing, playing games and solving puzzles throughout their lives tend to have fewer deposits of beta-amyloid in their brains as they age. Researchers have long suspected that keeping the brain active helps ward off Alzheimer's, but this is the first time they've been able to identify an underlying biological link.

(Source:  John Hopkins Health Alert, Posted in Memory on May 28, 2012)