Lovastatin Shown To Slow Progression Of Alzheimer’s Disease

This is a classic example of the Alzheimer’s CareGiver conundrum. I switched my mother from Lovastatin to Zocor after reading a similar article pointing out the benefits of statins.

I’ll put the article up on Zocor soon. Zocor did improve her cholesterol numbers.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com High cholesterol levels are considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease including stroke. Therefore, many cholesterol lowering drugs have been developed by pharmaceutical companies in recent years. One class of these drugs, statins, has been found to reduce the incidence of stroke and progression of Alzheimer’s disease when prophylactically administered. In a recent paper published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Amalia Dolga and co-workers from the University of Groningen show that the statin lovastatin, in addition to lowering cholesterol, can also prevent nerve cells from dying in conditions that occur in Alzheimer’s disease Amalia Dolga found that statins stimulate nerve cells to produce a specific receptor molecule for a protein which plays a central role in the body’s immune response: Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.

 

Lovastatin Shown To Slow Progression Of Alzheimer’s Disease

This is a classic example of the Alzheimer’s CareGiver conundrum. I switched my mother from Lovastatin to Zocor after reading a similar article pointing out the benefits of statins.

I’ll put the article up on Zocor soon. Zocor did improve her cholesterol numbers.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com High cholesterol levels are considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease including stroke. Therefore, many cholesterol lowering drugs have been developed by pharmaceutical companies in recent years. One class of these drugs, statins, has been found to reduce the incidence of stroke and progression of Alzheimer’s disease when prophylactically administered. In a recent paper published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Amalia Dolga and co-workers from the University of Groningen show that the statin lovastatin, in addition to lowering cholesterol, can also prevent nerve cells from dying in conditions that occur in Alzheimer’s disease Amalia Dolga found that statins stimulate nerve cells to produce a specific receptor molecule for a protein which plays a central role in the body’s immune response: Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.

 

Diabetes in Middle Age Raises Alzheimer’s Risk

This a lengthy article. Follow the link for more information.

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com Men who develop diabetes in middle age may be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a Swedish study finds. “Our results have important public health implications given the increasing numbers of people developing diabetes and the need for more powerful interventions,” study author Dr. Elina Ronnemaa, of Uppsala University, said in a statement. The study found that the men with low insulin levels at age 50 were nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than men who didn’t have insulin problems. The risk of Alzheimer’s increased, regardless of blood pressure, cholesterol, body-mass index and education.

 

Diabetes in Middle Age Raises Alzheimer’s Risk

This a lengthy article. Follow the link for more information.

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com Men who develop diabetes in middle age may be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a Swedish study finds. “Our results have important public health implications given the increasing numbers of people developing diabetes and the need for more powerful interventions,” study author Dr. Elina Ronnemaa, of Uppsala University, said in a statement. The study found that the men with low insulin levels at age 50 were nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than men who didn’t have insulin problems. The risk of Alzheimer’s increased, regardless of blood pressure, cholesterol, body-mass index and education.

 

Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’

Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

clipped from www.youtube.com

 

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture

 

Anti-psychotics may speed Alzheimer’s decline

Anti-psychotic drugs frequently used in nursing homes to treat aggression in Alzheimer’s patients don’t provide any benefit and seem to lead to a marked decline in verbal ability, a report says

Read the article at USA Today Electronic Edition.

 

Anti-psychotics may speed Alzheimer’s decline

Anti-psychotic drugs frequently used in nursing homes to treat aggression in Alzheimer’s patients don’t provide any benefit and seem to lead to a marked decline in verbal ability, a report says

Read the article at USA Today Electronic Edition.

 

Depression Does Increase in Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Although individuals with depression may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms of depression do not appear to increase in the years before a diagnosis is made, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. This suggests that depression is not a consequence of developing Alzheimer’s disease but may instead be a risk factor for dementia.

Depression Does Increase in Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Newswise — Although individuals with depression may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms of depression do not appear to increase in the years before a diagnosis is made, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This suggests that depression is not a consequence of developing Alzheimer’s disease but may instead be a risk factor for dementia.

Previous studies have found higher levels of depressive symptoms (such as feeling sad) among patients with Alzheimer’s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, according to background information in the article. “The basis of this association is uncertain, however,” the authors write. “A leading hypothesis is that depressive symptoms do not constitute a true risk factor but rather a consequence of the disease.” If this were the case, symptoms of depression would likely increase during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D., of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues studied 917 older Catholic nuns, priests and monks who did not have dementia beginning in 1994. Participants had a yearly clinical evaluation that included a neurological examination, cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) testing and classification of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. They also completed a 10-item scale assessing their symptoms of depression.

At the beginning of the study, 53.6 percent of participants reported no symptoms of depression, 23.9 percent reported one symptom, 9.7 percent reported two, 6.1 percent reported three and 6.8 percent reported four or more. During follow-up, 190 individuals developed Alzheimer’s disease. Those with more symptoms of depression at the beginning of the study were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

However, “those who developed Alzheimer’s disease showed no increase in depressive symptoms before the diagnosis was made, and this finding was not modified by age, sex, education, memory complaints, vascular burden or personality,” the authors write. “Among those without cognitive impairment at baseline, depressive symptoms did not increase in those who subsequently developed mild cognitive impairment.”

Symptoms of depression may be associated with changes in the brain that reduce its resistance to dementia, the authors write. “Understanding the mechanisms linking depressive symptoms with dementia could suggest novel approaches to delaying dementia onset because animal research suggests diverse means by which the adverse effects of chronic stress may be modified.”

(Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[4]:439-446. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

© 2008 Newswise. All Rights Reserved.

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease and Memory Loss in Later Life

 

Caring for your Parents on PBS

clipped from www.pbs.org As the population ages, many adult children are grappling with an unprecedented social, cultural, economic, and personal revolution as they transition into the primary caregiver role for their aging parents. Produced, written, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk, Caring for Your Parents is a moving two-hour special that draws much-needed attention to this universal reality. The first 90-minutes of Caring for Your Parents underscores today’s struggle to keep parents at home Immediately after the 90-minute broadcast, medical correspondent Dr. Art Ulene leads “A Conversation About Caring.” This half-hour panel discussion offers concrete advice and guidance on how to start the conversation‒often the most difficult step in caregiving. Caring for Your Parents is a Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. Production for WGBH Boston. (check local listings) Producer’s Interview