Obama administration to spend $50 million more on Alzheimer's (Reuters)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:24:04 GMT

Reuters - The Obama administration said on Tuesday it will spend an additional $50 million immediately to bolster research for Alzheimer's, a fatal, brain-wasting disease that affects 5 million Americans.

Government health spending seen hitting $1.8 trillion (Reuters)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:32:19 GMT

Reuters - Government spending for Medicare, Medicaid and other healthcare programs will more than double over the next decade to $1.8 trillion, or 7.3 percent of the country's total economic output, congressional researchers said on Tuesday.

Obama to seek more Alzheimer's research money (AP)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:03:11 GMT

AP - The Obama administration wants to spend just over half a billion dollars on Alzheimer's research next year, hoping to battle back against what could become the defining disease of the aging baby-boom generation.

Health Tip: How to Protect Seniors From Injury (HealthDay)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:47:33 GMT

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Creating a home safety checklist can help seniors prevent injuries and let them prepare if they happen to fall or hurt themselves.

New Criteria Could Change Who Is Diagnosed With Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:47:22 GMT

HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines for diagnosing the mental decline that can come with several diseases of aging may create confusion among doctors and patients about who has early Alzheimer's disease and who simply has mild cognitive impairment, a new report warns.

Blurry line in diagnosing early Alzheimer's: study (Reuters)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:23:08 GMT

Reuters - The revised definition of a brain condition called mild cognitive impairment means that many people now considered to have mild or early Alzheimer's disease could easily be given that diagnosis instead, suggests a new study.

New Alzheimer's Criteria Would Change Diagnosis for Millions (LiveScience.com)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:45:00 GMT

LiveScience.com - Almost everyone currently diagnosed with a mild form of Alzheimer's disease would be downgraded to not having the condition, if new proposed criteria for the diagnosis of cognitive problems were applied, a new study shows.

Green tea drinkers show less disability with age: study (Reuters)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:14:48 GMT

Reuters - Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile and independent than their peers over time, according to a Japanese study that covered thousands of people.

Winter Can Pose Hazards for Seniors (HealthDay)

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:46:56 GMT

HealthDay - SATURDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Winter weather can be challenging for some seniors, especially those with mobility or other health issues.

Questionnaire Could Help Predict Alzheimer's: Study (HealthDay)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:47:18 GMT

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A series of specific "yes" or "no" questions could help doctors distinguish between people who have normal memory loss that comes with age and those with a condition known as amnestic mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study.

Same Genes Key to Early & Late-Onset Alzheimer's: Study (HealthDay)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:46:55 GMT

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- People who develop Alzheimer's disease late in life may have the same gene mutations linked to the inherited, early onset form of the condition, according to a new study.

Mouse Study Suggests Alzheimer's Spreads Through Brain Like an Infection (HealthDay)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:46:43 GMT

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease appears to spread through the brain, traveling from neuron to neuron in much the same way that an infection or cancer moves through the body, new research with mice suggests.

Alzheimer's-Linked Brain Plaques May Affect Memory in Healthy People (HealthDay)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:46:40 GMT

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A new study suggests that a brain-clotting plaque linked to Alzheimer's disease may cause cognitive decline even in healthy people, potentially setting the stage for the development of the devastating illness later in life.

Lilly Alzheimer's drug an unlikely ace in the hole (Reuters)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:29:12 GMT

Reuters - A treatment for Alzheimer's disease is the drug industry's longest shot, and any brave investors willing to place a bet on the outcome are likely to focus on Eli Lilly & Co.

Study gives new clues on how Alzheimer's spreads (Reuters)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:01:32 GMT

Reuters - Alzheimer's disease appears to spread in a predictable pattern, infecting brain cell after brain cell as the disease spreads along linked circuits known as synapses, according to a new study.

Study Shows Inverse Link Between Brain Games and Alzheimer's Disease (ContributorNetwork)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:11:17 GMT

ContributorNetwork - A clinical study published Monday in the online edition of the Archives of Neurology is the first of its kind to link participation in reading, brain games and writing with a decreased production of a special protein whose presence has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Millions now manage aging parents' care from afar (AP)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:02:38 GMT

AP - Kristy Bryner worries her 80-year-old mom might slip and fall when she picks up the newspaper, or that she'll get in an accident when she drives to the grocery store. What if she has a medical emergency and no one's there to help? What if, like her father, her mother slips into a fog of dementia?

Protein That Controls Movement Does the Opposite in Parkinson's (HealthDay)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:47:25 GMT

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers who identified a protein that worsens symptoms of Parkinson's disease say their finding could eventually lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.

Men at Higher Risk for Mental Decline That Precedes Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:47:19 GMT

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Subtle problems with memory and thinking skills -- known as mild cognitive impairment -- often precede Alzheimer's disease, and a new study finds that men are at higher risk for these troubles than women.

Keeping brain sharp may ward off Alzheimer's protein (Reuters)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:33:23 GMT

Reuters - People who challenge their brains throughout their lifetimes -- through reading, writing and playing games -- are less likely to develop protein deposits in the brain linked with Alzheimer's, researchers said on Monday.