Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (also senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type) is the most common form of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease first described in 1906 by the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer. As a rule, it is found in people over 65 years old, but there is also early Alzheimer's disease - a rare form of the disease.
Main article: Dementia
The disease begins imperceptibly, but progresses over time, leading to significant memory and cognitive impairment, up to the complete breakdown of intellectual and mental activity.
Spread of the disease
The disease is widespread: the World Health Organization estimates, available for 2024, that about 50 million people worldwide have dementia, a significant proportion of them from Alzheimer's disease.
In Russia, from 1.3 to 1.8 million people have been diagnosed with this diagnosis, and every fifth Russian is familiar with this phenomenon from his relatives, friends or colleagues.
In the United States, in 2020, 1 out of 9 people (11.3%) aged 65 plus were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
2024
Scanner presented that diagnoses diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease by eye
In mid-October 2024, American researchers presented an ophthalmoscope that allows you to detect diabetes mellitus and heart disease from an eye scan. Read more here.
First human-to-human transmission of Alzheimer's disease identified
On January 29, 2024, researchers at University College London reported identifying the first cases of human-to-human transmission of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists have concluded that this may occur with the use of growth hormone c-hGH.
The hormone c-hGH (cadaver-derived human growth hormone), extracted from the pituitary gland of deceased people, has been administered to children with unusually low stature for about 25 years, since the late 1950s. Subsequently, it was found that some of these patients developed a deadly neurodegenerative disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This is a rare progressive prion disease of the cortex of the large brain, basal ganglia and spinal cord: an ailment in 100% of cases is fatal. Scientists found that some c-hGH samples contained toxic prions, which provoked the development of neurodegenerative disease. After that, human growth hormone was replaced by a safe synthetic version.
A team of researchers who studied brain tissue samples from growth hormone patients who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have reportedly found signs of Alzheimer's disease. In particular, unusually high deposits of amyloid proteins have been observed, a clear sign of Alzheimer's disease. Because patients died at an early age, it was not possible to reliably determine whether they developed Alzheimer's disease. However, it was found that some c-hGH samples contain accumulations of amyloid proteins, and animal tests showed that mice injected with such growth hormone developed signs of Alzheimer's pathology.
Experts assessed the condition of eight patients with various neurological problems who received c-hGH in childhood. Five of them have been diagnosed with an early form of dementia that meets the criteria for a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, these patients did not have signs of genetic predisposition to the early onset of the disease. Thus, it is concluded that Alzheimer's disease can be transmitted from one person to another.[1]
2023
Why Alzheimer's affects women faster. Scientific explanation
At the end of February 2023, specialists from the Safra Center for Neurology and the Institute of Life Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published the results of a study shedding light on the specifics of Alzheimer's disease in people of different sexes. Scientists, in particular, have found out why this ailment affects women faster than men.
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease, the most common form of dementia. A key feature of the ailment is the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissues. At the same time, in women, the disease progresses at a higher rate and leads to a more pronounced decline in cognitive functions than in men. However, the existing therapeutic methods are aimed only at mitigating symptoms, but do not allow to stop the development of the disease.
Israeli researchers have established that severe depletion of mitochondrial RNA fragments inherited from the mother in affected brain regions correlates with rapid cognitive decline in women with Alzheimer's disease. Thanks to the results of the work done, scientists expect to take an important step forward in the creation of new generation drugs aimed specifically at women with Alzheimer's disease.
 | This finding provides the first molecular explanation for accelerated cognitive impairment occurring in the brains of women with Alzheimer's disease and opens the door to improving existing treatment regimens, said Professor Hermona Soreq, an expert in brain genes. |  |
The study received support from a number of organizations, notably the National Institute health care USA and the Israel Science Foundation. It is assumed that the results will be used in the creation of new RNA-based therapies.[2]
A new word in treating depression and Alzheimer's. The resolution of PET scanners was first increased to a level that allows counting the nuclei of the brain stem
On June 24, 2023, Canadian researchers at the Sherbrooke Center for Molecular Imaging announced the development of an ultra-high resolution positron emission tomograph (PET). This scanner is expected to help treat all sorts of ailments, including Alzheimer's disease. Read more here.
Brain implant for cancer and Alzheimer's out
On June 27, 2023, French company Carthera announced the SonoCloud therapeutic ultrasound device, a specialized implant designed to treat cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Read more here.
Presented is a head-worn device for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
Technology company Cognito Therapeutics has developed a wearable device designed to treat neurodegenerative disorders, specifically Alzheimer's disease. The startup, founded in 2016, raised $73 million during the Series B funding round, which was announced on March 22, 2023. Read more here.
2022
The Russian company has established an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with an accuracy of 80%
At the end of August 2022, it became known that specialists from the mass spectrometry laboratory of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), under the guidance of Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yevgeny Nikolaev, created an affordable method for early diagnosis of the disease and proposed a technology for determining the concentration of proteins in blood plasma based on quantitative mass spectrometry. According to the authors of the development, she diagnoses the disease at an early stage with 80 percent accuracy.
| | Thanks to mass spectrometry, we have reached a new level in understanding the complexity of beta-amyloid peptides, which are present in a wide variety of isoforms throughout the human body. We showed that in Alzheimer's disease, their composition changes, and by detecting individual isoforms of peptides, in particular, in a patient's blood sample, Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed even at an early stage, says Skoltech senior researcher Alexei Kononikhin. | |
According to him, the use of mass spectrometry methods made it possible not only to detect beta-amyloid peptides in all their diversity, but also to obtain a more complete picture of what is happening. Mass spectrometry makes it possible to better understand the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and more accurately diagnose this disease, especially in the early stages, he stated.
| | We developed a quantitative mass spectrometry method for detecting isomerization and investigated the accumulation of peptide forms over time. For the first time, a comparison of beta-amyloid peptides from brain tissue samples of Alzheimer's patients and transgenic mice with symptomatology close to Alzheimer's disease was demonstrated, Kononikhin reported. | |
In studies conducted jointly with the Scientific Center for Mental Health (FGBNU NCPD), scientists have been able to identify about 30 significant proteins in blood plasma that can act as markers for detecting the risk of Alzheimer's disease at an asymptomatic stage. They will serve as the basis for a laboratory test system.[3]
An algorithmic system for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is presented
Alexey Silchenko, CEO of FirstStep, has introduced a new algorithmic system to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. The new system uses dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data that detects predictors of organic disorders at different stages of disease development. An important part of this decision is the analysis of changes in the thickness of the hippocampus, as well as the concentration of beta-amyloid in the prefrontal region of the cerebral cortex . Learn more here.
COVID-19 significantly increases the risks of stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
At the end of June 2022, a study conducted in Denmark showed that outpatients with COVID-19 had an increased risk of diagnosing Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and cerebral hemorrhage compared to patients with a negative COVID-19 result. Most neurological disorders after coronavirus infection were no more common than after other respiratory infections, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology. Read more here.
A register of patients with Alzheimer's disease is being created in Russia
On May 19, 2022, it became known about the creation in Russia of a register of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Olga Tkacheva, chief freelance geriatrician of the Russian Ministry of Health, spoke about this project. Read more here.
World's first test for early detection of Alzheimer's disease released, which regular medlaborators can use
In May 2022, it became known about the entry into the market of the first in vitro test (can be done in ordinary medical laboratories), which will help determine whether people with signs of cognitive decline have one of the hidden signs of Alzheimer's disease. Diagnosis detects amyloid plaques in cerebrospinal fluid samples. Read more here.
NovaMedica launches its own developed drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
On April 19, 2022 the Russian pharmaceutical company , "" NovaMedica(investment project Rusnano"") announced that it had developed and registered a combined drug. It combines donepezil and memantine molecules, which are the mainstay of Alzheimer's dementia therapy. The drug is registered under the name. Myorheol This is the first such combination on the Russian market, as well as in and. EEU To Europe More. here
2021: Viagra reduces dementia risks by 69%
In early December 2021, a Cleveland Clinic-led study named sildenafil (a drug to increase potency; the most popular brand using it is Viagra) a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Read more here.
2020: One sleepless night increases blood count of tau protein - a marker of Alzheimer's disease
Even one night without sleep is enough to increase the amount of tau protein in a person's blood - a marker of Alzheimer's disease. This was found out by Swedish scientists during an experiment involving 15 healthy volunteers. The concentration of other markers of nerve tissue damage did not change, and it is also unclear what exactly causes the accumulation of tau in the blood. This became known on January 9, 2020. The work is published in the journal Neurology.
Alzheimer's disease is associated with the accumulation of two types of aggregates in the brain - beta-amyloid and tau protein. Amyloid beta is formed from a precursor protein that permeates the membrane of nerve cells, so amyloid aggregates accumulate in the intercellular space (they are called amyloid plaques). Tau is normally located inside cells, where it stabilizes the work of the cell skeleton, therefore, its aggregates are usually intracellular (they are called neurofibrillary strands).
One of the risk factors that bring the development of Alzheimer's disease closer is considered lack of sleep. In addition, sleep disorders are common in patients with this disease. Nevertheless, it is still unknown exactly how lack of sleep affects the development of the disease: lack of sleep can bring the disease closer, the disease can disrupt sleep, and lack of sleep can increase damage.
In 2018, scientists in California discovered that one sleepless night was enough to increase the amount of amyloid beta in people's cerebrospinal fluid. Now Christian Benedict from Uppsala University, together with colleagues, decided to test what happens to other biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease - also after one night without sleep. For this, scientists selected 15 male volunteers about 22 years old. All of them were healthy, slept regularly and well, did not take psychotropic drugs, did not smoke and did not abuse alcohol.
Participants in the trial came to the medical center, not knowing whether they had to sleep or stay awake at night, so they could not sleep in advance. In the clinic, they were mostly sedentary, both during the day and at night, when they were awake. To stay awake, they could play computer games, watch movies or communicate with each other. After that, the researchers took blood samples from the participants and counted the concentration of different biomarkers in them.
Usually during sleep, the concentration of beta-amyloid and tau in the blood changes. Therefore, to assess the growth of biomarkers, scientists compared their concentrations in the evening and in the morning. It turned out that after a normal night for tau protein, this difference increased by 1.8 percent compared to the control, and after sleepless - by 17 percent (p=0.035). The researchers found no similar differences for the concentration of beta-amyloid and other markers of neural tissue pathology.
Thus, scientists received another confirmation that sleep disorders may be associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. True, in this study, they found significant differences only for tau protein, but not for amyloid beta, however, this may be due to the fact that they measured their concentrations only in the blood, and the previous authors - in the cerebrospinal fluid. The next stage of work, according to the researchers, should be experiments with a shifted mode of the day, which happens in people working at night shifts. In any case, scientists have to find out whether the accumulation of tau is a consequence of stress after a sleepless night, or the only problem is that in the absence of sleep, the body cannot metabolize tau accumulated in the previous day.
Previously, scientists found that a sleepless night also causes increased anxiety, and regular sleep, on the contrary, avoids cardiovascular disease. In addition, it turned out that a single mutation for several hours reduces the need for sleep[4].
2018
Artificial intelligence learned to detect Alzheimer's disease 6 years ahead of doctors
Artificial intelligence can diagnose Alzheimer's much earlier than doctors. Scientists trained a computer system to detect the first signs of severe disease, difficult for the eyes, in positron emission tomography (PET) images. The results of the study on November 6, 2018 published the journal Radiology. Read more here.
The Japanese have learned to treat Alzheimer's disease with ultrasound
Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have found that ultrasound waves can cure Alzheimer's disease without any side effects. The study was published in the summer of 2018 in the journal Brain Stimulation[5].
Reduced blood flow in the brain causes neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, due to the fact that brain cells do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients. Death and damage to nerve cells is one of the main causes of dementia.
Japanese scientists conducted experiments on mice, dividing them into two control groups, one of which surgically complicated the flow of blood to brain cells, and the second, using genetic engineering, created a brain state close to the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, RIA Novosti notes.
The brains of the mice were then exposed to low intensity ultrasonic waves, the test was performed three times a day for 20 minutes. The first group of rodents was irradiated with ultrasonic waves for five days, the second group underwent 11 such procedures within three months.
Scientists have identified a significant improvement in cognitive function in rodents. Ultrasound waves caused an increase in the release of a special enzyme involved in the formation of blood vessels along with an increase in the amount of protein playing a key role in the preservation and growth of nerve cells. At the same time, ultrasound did not cause any side effects.
According to scientists, such therapy can also be used in the treatment of people, especially elderly patients with a high risk of developing the disease. At the same time, such a procedure does not require surgery and anesthesia.
2017
$100 million investment from Bill Gates
On November 13, 2017, Bill Gates announced an investment of $100 million in the fight against Alzheimer's disease and other brain diseases. The businessman spoke about this in his blog.
According to him, about $50 million will be donated to the Dementia Discovery Fund, which is based in London and is used by the British government to cooperate with companies looking for treatments for brain diseases. Gates will provide another $50 million to startups that specialize in Alzheimer's research.
| | I know how awful it is to look at people you love and who are in a difficult situation because the illness deprives them of their mental capacity ... It's very much like you're going through the gradual death of someone you knew... I hope that in 10 years we will have some drugs, however, it is possible that this will not happen, "Gates said. | |
Donations are a personal initiative of Gates, not belonging to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation charitable foundation, which belongs to the billionaire and his wife Melinda Gates (Melinda Gates). In his blog, Gates wrote that some of his loved ones suffered from Alzheimer's, but he decided to contribute to the fight against the disease not only for personal reasons.
The businessman expressed serious concern, noting that with the growth of life expectancy, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia affect a large number of people, causing them emotional suffering and financial damage.
Although scientists have been struggling for decades to find a treatment for these severe diseases, effective methods to combat them have not yet been found. Existing drugs only alleviate some of the symptoms.
However, Gates does not lose optimism and believes that with targeted efforts and proper funding, treatment should be found, although the search can take more than a decade. However, the billionaire did not risk predicting any specific terms.
The billionaire also stressed that the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease is only increasing every year, but effective treatments have not been found. The entrepreneur hopes that research funding will help solve this problem.[6]
Nearly 50 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, which by 2017 affects almost 50 million people around the world, according to Alzheimer's Disease International, a non-profit organization. In the US, one in nine people aged 65 and over have Alzheimer's disease. According to experts, by 2050 the number of such patients will reach 131 million people, and in 2017 $259 billion will be spent on caring for such patients in the United States.
2016: Increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in rosacea patients
In 2016, scientists found that people with rosacea had an increased risk of developing dementia - Alzheimer's disease in particular. Researchers from Denmark, who came to this conclusion, also emphasize that the risk is highest in elderly patients. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal [7]
There is evidence that rosacea is associated with high levels of some proteins that are also involved in various disorders, brain such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. These proteins include matrix metalloproteinases and antimicrobial peptides.
The researchers used patient data from the period 1997-2012, including looking at the medical histories of 83,500 people with rosacea. When the scientists analyzed this data, they found that rosacea patients had a 7% higher risk of dementia and a 25% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, with older people having the highest risk. For women, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease associated with rosacea was 28% higher, while for men it was 16% higher.
Alexander Egeberg of the University of Copenhagen said:
| | "Rosacea patients have notable neurological symptoms such as burning and skin pain, migraines and neuropsychiatric symptoms, indicating a link between rosacea and neurological diseases."[8]. | |
Now, evidence has emerged that suggests rosacea is not only associated with neurological disorders, including Parkinson's, but also Alzheimer's.
The researchers explain that there are certain basic mechanisms linking rosacea and Alzheimer's disease, but we don't know if they affect each other.
Scientists believe doctors should be mindful of symptoms of cognitive dysfunction in older rosacea patients. Only further research will help identify whether rosacea treatment can change patients "risk of dementia.
Notes
- ↑ Alzheimer’s disease acquired from historic medical treatments
- ↑ Sex-specific declines in cholinergic-targeting tRNA fragments in the nucleus accumbens in Alzheimer’s disease
- ↑ Good memory with 80% accuracy
- ↑ A single sleepless night increased the amount of tau protein in the blood
- ↑ The Japanese have learned to treat Alzheimer's disease with ultrasound
- ↑ Why I’m Digging Deep Into Alzheimer’s
- ↑ DermatologyEgeberg A. et al. Patients with Rosacea Have Increased Risk of Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study //Dermatology. – 2016. - T. 232. – №. 2. - S. 208-213..
- ↑ The risk of Alzheimer's disease is higher in people with rosacea
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