Can Exercise Make A Difference
There is some preliminary evidence that exercise can improve cognitive skills in people with early-stage Alzheimers disease.
For a University of Kansas study, published in February 2017 in the journal PLoS ONE, subjects took part in a supervised exercise program involving 150 minutes of walking per week.
After six months, some but not all of the subjects performed better on tests measuring memory and thinking skills. These subjects also showed a slight increase in brain size.
Evaluating The Latest Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention Research
A recent review of research looked carefully at the evidence on ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s dementia or age-related cognitive decline. Led by a committee of experts from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine , the review found “encouraging but inconclusive” evidence for three types of interventions:
The evidence for other interventions, such as medications and diet, was not as strong. However, scientists are continuing to explore these and other possible preventions.
Alzheimers Disease Stocks: Cassava Sciences
Cassava Sciences has been incredibly explosive. After a drop to $72.80 0n July 19, the stock exploded to a high of $146.16. Shortly after, SAVA stock would pull back to about $65 after its competitor, Annovis Bio, posted disappointing data for its Alzheimers candidate.
However, weakness is a great opportunity with this stock.
Since pulling back on the Annovis news, the SAVA stock is already back over $100 and could easily run back to $146.16, near-term. All after the company announced positive cognition data with its Simufilam treatment in Alzheimers disease. Not only has the company secured funding from the National Institutes of Health , but a recent clinical study found that Simufilam showed an 18% improvement in its cognition test.
In addition, analysts at B. Riley just raised their price target on SAVA to $145 a share.
Cassava Sciences may have massive potential in front of it.
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How Alzheimer’s Disease Is Treated
Steven Gans, MD, is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you may feel scared, frustrated, and more. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s at this time, there are many ways to treat the symptoms and even help manage the disease’s progression. Treatment options for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s include drug therapy and non-drug approaches, such as behavioral and environmental modifications.
Clinical Features/stages Of Ad
The core feature of AD disease is impairment of recent memory. As the disease advances, various other cognitive domains are involved. The disease progresses over seven stages; however, there is an overlap between these.
Stage 1 : Like other neurodegenerative diseases, this stage can precede the memory loss by many years where the affected individual is clinically okay without any memory abnormality
Stage 2 : This mimics the forgetfulness associated with normal ageing, where an individual misplaces objects and can eventually find them after a period of search. Most of the patients relatives are not even aware of this mild forgetfulness
Stage 3 : Recent memory worsens, which is now apparent to the relatives. They suffer in daily functioning and maybe confused occasionally. They can, however, still be independent in all their daily activities
Stage 4 : Memory worsens further with difficulty doing tasks that need multitasking. They start losing their way around unfamiliar places and become socially withdrawn. Denial of their disease and becoming progressively dependent for even simple tasks on their caregiver is expected at this stage
Stage 5 : They may even forget their current surroundings, home address/telephone number and need assistance for simple tasks like dressing. Losing way in familiar surroundings also happens
Stage 7 : During this stage, most of them lose the ability to speak, communicate and even ambulate by now.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Early
For most people with early-onset Alzheimer disease, the symptoms closely mirror those of other forms of Alzheimer disease.
Early symptoms:
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Withdrawal from work and social situations
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Changes in mood and personality
Later symptoms:
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Severe mood swings and behavior changes
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Deepening confusion about time, place, and life events
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Suspicions about friends, family, or caregivers
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Trouble;speaking, swallowing, or walking
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Severe memory loss
What Are Some Risk Factors For Alzheimers Disease
Risk factors for the development of Alzheimers disease include:
- Age. Increasing age is the primary risk factor for developing Alzheimers disease.
- Genetics . There is a certain gene, apolipoprotein E that is associated with late-onset Alzheimers disease. Other genes have been associated with early-onset Alzheimers disease.
- Smoking
- Obesity
Researchers believe the presence of the last five risk factors mentioned above might reduce the clearance of amyloid protein from the brain, which then increases the risk of developing Alzheimers disease. In particular, the presence of a number of these risk factors at the same time and while the person is in his or her 50s is associated with a higher risk of Alzheimers disease.
There may be some ways to reduce the risk of mental decline. In general, living a healthy lifestyle protects the body from strokes and heart attacks and is believed to also protect the brain from cognitive decline. Scientists cant absolutely prove the cause and effect of the following factors, but studies have shown a positive association.
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How These Drugs Work
These drugs may work for some people but not others, and they do not stop the progression of Alzheimers disease. Instead, the drugs may delay it or help with symptom control for a period of time, particularly in the earlier stages of the disease. This action, in turn, may help patients with their attention and focus, cognitive abilities, memory, and communication skills.
What Are Some Of The Newer Treatments For Alzheimers
A monoclonal antibody called aducanumab has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of early Alzheimers. It works by targeting a protein called amyloid that causes the formation of plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimers. It is hoped that the drug, delivered by monthly injection, may help prevent the build-up of these plaques.
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What Is The Initial Treatment For Alzheimers Disease
For people with mild to moderate Alzheimers, cholinesterase inhibitors like Aricept , Exelon , and Razadyne are typically used as first-line treatment. These drugs may increase levels of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that is central to learning and short-term memory. ;In people with Alzheimers, acetylcholine levels are almost invariably low.
Fda Approves Alzheimers Drug Despite Fierce Debate Over Whether It Works
Aducanumab, or Aduhelm, is the first new Alzheimers treatment in 18 years and the first to attack the disease process. But some experts say theres not enough evidence it can address cognitive symptoms.
By Pam Belluck and Rebecca Robbins
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first new medication for Alzheimers disease in nearly two decades, a contentious decision made despite opposition from the agencys independent advisory committee and some Alzheimers experts who said there was not enough evidence that the drug can help patients.
The drug, aducanumab, which will go by the brand name Aduhelm, is a monthly intravenous infusion intended to slow cognitive decline in people with mild memory and thinking problems. It is the first approved treatment to attack the disease process of Alzheimers instead of just addressing dementia symptoms.
Biogen, its manufacturer, announced Monday afternoon that the list price would be $56,000 a year. In addition, there will most likely be tens of thousands of dollars in costs for diagnostic testing and brain imaging.
Recognizing that clinical trials of the drug had provided incomplete evidence to demonstrate effectiveness, the F.D.A. granted approval for the drug to be used but required Biogen to conduct a new clinical trial.
If the new trial, called a Phase 4 trial, fails to show the drug is effective, the F.D.A. can but is not required to rescind its approval.
New Alzheimers Disease Treatment Approved
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What Drug Treatment Is Used For Severe Alzheimers
People with moderate to severe Alzheimers are commonly prescribed Namenda , which may help reduce symptoms and allow a person to retain independence. It appears to work by regulating a neurotransmitter called glutamine that can cause brain cell overactivity and death. Studies show that Namenda only works in people with moderate to serve Alzheimers.
Medicines To Treat Challenging Behaviour
In the later stages of dementia, a significant number of people will develop what’s known as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia .
The symptoms of BPSD can include:
- increased agitation
- aggression
- delusions and hallucinations
These changes in behaviour can be very distressing for both the person with Alzheimer’s disease and their carer.
If coping strategies do not work, a consultant psychiatrist can prescribe risperidone or haloperidol, antipsychotic medicines, for those showing persistent aggression or extreme distress.
These are the only medicines licensed for people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease where there’s a risk of harm to themselves or others.
Risperidone should be used at the lowest dose and for the shortest time possible as it has serious side effects. Haloperidol should only be used if other treatments have not helped.
Antidepressants may sometimes be given if depression is suspected as an underlying cause of anxiety.
Sometimes other medications may be recommended to treat specific symptoms in BPSD, but these will be prescribed “off-label” .
It’s acceptable for a doctor to do this, but they must provide a reason for using these medications in these circumstances.
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How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Treated
Alzheimers disease is complex, and it is therefore unlikely that any one drug or other intervention will ever successfully treat it in all people living with the disease. Still, in recent years, scientists have made tremendous progress in better understanding Alzheimers and in developing and testing new treatments, including several medications that are in late-stage clinical trials.
Several prescription drugs are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help manage symptoms in people with Alzheimers disease. And, on June 7, 2021, FDA provided accelerated approval for the newest medication, aducanumab, which helps to reduce amyloid deposits in the brain and may help slow the progression of Alzheimers, although it has not yet been shown to affect clinical symptoms or outcomes, such as progression of cognitive decline or dementia.
Most medicines work best for people in the early or middle stages of Alzheimers. However, it is important to understand that none of the medications available at this time will cure Alzheimers.
Success Will Bring New Challenges
Once a drug is proven effective at delaying the onset of MCI, a condition that can be an early stage of AD), or in delaying or stopping progression to AD, there will be interest in combining them to achieve larger therapeutic effects, Gauthier said.; Already combination therapies are widely used to fight cancer and to prevent AIDS in HIV-positive individuals. We should learn from other fields, such as oncology and infectious disease, about optimal trial designs to demonstrate additive benefits, Gauthier said.
He also urged the field to think through how you will use any of these drugs if and when its approved. For example, with a drug like aducanumab, which is delivered to the brain by injection, would the plan be to set up injection clinics?, Gauthier wondered aloud.; And since its a bioengineered drug that will be costly to manufacture, would it mainly be targeted it to ApoE4 carriers and others at greatest risk?; Gauthier also called for clearly defined start and stop rules, including time periods for gauging a drugs effect, as a way to prepare for optimal use of new drugs.
Finally, even as new therapies advance and bring hope, Gauthier feels its important to place a major emphasis on Alzheimers prevention. Non-pharmacologic interventions such as diet and exercise, have shown encouraging results, he said, and need to be part and parcel of the effort to meet Alzheimers challenges.
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Let Us Devise A Treatment Plan Just For You
While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no way to reverse the deterioration it causes, we provide optimal treatment of the disease and the possibility of participating in cutting-edge research, as well as guidance, education, and support for you and your loved ones. Treatment may include:
Potential New Treatment Target For Alzheimer’s Disease
- Date:
- Keck School of Medicine of USC
- Summary:
- A new study not only sheds light on how the APOE4 gene may cause some of the pathologies associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but also suggests a new treatment target that might help people who carry the APOE4 gene in early and late stages of the disease. Researchers found that APOE4 is associated with the activation of an inflammatory protein that causes a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier which protects the brain.
Like amyloid plaque, the genetic variant APOE4 has long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but still little is known about the role the gene plays in the disease process.
Now, a new study published in Nature Aging not only sheds light on how the gene may instigate a cascade of pathologies that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, but also suggests a new treatment target that might help people who carry the APOE4 gene in early and late stages of the disease. Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers found that APOE4 is associated with the activation of an inflammatory protein that causes a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier which protects the brain.
The latest findings also suggest a new potential treatment to slow down or prevent the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease in patients with the APOE4 gene, independently of amyloid- pathology.
The role of APOE4, pericytes and Cyclophilin A in Alzheimer’s disease
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Home Remedies And Lifestyle
Non-drug approaches focus on treating the behavioral, psychological, and emotional symptoms of Alzheimer’s by changing the way you understand and interact with the person with the disease.
These approaches recognize that behavior is often a way of communicating for those with Alzheimer’s. The goal of non-drug approaches is to understand the meaning of the challenging;behaviors and why they are present.
Non-drug approaches should generally be attempted before using psychotropic medications since they do not have the potential for side effects or medication interactions.
Limitations Of The Evidence
There are important limitations in the literature on pharmacologic management of dementia. First, most studies include patients with dementia due to Alzheimer disease and not other types of dementia, so results are applicable only to Alzheimer disease. Additionally, the definition of probable or likely Alzheimer disease and of dementia severity varies among studies. Second, recruitment and retention of participants with dementia can be difficult, and participationparticularly in the later stages of diseaserequires caregiver support and often consent from a surrogate decision-maker. Third, study populations are often not reflective of populations seen in clinical practice; most patients enrolled in the studies have undergone extensive workup to define the likely etiology of dementia and may have classic presentations of Alzheimer disease or other dementia syndromes. Additionally, patients with neuropsychiatric or behavioral symptoms are often excluded from study populations. Finally, outcome measures across studies are inconsistent. Multiple validated tools and scales are used to assess important aspects of dementia progression, including cognition, functional status, and caregiver burden, and there is no consensus on which tools to use to assess outcomes. This leads to difficulty in comparing results across studies, as well as difficulty in extrapolating clinical significance from small, statistically significant changes in scores across studies.
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Fdas Accelerated Approval Program
Aducanumab was approved through the FDAs Accelerated Approval Program, which provides a path for earlier approval of drugs that treat certain serious conditions. This helps people living with the disease gain earlier access to the treatment. The approval of aducanumab was based on the ability of the drug to reduce amyloid in the brain. When using the accelerated approval pathway, drug companies are required to conduct additional studies to determine whether there is in fact clinical benefit after the drug is approved. If the follow-up trial fails to verify clinical benefit, the FDA may withdraw approval of the drug. Results of the phase 4 clinical trial for aducanumab are expected to be available by early 2030.
How Is Alzheimers Disease Diagnosed
These tests are used to diagnose Alzheimers disease or to rule out other medical conditions that cause symptoms similar to Alzheimers disease:
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Can Eating Certain Foods Or Diets Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
People often wonder if a certain diet or specific foods can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The recent NASEM review of research did not find enough evidence to recommend a certain diet to prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s. However, certain diets and healthy eating patterns have been associated with cognitive benefits. Studies of diets, such as the Mediterranean diet and the MIND dieta combination of the Mediterranean and DASH dietsare underway. Learn more about what we know about diet and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information, read What Do We Know About Diet and Alzheimer’s Prevention?