Preserving Your Memory

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Five million Americans have Alzheimer's disease (AD), and these numbers are expected to triple by mid-century. Can medical research prevent this heartbreak or at least provide disease-modifying drugs that will allow people with Alzheimer's to live normally rather than in nursing homes under palliative care, in the shadow of a 100 million caregivers and other affected individuals?

Neuroscientists believe that a mixture of genetic and environmental factors causes AD. The most common form of AD generally occurs late in life, after age 65, and is also referred to as "late-onset" or "sporadic" AD, though it can occur earlier. A rare form of AD is caused by specific gene mutations. It is called "familial" AD (FAD) and because it generally occurs early in life (before age 50), it is also referred to as "early-onset AD."

Our hope for a powerful AD treatment for FAD and sporadic AD is based mainly on belief in the "amyloid hypothesis," which is explained in the feature article, "Untangling the Mystery of Alzheimer's Disease," on page 8. The majority of neuroscientists believe that beta-amyloid is a key player in AD. Another protein, called tau, is also likely to play a role. Our theories of AD will soon be tested. New therapies and drugs are in clinical trials, and many more are being developed in academic and commercial labs. We are likely to have a good idea in the next three years whether we've been getting it right or whether our concepts and approach require revision.

At the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at The Rockefeller University, we are engaged in two kinds of investigations in an attempt to find effective treatments for AD. One approach is to take what we know now and apply it. This includes creating experimental drugs and other therapies, and testing them in models of AD. Our other approach is to learn how the brain works, both in health and disease. The more we know about the brain's mechanics, the more tools we will have to make interventions. William J. Netzer, PhD http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=NCEba&m=1aV3.o34atclTD&b=aUQ3d4TQzNRdArnDkC7WTw

Prebiotics in formula may cut infant infections
Inclusion of prebiotic fibres in infant formula may cut the recurrence of infection during the first six-months of life by about 10 per cent, suggests new research.

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