U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
N I A Logo
LEADING THE FEDERAL EFFORT ON AGING RESEARCH

News Releases


Below you will find current news releases announcing research findings on Alzheimer's disease and related topics from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The most recent release is posted first. 

To view releases from previous years, visit News Release Archives. For news releases from the NIA on other aging topics, please visit NIA Press Releases.

Scientists Isolate a Toxic Key to Alzheimer’s Disease in Human Brains
June 23, 2008 -- Scientists have long questioned whether the abundant amounts of amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s actually caused the neurological disease or were a by-product of its progress. Now, using new research techniques, scientists have shown that a two-molecule aggregate (or dimer) of beta-amyloid protein fragments may play a role in initiating the disease.  
 
Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans
February 25, 2008 -- Rates of cognitive impairment among older Americans are on the decline, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) comparing the cognitive health of older people in 1993 and 2002. Higher levels of education were associated with better cognitive health.  
 
Stress Hormone Impacts Memory, Learning in Diabetic Rodents
February 17, 2008 -- Diabetes is known to impair the cognitive health of people, but now scientists have identified one potential mechanism underlying these learning and memory problems. A new study in diabetic rodents finds that increased levels of a stress hormone produced by the adrenal gland disrupt the healthy functioning of the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for learning and short-term memory.   
 
Older Adults With Mild Memory Impairment Still Benefit From Cognitive Training in Areas Not Reliant on Memorization
November 30, 2007 -- Older adults with pre-existing mild memory impairment benefit from certain forms of cognitive training, according to a study published this week in the "Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society". These findings could indicate the ability for older adults to maintain skills that allow them to carry out daily tasks and lead a higher quality of life.  
 
One in Seven Americans Age 71 and Older Has Some Type of Dementia, NIH-Funded Study Estimates
October 30, 2007 -- A new analysis suggests that about 3.4 million Americans age 71 and older—one in seven people in that age group—have dementia, and 2.4 million of them have Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  
 
Scientists Use Shared Genome Data to Confirm SORL1 Gene Linked to Alzheimer's
Monday, October 29, 2007 -- Until recently, only one of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome has been linked to risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Now, a new NIH-supported study in the Nov. 19, 2007, issue of NeuroReport (now online) used a publicly shared genome dataset to strongly support findings that variation in the sequence of the SORL1 gene may be a second risk factor gene for late-onset disease.   
 
Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell Death in Dementia
September 26, 2007 -- Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer from a form of dementia and other neurological disorders.  
 
Study Finds Mix of Disease Processes at Work in Brains of Most People with Dementia
June 13, 2007 -- Few older people die with brains untouched by a pathological process, however, an individual’s likelihood of having clinical signs of dementia increases with the number of different disease processes present in the brain.  
 
Early Results from Alzheimer's Neuroimaging Biomarker Project Show Promise for Faster Study of Therapies
June 10, 2007 -- Alzheimer’s disease researchers may be able to reduce the time and expense associated with clinical trials, according to early results from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a public-private research partnership organized by the National Institutes of Health.   
 
Can an Omega-3 Fatty Acid Slow the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease?
May 10, 2007 -- NIH-supported researchers are launching a nationwide clinical trial to test whether an omega-3 fatty acid can impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.  
 
NIA Statement: Early Findings from ADAPT Indicate NSAIDS Do Not Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
April 25, 2007 -- Findings published today from the Alzheimer’s Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT) indicate that the drugs naproxen and celecoxib did not reduce risk for Alzheimer’s disease in an analysis of data from a clinical trial sponsored by NIA.  
 
In Memoriam: Leon Thal, M.D.
February 9, 2007 -- Dr. Leon Thal, one of the world’s leading researchers on Alzheimer’s disease and the head of the National Insitute on Aging’s (NIA) clinical trials consortium, the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), died Saturday, February 3, in a fatal airplane accident near San Diego, his home.  
 
Scientists Find New Genetic Clue to Cause of Alzheimer's Disease
January 14, 2007 -- Variations in a gene known as SORL1 may be a factor in the development of late onset Alzheimer's disease, an international team of researchers has discovered.   
 
Archives
 
Phone