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.

Study to Examine Early, Inherited Form of Alzheimer's
November 19, 2008 -- The adult children of people diagnosed with inherited Alzheimer's disease are the focus of a new study to better understand the biology of the disease. Researchers are seeking 300 volunteers with a biological parent with a known genetic mutation causing rare and typically early-onset forms of the disorder to join the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease Network (DIAN) study, a six-year, $16 million study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The scientists hope to identify the sequence of brain changes in early-onset Alzheimer's, even before symptoms appear, and by understanding this process, to also gain insight into the more common late-onset form of the disease.  
 
Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Fails to Show Benefit in Preventing Dementia in the Elderly
November 18, 2008 -- The dietary supplement Ginkgo biloba was found to be ineffective in reducing the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older people, according to a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association". Researchers conducted the trial known as the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study at four clinical sites over the course of 8 years. GEM is the largest clinical trial ever to evaluate ginkgo's effect on the occurrence of dementia.  
 
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.  
 
Archives
 
Phone