A simple blood test to detect whether a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight and could eventually help scientists in their quest toward reversing the disease's onset in those likely to develop the debilitating neurological condition.

A new UK study found that older people with higher levels of vitamin B12 were six times less likely to experience brain volume loss, leading the researchers to suggest that the vitamin, which is found in meat, fish, milk, and eggs may protect against brain shrinkage, which is linked to reduced cognitive function.

ITV presenter Ruth Langsford leapt off This Morning's sofa and strolled out to raise money for Alzheimer's Society at the Adidas Women's 5K in Hyde Park yesterday, 7 September 2008. Ruth, an Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society, joined over 200 Alzheimer's Society runners and walked with her Mum, Joan. Ruth took part for the second year running and supported Alzheimer's Society because her father Dennis has Alzheimer's disease.

A drug used to increase blood production in both medical treatments and athletic doping scandals seems also to improve memory in those using it. New research published in the open access journal BMC Biology shows that the memory enhancing effects of erythropoietin (EPO) are not related to its effects on blood production but due to direct influences on neurons in the brain.

This study found that low levels of vitamin B12 and high levels of homocysteine correlate with brain shrinkage in older people. Shrinkage is usually associated with the development of dementia. As vitamin B may be given as a food supplement, it may be useful to include tests of vitamin B levels in the general assessment of health of older individuals.

The following summarizes events related to reducing racial health care disparities. Portland, Ore.: Portland Community College's Cascade Campus on Saturday will host a conference that focuses on memory and aging in the black community, the

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and Medivation, Inc.(NASDAQ: MDVN) announced today that they have entered into an agreement to develop and commercialize Dimebon, Medivation's investigational drug for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. Dimebon currently is being evaluated in an international, confirmatory Phase III trial in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (http://www.connectionstudy.

New research from Rhode Island Hospital found that obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) can contribute to mild neurodegeneration with features common with Alzheimer's disease (AD) - the first study to show that obesity can cause neurodegeneration. The study appeared in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Volume 15:1 (September 2008) .

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has released two guidelines for companies developing medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and for Parkinson's disease, in the light of recent scientific progress in the understanding of these diseases and conditions. Advances in clinical science, physiopathology and molecular biology have stimulated new interest in the development of more effective symptomatic or disease-modifying treatments, i.e.

In a collaborative study at the University of California, San Diego, investigators from neurosciences, chemistry and medicine, as well as the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) have investigated how proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease interact to form unique complexes. Their findings explain why Alzheimer's patients might develop Parkinson's, and vice versa.

Dr. Forrest Scogin , an expert in mental health and aging and professor of clinical psychology at The University of Alabama, has won the M. Powell Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award for Applied Gerontology from the American Psychological Association. The award was given at the APA's convention last month in Boston.

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia and can help slow progression of the condition. This study demonstrates that exercise improves cognition in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and that there is a lasting effect even after the exercise intervention stops. Mild Cognitive Impairment is a term used to describe someone who has mild memory problems that are not serious enough to interfere with every day life.

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. ("ANAVEX") (OTCBB: AVXL), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to treat Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases and cancer, announced the successful completion of preclinical studies (in-vitro and in-vivo in mice) on ANAVEX 2-73, a novel sigma-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Treatment of hypertension has proven to reduce cardiovascular risk substantially, but a large proportion of people with hypertension in the general population are not even diagnosed or treated. As a risk factor for stroke, ischemic brain lesions and silent brain infarcts, general atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular morbidity, hypertension may also be a risk factor for dementia related to cerebrovascular disease.

As Scotland's review of the impact of recent changes to mental health legislation gears up, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland will be raising awareness of the impact of the legislation on older people at two major conferences this week. 'Five years after the mental health act' on September 2nd, will examine the progress that has been made towards delivering the intentions of the first major overhaul of Scottish mental health legislation in fifty years.

A study published in the September 3 issue of JAMA reports that cognitive function modestly improved in adults suffering with memory problems who participated in a home-based physical activity program compared to those who did not participate in the program. Alzheimer disease (AD) affects 26.6 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 106.2 million by 2050 as the world population increases. Nicola T. Lautenschlager, M.D.

People of south Asian or Black Caribbean origin are far more likely to hold a 'traditional' view of caregiving than White British people, new research shows. The study, published in the September issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that south Asian and Black Caribbean carers of people with dementia are more likely to perceive their caring role as natural, expected and virtuous.

Bradford Dementia Group at the University of Bradford leads the way in developing a standard in Dementia Care. On 18 August 2008, members of the Bradford Dementia Group and staff from the British Standards Institution (BSI) launched a project to develop a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) in dementia care.

As the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age, the number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease is expected to jump from 5 million to about 14 million in 2050.

This comprehensive study highlights the detrimental affect all types of antipsychotics have on people with dementia. It confirms previous research that these drugs vastly increase risk of stroke and death. Care home staff need specialist dementia training to effectively care for people with dementia. Alzheimer's Society research shows that specialist training could reduce antipsychotic use by 50% and save the UK £35 million a year, if it was mandatory.

For the first time, researchers have described hour-by-hour changes in the amount of amyloid beta, a protein that is believed to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease, in the human brain. A collaborative team of scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Milan report their results in Science.

A new study shows that older people's mental skills start declining years before death, even if they don't have dementia. The study is published in the August 27, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "These changes are different and separate from the changes in thinking skills that occur as people get older," said study author Valgeir Thorvaldsson, MSc, of Goteberg University in Sweden.

A new study shows that older people's mental skills start declining years before death, even if they don't have dementia. The study is published in the August 27, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "These changes are different and separate from the changes in thinking skills that occur as people get older," said study author Valgeir Thorvaldsson, MSc, of Goteberg University in Sweden.

Alzheimer's Society comment on the announcement by Carol Thatcher that Baroness Thatcher has dementia. The sad news that Baroness Thatcher has dementia has highlighted a condition that is desperately under recognised and underfunded in the UK. One in three people over 65 will die with a form of dementia. Dementia is not a natural part of ageing; it is caused by diseases of the brain and robs people of their lives.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), a public charity founded by the Estee Lauder family in 2004, is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with extreme athlete, former Marine, and elite personal trainer Mike Monroe. Mike will be raising money for the ADDF in the 25th anniversary Furnace Creek 508 (The 508) bicycle race on October 4-6, 2008, http://www.the508.com.