by Sean Patterson for WebProNews:

A new study shows that a drug used to treat insulin resistance in diabetics could improve cognitive performance in some people with Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, the drug rosiglitazone was used on mice that have been genetically engineered to serve as models for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that treatment with the drug improved learning and memory in the mice, while it also normalized insulin resistance.

The researchers believe that the drug reduced the negative influence of Alzheimer’s on a brain-signaling molecule called extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). ERK becomes hyperactive in the brains of Alsheimer’s patients when they begin to exhibit mild cognitive impairment. This leads to improper synaptic transmission between neurons. The study shows that the drug activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARy) pathway in the brain, reducing ERK activity.

by Fiona Macrae & Paul Bentley for The Daily Mail:

A pill said to halt the devastating onset of Alzheimer’s disease could be on the market within four years, scientists said yesterday.

Believed to be more than twice as good as anything already available, it could greatly slow or even halt the progression of the cruel illness. Given early enough, it could stop Alzheimer’s from ever developing, an international dementia conference was told yesterday.

by Ransdell Pierson for Reuters:

Levels of a protein believed to be a main cause of Alzheimer’s disease rose in the blood of patients treated with Eli Lilly’s experimental drug in late-stage trials, suggesting the protein, beta amyloid, was removed from the brain as intended, researchers said on Monday.

Lilly in August disclosed that its drug solanezumab did not significantly arrest progression of the memory-robbing disease in the pair of Phase III studies, which tested patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

But the company later said an analysis of combined data from the two trials suggested the drug significantly slowed cognitive decline in patients with only mild symptoms, although it did not slow the decline of their physical function.

The finding from the pooled trial data helped restore some faith in the closely followed Lilly drug – that it might hold promise in treating patients who have not yet developed symptoms or who are in the very earliest stages of the disease.

by Dementia Today:

Washington State University researchers have developed a new drug candidate that dramatically improves the cognitive function of rats with Alzheimer’s-like mental impairment.

Their compound, which is intended to repair brain damage that has already occurred, is a significant departure from current Alzheimer’s treatments, which either slow the process of cell death or inhibit cholinesterase, an enzyme believed to break down a key neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory development. Such drugs, says Joe Harding, a professor in WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, are not designed to restore lost brain function, which can be done by rebuilding connections between nerve cells.

“This is about recovering function,” he says. “That’s what makes these things totally unique. They’re not designed necessarily to stop anything. They’re designed to fix what’s broken. As far as we can see, they work.”

by Shannon Pettypiece for Bloomberg:

Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY)’s experimental Alzheimer’s treatment slowed memory loss and cognitive decline in early-stage patients by about 30 percent, offering the first evidence that a medication may hamper the course of the ailment, researchers said.

The benefit, though small, supports further research targeting a protein called beta amyloid, said Rachelle Doody, chairwoman of Alzheimer’s disease research at Baylor College of Medicine who presented the findings today at the American Neurological Association meeting in Boston.

The independent analysis by Doody and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, supported Lilly’s report in August. At that time, Lilly said the drug, solanezumab, slowed mental decline in those with mild Alzheimer’s while providing no benefit to more advanced patients. To market the drug, Lilly may need to do another study to confirm the findings, said Maria Carrillo, a vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association.

by No Camels:

Last May, Israel’s Avraham Pharmaceuticals announced the beginning of a Phase 2 study of Ladostigil, an Israeli-developed drug candidate to treat mild cognitive impairment, one of the signs associated with the onset of senile dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Ladostigil is just the latest Israeli advance in the quest to help the global healthcare community prevent, treat and better understand Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a fatal and progressive brain disorder that is the most common cause of dementia worldwide.

by JD Journal:

A Swiss drug manufacturer, Roche Holding AG, feels that it has taken the lead in the race to develop a drug that could alter the course of Alzheimer’s disease since many other companies suffered setbacks.  A clinical trial operated by the company has been doubled in size so its experimental drug known as gantenerumab can be tested in patients who have not been diagnosed with dementia yet.

“The playing field has changed dramatically and gantenerumab is now the most advanced monoclonal antibody in early Alzheimer’s and the next big news to read out in this space,” Luca Santarelli, Roche’s head of neuroscience, said in an interview.

by Medical XPress:

A compound developed to treat neuropathic pain has shown potential as an innovative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study by researchers at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and Anesthesiology Institute.

“Cleveland Clinic dedicated two years of research into the examination of this compound and our findings show it could represent a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Mohamed Naguib, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. “Development of this compound as a potential drug for Alzheimer’s would take many more years, but this is a promising finding worthy of further investigation.”

by Claire Bates for Daily Mail:

A once-a-day tablet that harnesses a chemical found in pine cones shows great promise in both preventing and slowing the progress of Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug, known as NIC5-15, has been shown in animal studies to be effective in preventing the formation of amyloid plaques. These are believed to coat the brain cells stopping them from working effectively.

The degenerative disease is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 300,000 people in the UK. Early symptoms include minor memory problems and forgetting the right words. Later symptoms include severe confusion and dramatic changes of personality. A sufferer can also experience delusions.

by Health Day News for Doctors Lounge:

For patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), treatment with 5 or 10 mg/day donepezil is associated with significant cognitive, behavioral, and global function improvements, according to research published in the July issue of the Annals of Neurology.

Etsuro Mori, M.D., Ph.D., of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, and colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 140 patients with DLB who received either placebo or 3, 5, or 10 mg of donepezil hydrochloride per day for 12 weeks (35, 35, 33, and 37 patients, respectively).

Cognitive function was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); behavioral changes were measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory; global function was evaluated using the Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change-plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-plus); and caregiver burden was also assessed.