#alzheimers

danie10@squeet.me

A New Headset Aims to Treat Alzheimer’s With Light and Sound

Pair of glasses with wide white frames. At the ends of the frame where the ears would be, are two headphones mounted which will fit over the ears.
In results from a Phase II trial published March 6 in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, the company showed that its novel treatment is safe and reported early hints that it may also have benefits for Alzheimer’s patients.

Cognito’s headset, dubbed Spectris, delivers flashing lights and sounds through a pair of connected glasses and headphones to stimulate gamma waves in the brain. Gamma waves are fast-frequency brain waves associated with thinking skills and memory, and people with Alzheimer’s are known to have fewer of these fast brain waves.

Compared with the placebo group, those who got the Cognito stimulation showed a 77 percent slowing in functional decline as measured by a scale that assesses how well Alzheimer’s patients are able to carry out daily activities, such as eating, dressing, and getting around.

But yes, although it looks very promising, the group tested is still way too small, and it seems a Phase III trial is now beginning with over 500 participants. Another thing to note is the person has to stay awake, so you can’t just fall asleep with this therapy.

See https://www.wired.com/story/cognito-wearable-device-light-sound-treatment-alzheimers-dementia/
#Blog, #alzheimers, #health, #technology

garryknight@diasp.org

Single brain scan can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease | Imperial News | Imperial College London

A single MRI scan of the brain could be enough to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research by Imperial College London.
The research uses machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimer’s. The advantage of the technique is its simplicity and the fact that it can identify the disease at an early stage when it can be very difficult to diagnose.

#science #medicine #health #neurology #senility #Alzheimers

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/237494/single-brain-scan-diagnose-alzheimers-disease/

dredmorbius@diaspora.glasswings.com

As Feinstein Declines, Democrats Struggle to Manage an Open Secret

She was once pressed to run for governor of California by President Bill Clinton. She was considered as a running mate to former Vice President Walter F. Mondale. And after the bitter 2008 Democratic primary, it was in her living room that former Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton met to make peace.

These days, however, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the trailblazing Democratic power broker who has served in the Senate for 30 years, is far from the towering presence she once was on the American political stage.

At 88, Ms. Feinstein sometimes struggles to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement — including about why she is increasingly dogged by questions about whether she is fit to serve in the Senate representing the 40 million residents of California, according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides who spoke about the situation on the condition of anonymity.

On Capitol Hill, it is widely — though always privately — acknowledged that Ms. Feinstein suffers from acute short-term memory issues that on some days are ignorable, but on others raise concern among those who interact with her. ...

An open secret and frequent attack point of the right is now being widely acknowledged.

As the Times notes, Feinstein's home-town paper, the San Francisco Chronicle, ran an article recently on the topic as well, "Colleagues worry Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, citing recent interactions" (14 April 2022).

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/us/politics/dianne-feinstein-memory-issues.html

#Politics #USPol #DianneFeinstein #Alzheimers #Dementia #USSenate

garryknight@diasp.org

Study finds link between Alzheimer’s and circadian clock | Alzheimer's | The Guardian

People who develop Alzheimer’s disease can experience sleep disturbances years before the condition takes hold, but whether one causes the other, or something more complex is afoot, has always proved hard for scientists to determine.
Now, researchers in the US have shed light on the mystery, in work that raises hopes for new therapies, and how “good sleep hygiene” could help to tackle the disease and its symptoms.

#science #medicine #health #dementia #alzheimers #sleep

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/10/study-finds-link-between-alzheimers-and-circadian-clock

garryknight@diasp.org

Viagra could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, study finds | Alzheimer's | The Guardian

Viagra could be a useful treatment against Alzheimer’s disease, according to a US study.
[Researchers] found sildenafil users were 69% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than non-sildenafil users after six years of follow-up. To further explore the drug’s potential effect on Alzheimer’s disease, researchers developed a lab model that showed that sildenafil increased brain cell growth and targeted tau proteins, offering insights into how it might influence disease-related brain changes. The findings were published in Nature Aging.

#science #medicine #health #senility #Alzheimers #Viagra #sildenafil

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/dec/06/viagra-could-be-used-to-treat-alzheimers-disease-study-finds

garryknight@diasp.org

Could the Covid Vaccine (and Others) Prevent Alzheimer’s? | WSJ

Covid vaccines enormously reduce the risk of death and hospitalization in those who have been infected by the novel coronavirus. But could they also help protect seniors against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? There’s reason to hope so.

#science #medicine #health #Covid-19 #CoronaVirus #pandemic #dementia #alzheimers

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-coronavirus-vaccine-prevent-alzheimers-dementia-neurodegenerative-11628196831