Current Alzheimer Research - Volume 11, Issue 7, 2014

Epidemiologic studies suggest that we are on the precipice of a worldwide epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet current treatment options are limited to short term symptomatic relief. Recent advances in our knowledge of the neurobiology of AD have resulted in the development of several potential disease-modifying approaches based on immunotherapy. The present special ‘Hot Topic’ (HT) issue of “Current Alzheimer Rese Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease associated with intracerebral accumulation of aggregated amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau proteins, as well as neuroinflammation. Human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a mixture of polyclonal IgG antibodies isolated and pooled from thousands of healthy human donors. The scientific rationale for testing IVIG as a potential AD treatment include its natural anti-Aβ Read More

Human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been indicated as a potential therapy for autoimmune neurological disorders, as well as in many neurodegenerative diseases, with various underlying therapeutic mechanisms such as regulation of T-cell trafficking, cytokines, Fc receptor blocking, and interruption of complement activation cascade. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), IVIG presents naturally occurring antibodies a Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by deleterious accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide into senile plaque, neurofibrillary tangles formed from hyperphosphorylated tau protein, and loss of cholinergic synapses in the cerebral cortex. The deposition of Aβ-loaded plaques results in microglial activation and subsequent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including free radicals. Neurons in aging and AD brain Read More

Despite recent negative results of the Gammaglobulin Alzheimer's Partnership (GAP) trial, the good tolerability to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and its potential benefit for patient subpopulations have highlighted the importance of understanding IVIG’s mechanism of action. IVIG contains antibodies to amyloid suggesting an amyloid clearance mechanism. However, the suboptimal results of the amyloid immunotherapy tria Read More

Intravenous immunoglobulin infusions into Alzheimer patients have been found to provide cognitive benefit over a period of 6 mo in open label studies. One suggestion has been that these preparations contain small amounts of antibodies directed against monomeric and oligomeric Aβ which underlie their effectiveness in patients. To test this hypothesis, we infused Gammagard®, a version of intravenous immunoglobuli Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Current approaches for AD treatment only ameliorate symptoms. Therapeutic strategies that target the pathological processes of the disease remain elusive. Fluoxetine (FLX) is one of the most widely used antidepressants for the treatment of depression and anxiety associated with AD, however, it is unknown if the dru Read More

Objective: To examine the association of mid-life exposure to several psychiatric disorders with the development of late-life dementia. Methods: A matched case-control study using Western Australian state-wide hospital inpatient, outpatient mental health and emergency records linked to death records. Incident dementia cases (2000-2009) aged 65 to 84 years were sex- and age-matched to an electoral roll control. Records as f Read More

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) is highly expressed throughout the forebrain and hippocampus. Several lines of evidence support the role of this receptor in brain development and developmental disorders, as well as in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, the expression pattern of mGluR5 was investigated by immunocytochemistry in the developing hippocampus from pa Read More

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between low bone mineral density (BMD) and conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia in a Chinese cohort. Methods: Men and women (n=946) aged 60–75 underwent a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) study of the lumbar spine and hip and were followed annually for 5 years. Their cognitive and functional statu Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is contributed by multiple pathogenic causes. The anomalous protein amyloid-β (Aβ) is regarded as a pivotal factor in AD, and originates from enzymatic cleavage of a precursor protein by the secretase family. 1-(3’,4’-Dichloro-2-fluoro[1,1’-biphenyl]-4-yl)-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (CHF5074) is a non-steroidal antiinflammatory derivative able to inhibit Aβ deposition in the brain of transg Read More