Current Alzheimer Research - Volume 14, Issue 4, 2017

High-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) was introduced in the late 1980s for the treatment of movement disorders. This reversible, adjustable, and non-ablative therapy has been used to treat more than 100,000 people worldwide. The surgical procedure used to implant the DBS system, as well as the effects of chronic electrical stimulation, have been shown to be safe and effective through many clinical trials. Given the abili Read More

The major components of the cholinergic receptor system of the human brain include projections from the basal forebrain nuclei, and utilize the two types of receptors that they synapse on, nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. With the widespread cortical and subcortical projections of the basal forebrain, activity of these two receptor systems provide modulation of neurotransmitter activity underlying nor Read More

Therapeutic strategies that target pathways of protein misfolding and the toxicity of intermediates along these pathways are mainly at discovery and early development stages, with the exception of monoclonal antibodies that have mainly failed to produce convincing clinical benefits in late stage trials. The clinical failures represent potentially critical lessons for future neurodegenerative disease drug development. More effe Read More

Introduction: To date there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). After amyloid beta immunotherapies have failed to meet primary endpoints of slowing cognitive decline in AD subjects, the inhibition of the beta-secretase BACE1 appears as a promising therapeutic approach. Pre-clinical data obtained in APP23 mice suggested that the anti-cancer drug thalidomide decreases brainBACE1 and Aβ levels. This prompted us to deve Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects an estimated 44 million individuals worldwide, yet no therapeutic intervention is available to stop the progression of the dementia. Neuropathological hallmarks of AD are extracellular deposits of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides assembled in plaques, intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein forming tangles, and chronic inflammation. A pivotal molecule in inflammation is the p Read More

The field of Alzheimer disease (AD) prevention has been a culmination of basic science, clinical, and translational research. In the past three years since the new 2011 AD diagnostic guidelines, large-scale collaborative efforts have embarked on new clinical trials with the hope of someday preventing AD. This review will shed light on the historical and scientific contexts in which these trials were based on, as well as discuss p Read More

Depression is a common neuropsychiatric manifestation among Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. It may compromise everyday activities and lead to a faster cognitive decline as well as worse quality of life. The identification of promising biomarkers may therefore help to timely initiate and improve the treatment of preclinical and clinical states of AD, and to improve the long-term functional outcome. In this narrative review, Read More

Background: β-secretase (BACE1) is a type 1 transmembrane protein implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathogenesis. Cleavage of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), initiated by BACE1 and followed by γ-secretase, leads to the formation of toxic Aβ peptides. Increased levels of BACE1 have been detected in the CSF of AD patients compared to age-matched healthy controls indicating that neurodegenerative conditions i Read More

Background: Amnestic MCI (aMCI) has notably increased in Shanghai, China. Objective: The study was designed to estimate the prevalence and incidence rates of aMCI and to determine the risk and protective factors for aMCI among persons ≥ 60 years-old and ≥ 70 years-old in Shanghai communities, respectively. Method: We carried out this 1-year longitudinal study to survey a random sample of 1,302 individuals ≥ 60 ye Read More