New Research Advances from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010
HONOLULU, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, nearly
4,000 scientists from around the world gathered to report and
discuss the latest advances in research on treatments, risk
factors, and diagnosis for the health epidemic of the 21st century
- Alzheimer's disease - at the Alzheimer's Association's 2010
International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (AAICAD 2010) in
Honolulu.
"With an aging baby boomer generation, the Alzheimer's disease
crisis will continue to touch more lives and create an
unsustainable fiscal toll on the nation's healthcare system -
particularly Medicare and Medicaid," said William Thies, PhD, Chief
Medical and Scientific Officer at the Alzheimer's
Association.
"This week we saw promising investigations being pursued on a
variety of fronts - avenues that could very well lead to
significant changes in Alzheimer diagnosis and treatment. However,
the chronic underinvestment in Alzheimer research continues to be
the greatest obstacle to bringing new, more effective therapies to
people," Thies said.
"Every day, researchers go to work with the sole purpose of
advancing our understanding and knowledge about Alzheimer's, which
is the defining disease of the baby boomer generation. We need a
government response that shows equal commitment by providing the
level of funding for research that will get us better diagnostic
tests, treatments, and a cure," Thies added.
Highlights from the AAICAD 2010 included:
-- The Alzheimer's Association announced the launch of Alzheimer's
Association TrialMatch(TM), a confidential, free, and interactive tool
that provides comprehensive clinical trial information and an
individualized trial matching service for people with Alzheimer's
disease and related dementias. The Internet (www.alz.org/trialmatch)
and phone-based (800-272-3900) program provides a first-of-its-kind
service in Alzheimer's by delivering individualized matches to
clinical trials for people with Alzheimer's, their healthcare
professionals, caregivers, and healthy volunteers.
-- The Dementia Demonstration Project (DDP), an interdisciplinary effort
led by the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinic Center at the
Minneapolis Veterans (VA) Medical Center, found that early detection,
diagnosis and care management for people newly diagnosed with
cognitive impairment and dementia can reduce outpatient costs by
almost 30 percent. Veterans in the study who were diagnosed in the DDP
clinics saw their average outpatient healthcare costs decline by an
average of $1,991 in the year after diagnosis of cognitive impairment
compared with the year before diagnosis. In the DDP clinics, following
evaluation, the dementia care team met with the patient and family to
review the results, discuss the diagnosis, and outline treatment
recommendations. Informational material, assistance in identifying
needed services, and direct support and training from team members was
provided, as needed.
-- Evidence from three long-term, large-scale studies (Framingham Study,
Cardiovascular Health Study, NHANES III) supports the association of
physical activity and certain dietary elements (tea, vitamin D) with
possibly maintaining cognitive ability and reducing dementia risk in
older adults. Plus, a new study in an animal model of Alzheimer's
reported today at AAICAD 2010 suggests that an antioxidant-rich diet
with walnuts may benefit brain function. Research has pointed towards
a number of factors that may impact our risk of Alzheimer's and
cognitive decline, the strongest being reducing cardiovascular risk
factors. The Alzheimer's Association and others have repeatedly called
for longer-term, larger-scale research studies to clarify the roles
that these factors play in the health of the aging brain. These
studies from AAICAD 2010 are some of the first reports of this type in
Alzheimer's, and that is encouraging, but it is not yet definitive
evidence.
-- Scientists at AAICAD 2010 presented the first draft reports from three
workgroups - covering Alzheimer's disease dementia, mild cognitive
impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease, and preclinical
Alzheimer's disease - convened by the National Institute on Aging
(NIA) and the Alzheimer's Association to update the diagnostic
criteria for Alzheimer's disease for the first time in 25 years. The
proposals would change the existing criteria by better reflecting the
various stages of the disease and the inclusion of Alzheimer's disease
biomarkers. While the role of biomarkers differs in each of the three
stages, much remains to be understood concerning their reliability and
validity in diagnosis. This makes it critical that any new
recommendations be thoroughly tested. Further input will be solicited
by the NIA and the Association through a website launched immediately
after the AAICAD presentations at
www.alz.org/research/diagnostic_criteria.
-- The primary therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease has been the
beta amyloid peptide, which clusters outside cells in the brain to
form sticky clumps known as plaques. Recently, more attention has been
given to the tau protein, which aggregates inside the brain cells of
people with Alzheimer's, forming neurofibrillary tangles. Four new,
though very preliminary, research studies reported at AAICAD 2010
described experimental immunotherapies for Alzheimer's - two of which
target tau directly and two of which may reduce tau even though their
primary target was beta amyloid. Importantly, these studies teach us
more not only about tau-targeted therapies but also about the
progression of Alzheimer's disease. It may be that amyloid changes in
the brain happen early in Alzheimer's, and tau-related changes happen
"downstream" where they have a more direct effect on cognitive
function. Thus, immunotherapy treatments targeting amyloid may also
alter neurodegenerative processes that occur later in the disease.
However, this is still to be determined.
-- In an early finding reported at AAICAD 2010, a gene known as FTO,
which appears to be correlated with obesity in humans, may also
increase risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. When a person has
certain variants of both FTO and a recognized Alzheimer's risk gene
known as APOE, the risk of Alzheimer's could be doubled. FTO has
previously been shown to affect body mass index (BMI) and the risk for
diabetes. These vascular risk factors have also been associated with
risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the researchers found that the
increased risk was independent of these traits, suggesting that there
is a different mechanism by which FTO is associated with an increased
risk for Alzheimer's. We need to see these results confirmed by other
researchers. In fact, we need to know more, in general, about the
genetics and other causes of Alzheimer's so that we have additional
targets for therapies and preventions.
-- Last minute scientific submissions to AAICAD 2010, known as "hot
topics," suggested that (1) a newly-discovered risk gene for
Alzheimer's may have early impact on memory skills and brain volume,
(2) intranasal insulin may be beneficial in Alzheimer's, and (3) beta
amyloid deposits in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease may
take different shapes based on a known Alzheimer's risk gene.
-- Two studies reported at AAICAD 2010 give us more information about
the TOMM40 gene - a newly identified risk gene for Alzheimer's.
They found that healthy, middle aged people who have the high risk
version of TOMM40 (a) did worse on memory tests and (b) had
reduced brain volume in two regions affected early in Alzheimer's.
-- A short-term (4 months) clinical trial of intranasal insulin in
Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) showed
statistically significant benefits on certain tests of memory and
functioning, but no changes on others. In those who showed
benefits on memory tests, there were also positive changes in
Alzheimer's biomarkers in spinal fluid. Larger, longer-term
studies are planned.
-- Researchers using a new imaging tool suggest that there are
different shapes of beta amyloid deposits in the Alzheimer brain
based on which version a person has of a well-established
Alzheimer's risk gene, known as APOE. This may be especially
important because in some recent drug trials the therapy provided
benefits in people who had certain types of APOE but were less
effective or not effective in others.
-- Two new studies from AAICAD 2010 suggest that having Alzheimer's
disease may increase the risk of getting other potentially disabling
health conditions, including seizures and anemia. Researchers in one
study found that that the rate of seizures, per 1,000 people per year,
in a study population that included 14,838 people with Alzheimer's
aged 50 years or older and 14,838 randomly-selected, age- and
sex-matched people without Alzheimer's, was 9.1 among patients with
Alzheimer's compared with 1.4 for those without Alzheimer's - an
incidence rate that was 6.4 times higher. In a second study of 1,112
older adults (768 healthy controls, 133 MCI, 211 Alzheimer's), people
with anemia were found to have an increased risk of Alzheimer's (odds
ratio: 2.56). And people with Alzheimer's in the study were found to
have an increased risk of being anemic (odds ratio: 2.61). If
Alzheimer's also increases risk of other disabling conditions, then
its impact may be more devastating than we've envisioned as the global
population ages and as more countries become westernized in their
habits and lifestyles.
-- Racially and ethnically diverse older adults are one of the fastest
growing population segments in the United States. New research
presented at AAICAD 2010 revealed that older African-Americans and
Latinos with significant cognitive impairment have a lower likelihood
of nursing home placement and longer survival than White older adults
in the study. These results have significant implications for
caregiver burden and community resources. There is a greater than
anticipated need for culturally-appropriate dementia care resources
and home and community- based services for these populations.
-- These findings are particularly compelling since African-Americans
are about two times more likely and Latinos about one and one-half
times more likely to develop Alzheimer's and dementia than Whites,
according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 Alzheimer's
Disease Facts and Figures report.
-- Another study reported at AAICAD 2010 suggests that the
bereavement process and mourning experience for Alzheimer
caregivers after the death of their loved one varies greatly among
different racial and ethnic groups.
-- A third research report suggested that cultural and spiritual
beliefs of African-Americans, American Indians and Whites greatly
influence how long it takes for a family to seek a medical
diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
About AAICAD
The Alzheimer's Association International Conference on
Alzheimer's Disease (AAICAD) is the world's largest conference of
its kind, bringing together researchers from around the world to
report and discuss groundbreaking research and information on the
cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease
and related disorders. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's
research program, AAICAD serves as a catalyst for generating new
knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research
community.
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health
organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission
is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of
research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected,
and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain
health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit
www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.
Source: Alzheimer's Association
CONTACT: Alzheimer's Association media line:
+1-312-335-4078,
media@alz.org, or ICAD 2010 press room,
July 10-15: +1-808-792-6523
Web Site: http://www.alz.org/
Posted: July 2010
