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- High or Low Blood Pressure May Raise the Risk of Dementia
- How Alcohol Might Affect Your Dementia Risk
- The Hidden Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Susceptible to Scams? It May Be an Early Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers May Benefit from Happiness Training
- Giving Up the Guns When a Family Member Has Alzheimer’s
- Care Management Program Is Reducing Need for Anti-anxiety Medication and Visits to the Hospital/Emergency Room
- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
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- Anemia Tied to Alzheimer’s Risk
- ‘Squeezed’ Blood Vessels in the Brain May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
- Lack of Deep Sleep Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Inflammation in Middle Age Tied to Thinking and Memory Problems Later
- Frailty May Increase Susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Intensive Blood Pressure Control May Help Keep Memory Sharp
- Inflammation May Spur the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- High Blood Pressure of Pregnancy Tied to Late-Life Dementia
- Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Share Genetic Links
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- Drugs May Not Be the Best Choice for Easing the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Drug May Lead to Life-Threatening Muscle Disease
- Opioid Painkillers Increase Pneumonia Risk in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Drug Companies Halt Trials of Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s Disease
- Diabetes Treatments May Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- Can Mushrooms Help Your Memory?
- Buyer Beware: Dietary Supplement’s Won’t Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
- Experimental Drug, Fails to Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients
- New Drug Shows Promise for Alzheimer’s
- Pain Relievers Present Special Hazards in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Trans Fats Tied to Increased Alzheimer’s Risk
- New Guidelines Urge a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Dementia
- At Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease? A Healthy Lifestyle May Help
- Exercise Can Help Keep the Brain ‘Young’
- Fighting Gum Disease May Aid in Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Aid in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
- For Brain Health, Choose Heart-Healthy Foods
- Keeping Physically and Mentally Active at Midlife May Cut Dementia Risk
- How Exercise May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- 6 Months of Moderate Exercise Can Sharpen the Mind
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- A Rare Genetic Mutation May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
- Income Drops in Young Adulthood May Impair Brain Health
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Grows Closer
- Are We Getting Closer to an Alzheimer’s Vaccine?
- Why More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s Disease
- Scientists get a ‘total surprise’ and a promising new clue for how to cure Alzheimer’s
- Some 44 Million People Have Alzheimer’s Worldwide
- Nearly 14 Million Americans Will Have Alzheimer’s Disease by 2060
- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 8th Consecutive Year
- Fisher Center For Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Wins Fall 2018 Digital Health Awards®
- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
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Stress May Hasten Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
September 18, 2006
September 18, 2006
Studies suggest that stress may play an important role in the progression of Alzheimer’s, a disease that causes damage to parts of the brain essential for thinking and memory. Scientists at the University of California at Irvine found that mice injected with a drug that mimics stress in people had high levels of beta-amyloid, a toxic protein that builds up in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest that managing stress and avoiding certain medications that trigger stress hormones may be important parts of an Alzheimer’s care plan.
The mice had been genetically modified to develop a brain ailment that resembles Alzheimer’s in people. When young animals were given injections of dexamethasone, a substance similar to stress hormones in people, levels of toxic beta-amyloid jumped by 60 percent. Buildup of beta-amyloid is tied to the formation of brain-damaging plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers also found that levels of another protein called tau also increased in the mice. Tau is linked to so-called tangles in the brain, another characteristic of Alzheimer’s. The findings appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience.
“It is remarkable that these stress hormones can have such a significant effect in such a short period of time,” said study leader Frank LaFerla. “Although we have known for some time that higher levels of stress hormones are seen in individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, this is the first time we have seen how these hormones play such a direct role in exacerbating the underlying pathology of the disease.”
The development of brain defects was hastened in young animals, as well as in older mice that already had some buildup of plaques and tangles. The increased accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau also appeared to work in a “feedback loop” to hasten the progression of Alzheimer’s, the researchers note. They found that higher levels of beta-amyloid and tau led to an increase in the levels of the stress hormones, which would speed up the formation of more plaques and tangles.
Although it’s a long way from mice to people and much more research needs to be done, the investigators believe that these findings may have important implications for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
“This study suggests that not only is stress management an important factor in treating Alzheimer’s disease, but that physicians should pay close attention to the pharmaceutical products they prescribe for their elderly patients,” said Kim Green, a postdoctoral researcher in neurobiology and behavior and co-author of the paper. “Some medications prescribed for the elderly for various conditions contain glucocorticoids.” Green speculates that these drugs may be leading to accelerated cognitive decline in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. However, it is not known whether these drugs will have the same effect in humans.
Stress is a natural response as memory fades and everyday tasks become more difficult during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. This study suggests that managing that stress may be important for helping to slow the downward spiral of disease progression. We at the Fisher Center strongly agree with the idea that stress reduction is critically important in caring for the person with Alzheimer’s disease. Other research has shown that counseling and care from a team of experienced health-care providers may be key to managing stress, both in those with Alzheimer’s and those who care for them. Also, talk to your doctor about the medications you take.
www.Alzinfo.org, the Alzheimer’s Information Site, offers a wealth of expert advice on Alzheimer’s and caring for a loved one with the disease. For information on family support, therapeutic activities, and the care of Alzheimer’s disease, visit the alzinfo.org discussion on Continuing Care.
By www.ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Sources:
Journal of Neuroscience, August 30, 2006. University of California, Irvine.