Finding effective treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is elusive. While most of what we hear about the disease is depressing, we may be on the threshold of some exciting discoveries concerning prevention. Washington University’s School of Medicine is in the middle of this new research and this hour, host Don Marsh is joined by Dr. John Morris, Director of Washington University’s Alzheimer’s Research Center, to talk about clinical trials aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Finally, there's some good news about Alzheimer's disease. It turns out that a few lucky people carry a genetic mutation that greatly reduces their risk of getting the disease, an Icelandic team reports in the journal Nature . The mutation also seems to protect people who don't have Alzheimer's disease from the cognitive decline that typically occurs with age.
The Missouri House is debating all 13 bills this afternoon that make up the state’s proposed budget for next year.
Lawmakers are offering up several amendments to the budget – one in particular would have shifted $150,000 from the state’s biodiesel fund to Alzheimer’s patients. It was sponsored by State Rep. Tracy McCreery (I, Olivette).
A new marker for Alzheimer's disease can be used to predict how quickly a patient will develop memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.
Researchers at Washington University measured levels of a marker called visinin-like protein 1 in in the spinal fluid of 60 patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's then tracked their symptoms for three years.
Neurologist Dr. Rawan Tarawneh, now at the University of Jordan, led the study.