Georgetown University Medical Center NEWS RELEASE:CLICK TO READ MORE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE: "Based on laboratory research, scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have a new theory as to why people with Alzheimer's disease have trouble performing even the simplest memory tasks, such as remembering a family member's name.

That's because they discovered a physical link between apolipoprotein E (APOE), the transport molecules known to play a role in development of the disease, and glutamate, a brain chemical necessary for establishing human memory.

In a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the research team specifically found that receptors on the outside of brain nerve cells (neurons) that bind on to APOE and glutamate are connected on the surface of neurons, separated from each other by only a small protein.

While the researchers don't know why these receptors are linked together, they say inefficient or higher-than-average levels of APOE in the brain could possibly be clogging these binding sites, preventing glutamate from activating the processes necessary to form memories......"

READ MORE: "A ribbon-like cochlear implant developed at the University of Michigan could greatly improve hearing for profoundly deaf patients, and simplify insertion to help surgeons minimize damage to healthy ear tissue.

A team led by U-M's Kensall D. Wise, director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS), made the implant using thin-film electrode sites that directly stimulate the auditory nerve.

The implant is currently being tested in guinea pigs and cats, said Wise, who has appointments in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The device may be available in four to five years for use in humans, Wise said, and could be used in current cochlear patients%u2014removing the old device first%u2014to improve their hearing. Additionally, the FDA approves implants for wider use as the technology improves.

Approximately 100,000 patients today have received cochlear implants worldwide. The current technology, Wise said, is bulky, difficult for surgeons to insert, and doesn't allow a great range of perceived frequencies. The present implants use electrodes formed from a bundle of wires fed into the snail-shaped cochlea of the inner ear, but difficulties in inserting such devices make it tough to achieve the deep insertion needed to stimulate lower-frequency sounds, and collisions with the cochlear wall can damage any residual hearing that still exists.

'The range of frequencies that can be stimulated depends on how far into the cochlea the implant can go, with the lower frequencies located further up toward the apex of the spiral canal,' Wise said. In current technology, each implant has anywhere from 16 to 22 stimulating sites along its length. By contrast, the U-M implant will host up to 128 stimulating sites.

'More sites mean greater tonal range and...."

READ MORE- MSNBC.com: "A judge who had to decide if it was love or Alzheimer’s disease ruled in favor of romance.

Davidson County Circuit Judge Randy Kennedy granted permission Tuesday for an 83-year-old man who lost control of his financial affairs because he has a mild form of senile dementia to marry his 48-year-old fianc�e.

Relatives of the man, Vic Varallo, have opposed the marriage saying his disease prevents him from understanding what he is doing. They claim his fianc�e, Sheila White, has kept Varallo away from family and friends."

READ MORE: "Age-related brain changes appear to make it harder for older adults to filter out distractions, a skill that multi-tasking younger adults and kids seem to have mastered, according to researchers. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of healthy adult brains at work on memory and attention tasks showed that 20-somethings and middle-age adults were equally good at shutting out distractions and concentrating on the task at hand, said Cheryl L. Grady, Ph.D., and colleagues of the Rotman Research Institute at the Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care here.

On the other hand, those 65 and older appeared to have lost some of their ability to juggle various sensory inputs, Dr. Grady and colleagues reported in the February issue of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

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READ MORE: "Evotec has announced the successful completion of the single ascending dose component of its phase I trial for its subtype-specific NMDA receptor antagonist drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimers disease. "

United Press International - READ MORE: "People who suffer a lifetime of depression are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and decline more rapidly into dementia, New York researchers say.

In a comparison of Alzheimer's disease victims, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers said the 44 with a lifetime of depression had more plaque and tangles in their hippocampus than the 51 who had no history of depression.

Cognitive tests also showed the depressed Alzheimer's victims declined more rapidly into dementia, researchers said."

MORE: "Georgia's House of Representatives approved a new statewide alert system today for disabled adults who go missing, similar to the Levi's Call system used for children who disappear.The 'Mattie's Call' bill was inspired by the case of Mattie Moore, a 68-year-old Alzheimer's patient who wandered away from her Atlanta home in April 2004. Her skeletal remains were located eight months later less than one mile away......"

READ MORE: " A new study of nearly 12,000 twins shows that Alzheimer's has a genetic cause in up to 80 percent of cases, researchers said......"

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE: "Some promising results have been reported from a number of studies on medications approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. I asked geriatric psychiatrist Allen Chroman for an update on research findings and implications for treatment."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE: "Will you ever get Alzheimer's disease? The genes you've inherited carry most of the risk, an identical-twin study shows.
It's surprising news. While people clearly inherit Alzheimer's disease risk, most researchers have given equal blame to 'environmental factors.' These factors may include things we encounter, things we do or don't do, or diseases we develop."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE: "Swedish doctors have evidence that concentrations of three proteins in the fluid that bathes the brain and spine are associated with the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease in people with mild cognitive impairment."