News
Find out what’s hitting the headlines in our pioneering dementia research and how your support is bringing us closer to a cure.
If you have a press enquiry please visit our Press Office page.
- All
- Archive
- Celebrity news
- Fundraising news
- Policy news
- Science news
Regulators approve accelerated review for Alzheimer’s drug
Today (Friday 7 August) the US drug regulator (FDA) announced that the potential Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab, has been accepted for a priority review process. What is aducanumab? Aducanumab is an antibody designed to target amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s at an early stage in the disease process.…
Education may help protect brain even in genetic Alzheimer’s
Researchers in Canada have found that more years of education is linked with a reduced build-up of the hallmark protein, amyloid, in the brains of people with faulty genes that cause Alzheimer’s. The scientific journal Neurology published the findings today (Wednesday 5 August). What did the researchers look at? Researchers looked at a group of…
Dementia rates falling by 13% per decade over last 30 years
A global team of researchers led by Prof Albert Hofman, from the Harvard School of Public Health, analysed data from seven population-based studies in the United States and Europe. They found the incidence of dementia fell 13% per decade over last 30 years, between 1988 and 2015. Early results from this research had previously been…
Eliminating 12 modifiable risk factors could reduce dementia cases by 40%
A new report has estimated that the number of dementia cases worldwide could be reduced by 40% if 12 risk factors for the condition could be completely eliminated. The Lancet Commission Report has included excessive alcohol use, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and pollution as three new risk factors in its updated model for dementia risk.
High BMI in early adulthood could increase risk of dementia in later life
Research presented today (Thursday 30 July) at the 2020 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference links high Body Mass Index (BMI) during early adulthood with an increased risk of dementia in later life. While research into BMI and dementia risk has been conducted for some time, past studies have typically focussed on BMI in mid or later…
Differences in early-life education linked to dementia risk
Research presented at the 2020 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference suggests that higher quality early-life education is linked to better language and memory performance, and lower risk of dementia. The researchers in the US followed a diverse group of over 2,400 people for up to 21 years. They found that a higher quality of education was…
Gum disease linked with increased dementia risk
Researchers in the US have linked gum disease with an increased risk of dementia. The scientific journal Neurology published the findings today (Wednesday 22 July). What did the researchers look at? The team looked at 4,559 volunteers, aged between 45 and 64 years. The volunteers, who were based in the US, did not have dementia…
Progressing towards a tau blood test for Alzheimer’s disease
Four new studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) and two published papers show that levels of tau, a hallmark protein of Alzheimer’s disease, in the blood could be used to detect the disease The research focuses on a specific form of tau, p-tau217 The new data suggests blood levels of p-tau217 can predict the development…
Infections increase risk of death and vaccines show significant benefit for dementia
Results suggest seasonal flu vaccine reduces Alzheimer’s disease risk Pneumonia vaccine also linked with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s Dementia and infection when admitted to hospital increases likelihood of death Research presented at the 2020 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference indicates that people with dementia are at increased risk of death from infection, while vaccinating against flu…
Better memory and thinking found to protect against later decline
A team of US researchers have found that those with better memory and thinking in later life are less likely to develop problems a decade later. The researchers published their findings today (Wednesday 22 July) in the scientific journal, Neurology. What did the researchers look at? The team looked at 100 volunteers who were over…
