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Fife fundraiser made Champion of Alzheimer’s Research UK
A mother-of-two from Fife has been made a Champion of Alzheimer’s Research UK after raising over £40,000 for the UK’s leading dementia research charity. Cath Baxter, 45, decided to support the charity after seeing her mum, Liz Brown, diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2012. This rare form of dementia can affect a person’s personality…
Cambridge volunteers needed to help power the fight against dementia
Fundraisers in the Cambridge area are being asked to come forward to join a new fundraising group to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity. The charity is looking for volunteers with a range of skills to help the group, which aims to raise vital funds and awareness for dementia research. Members…
AXA Insurance staff take on the world to aid the fight against dementia
An AXA Insurance employee will be leading his colleagues round the world as he launches a 23,000-mile fundraising challenge for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Tony Roberts, 51, who is a Test Analyst at the company’s Ipswich office, is calling on the help of his peers to run the equivalent distance of a globe-trotting trip for the…
Speaking a second language shows benefits in Alzheimer’s
PNAS: The impact of bilingualism on brain reserve and metabolic connectivity in Alzheimer’s dementia Researchers in Italy have studied bilingual people with mild Alzheimer’s to understand how speaking two languages daily throughout life could be beneficial by increasing their so-called ‘cognitive reserve’. The study is published today in PNAS. Previous studies have shown that people…
New drug approach clears Alzheimer’s protein from brain in mice and monkeys
Science Translational Medicine: Tau reduction prevents neuronal loss and reverses pathological tau deposition and seeding in mice with tauopathy. A US study in mice and monkeys has shed light on a potential new treatment approach which not only reduces the build-up of the hallmark tau protein clumps found in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but…
Aberdeen welcomes Alzheimer’s Research UK fundraising group
Aberdeen’s first Alzheimer’s Research UK fundraising group has just launched and is welcoming new members from across the region. Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity, powering world class studies focusing on prevention, diagnosis and much-needed treatments for the condition. There are around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including…
David Cameron announced as President of Alzheimer’s Research UK
Former Prime Minister David Cameron has been announced as the new President of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity. Mr Cameron takes up the unpaid role, the highest level of ambassador to the charity, with a visit to its Cambridge Drug Discovery Institute. Mr Cameron made dementia a focus of his time in…
Alzheimer’s Research UK calls for charities to be part of Industrial Strategy
Alzheimer’s Research UK has welcomed plans for an Industrial Strategy that would see investment in science form a key part of the UK Government’s approach to economic growth. The charity is calling for the Government to ensure medical research charities have a role in its new strategy, to both increase funding and ensure patients are…
Scientist runs half marathon for dementia research
A medicinal chemist will be pulling on his running shoes and taking on the Surrey Half Marathon this March to raise hundreds of pounds for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Dr Stephen Wren, 45, started running when he turned 40 and has been doing marathons ever since. While training for the Abingdon Marathon last year, Stephen was…
Hayling Island scientist sheds light on factors driving Alzheimer’s
Cassidy Fiford, a native of Hayling Island and a PhD student at University College London, has celebrated after making a discovery showing that damage to blood vessels in the brain can drive shrinking of the hippocampus, an area of the brain critical for memory. Her findings are helping researchers shed more light on what drives…
Countdown star and Extras actress back new quiz for Alzheimer’s Research UK
Countdown’s Rachel Riley and Extras star Ashley Jensen are calling on people to go head to head in The Mighty Quiz, unveiled by Alzheimer’s Research UK this week. On Thursday 27 April quizmasters across the nation will unite teams to tackle trivia, crack conundrums and face physical feats in The Mighty Quiz – it’s a…
High blood pressure linked to lower dementia risk in over 90s
Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Age of onset of hypertension and risk of dementia in the oldest-old: The 90+ Study A new study by researchers in the US suggests that developing high blood pressure after the age of 80 may be linked to a lower risk of dementia in those living beyond 90. The research is published…
Herefordshire volunteers needed to help power fight against dementia
The UK’s leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, is seeking fundraisers and volunteers across Herefordshire to support its important work in the region. The charity is looking for people to help form new fundraising groups to raise vital funds and awareness about dementia. Members can get involved in a variety of ways, such as…
Dementia researchers to share findings with public in Southampton
Scientists in Southampton are inviting the public to a free event on Wednesday 1 February, to hear more about current progress in dementia research. The meeting will involve a series of talks from scientists at the forefront of research into the condition. The event is organised by members of the Alzheimer’s Research UK South Coast…
Belvoir staff cover over 1,000 miles to support Alzheimer’s Research UK
Staff at the Belvoir central office in Grantham have completed an incredible 1,100 miles to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity. The 34-strong team have covered the distance with a mixture of running, cycling and rowing. And they’ve done it without even leaving Lincolnshire – using gym equipment in…
“It breaks my heart.” Family speak of anguish after mum-of-two is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at just 36
A mother has spoken of the agony of seeing her daughter become bedbound in a care home and unable to recognise her family because of a rare genetic form of Alzheimer’s she developed in her 30s. Rita Pepper, 61, has become the sole carer of her two grandchildren and is bringing them up while still…
Living near a major road may increase dementia risk
The Lancet: Living near major roads and the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study A study by researchers in Canada has found that those who live near a major road may also have a higher risk of dementia. The research is published on 4 January in the journal The…
Mediterranean diet linked to reduced brain shrinkage in old age
Neurology: Mediterranean-type diet and brain structural change from 73 to 76 years in a Scottish cohort A new study led by researchers in Scotland has found that older people who ate a Mediterranean-type diet went on to experience less brain shrinkage than those who ate other types of food. The research is published online on…
94-year-old dresses up as Father Christmas for Alzheimer’s Research UK
A Saffron Walden grandad determined to still have fun at 94 has raised hundreds of pounds for Alzheimer’s Research UK after dressing up as Father Christmas. Stanley Bennett, with the help of his son Ron, was spotted spreading some festive cheer at his local Tesco in Saffron Walden on 12 December, raising over £200 for…
British scientists explore drug target against neurodegeneration in mice
The Journal of Clinical Investigation: M1 muscarinic allosteric modulators slow prion neurodegeneration and restore memory loss. A team of researchers from the UK, US and Australia has discovered that chemicals to mimic the action of a chemical messenger called acetylcholine could restore memory loss and prolong life in mice bred to develop a progressive neurodegenerative…
Protein in urine linked to higher risk of dementia
A research study has revealed that protein found in the urine of people with kidney problems may indicate a higher risk of decline in memory and thinking skills or dementia. The research is published on 14 December in the journal Neurology. Researchers at Maastricht University led a meta-analysis of 11 studies where tests of kidney…
Study reveals timeline of Alzheimer’s brain changes
Science and Translational Medicine: Early changes in CSF sTREM2 in dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease occur after amyloid deposition and neuronal injury A study led by researchers in Germany has shed more light on the sequence of biological changes that precedes the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The team found that signs of inflammation can be detected…
Prof Bart De Strooper to lead UK Dementia Research Institute from UCL Hub
The director of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) has been named as Prof Bart De Strooper, current leader of the Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Leuven and scientific director at VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie) in Belgium. Prof De Strooper will lead the national institute from UCL. Alzheimer’s…
Price Bailey Charity Day Raises £16,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK
Employees of East Anglian-based chartered accountants Price Bailey raised more than £16,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK at their annual charity fun day recently. The figure means the overall amount raised by the firm so far this year is more than £23,000. The practice-wide fun day was the latest in a year-long fundraising campaign for the…
Statin use linked to reduced Alzheimer’s risk in people with high cholesterol
JAMA Neurology: Sex and Race Differences in the Association Between Statin Use and the Incidence of Alzheimer Disease Researchers from the US have reported findings from a study of 399,979 people with high cholesterol aged over 65 showing that statin use is associated with a reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s, but that this varies between sexes…
