A new study has found that continuous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marriage</a>, particularly through the middle decades of life, lowers the risk of developing dementia, Neuroscience News <a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/continuous-marriage-dementia-22373/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
Researchers, predominantly from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, looked at the marital status of adults aged 44 through 68, and whether those adults developed dementia after the age of 70. The study utilized data from 150,000 Norwegians who granted consent for their health information to be used for research. Results indicated adults who remained married during those years of life saw the lowest occurrence of dementia.
Consistent with those results, the data also showed adults who were unmarried and divorced saw the highest rate of dementia. Vegard Skirbekk at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH/FHI), and an author of the study, said, “Being married can have an influence on risk factors for dementia.”
The causes of dementia are still unknown, and researchers have found a number of factors that can influence a person’s risk of developing the disease. Such factors were necessarily accounted for in this study.
At the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08982643221131926" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study’s</a> conclusion, authors “estimate that, had all participants been continuously married (and shared the same underlying somatic and mental health plus social characteristics of those who marry), 6% of the dementia cases in our study would not have occurred. This is a considerable reduction and is equivalent to the proportion of dementia cases accounted for by smoking and obesity combined, as reported by the Lancet dementia commission in 2020.”
It was found that having children also lowers the risk of developing dementia. Of the unmarried people analyzed, those who had children saw a 60% decreased risk of dementia.
Asta Håberg, a doctor at St. Olav’s Hospital and professor at NTNU, as well as a researcher at NIPH/FHI, commented on the study&#8217;s findings as they pertained to having children.
“Some people have theorized that if you have children, you stay more cognitively engaged. For example, you have to deal with people and participate in activities that you wouldn’t otherwise have to. This stimulates your brain so that it possibly works better. That way you build up a kind of cognitive reserve,” Håberg said.
“Cognitive reserves” are not physically observable in the brain, however scientists understand that there are many things that can build up reserves, which work to prevent dementia. Håberg notes that education is another factor that builds up cognitive reserves.
The results of the study are a part of the research project REFAWOR (Cognitive reserve work and family), which is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The project seeks to study the relationship between lifestyle and developing cognitive diseases, like Alzheimer’s and dementia, amidst the pressing reality of <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health#:~:text=By%202050%2C%20the%20world's%20population,2050%20to%20reach%20426%20million." target="_blank" rel="noopener">population aging</a> in the decades to come.
It is still unknown what causes this disease that leads to a decline in memory and cognitive function. However, the results of the study lead scientists down more avenues of investigation in order to better understand dementia and how to prevent it.
Håberg sees this study as an exciting opportunity to further investigate the effects that having children has on dementia. At the same time, Skirbekk recognizes further opportunities in understanding the role genetics play in developing dementia. He says that “certain genes increase the risk of dementia,” but it has been observed that people with those genes may never develop cognitive diseases.
The study does not address the biology behind dementia, Skirbekk readily admits. However, “it shows that being married can have an influence on risk factors. You become more cognitively active, you cope better with adversity and are less subject to stress. The partner represents a security that provides a buffer.”

Senior couple holding hands

Lifelong Marriage Associated With Lower Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

Lower Risk Of Developing Dementia Found Among Lifelong Married Adults, Study Finds

alzheimer's

dementia

Marriage

Medical Research

Science

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-disease-treatment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> accelerated approval for a new drug designed to treat Alzheimer’s on Friday.
The drug is Leqembi, which was <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2023/01/06/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-eisai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created</a> by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, which will work with Biogen in order to market and commercialize it. The accelerated approval is based on a small study that showed patients who were given the drug “had significant dose- and time-dependent reduction of amyloid beta plaque,” which is an indicator of Alzheimer’s.
When someone has Alzheimer’s <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disease</a>, amounts of the beta-amyloid protein group together to <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/brain_tour_part_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create</a> plaques in between neurons, impacting how the cells work.
The drug’s price will be an annual $26,500 for someone who is of average weight. Medicare has not <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/health/alzheimers-drug-leqembi-lecanemab.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it will cover the treatment yet.
Experts of the disease said that the drug offers modest advantages for people who have minor cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease.
The approval brings to mind Aduhelm, another Alzheimer&#8217;s treatment that was approved by the FDA in June of 2021. The drug was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/health/alzheimers-drug-aduhelm-biogen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created</a> by Biogen and many Alzheimer’s scientists spoke out against it. Due to unknown upsides and potential brain swelling and bleeding risks, large health groups chose not to even provide the drug. The treatment was eventually put aside in the marketplace after Medicare restricted its coverage of it. Eisai was <a href="https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/biogen-revamps-eisai-alzheimers-disease-pact-taking-full-control-over-troubled-aduhelm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working</a> with Biogen on the drug, but bowed out last year.
A congressional investigation put forward in December discovered that the FDA’s procedure for approving Aduhelm was “rife with irregularities.” The agency&#8217;s work with Biogen was questionable. The investigation also found that Biogen put a high cost on the drug.
Democratic Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/health/alzheimers-drug-aduhelm-biogen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement that the findings “[document] the atypical F.D.A. review process and corporate greed that preceded F.D.A.’s controversial decision to grant accelerated approval to Aduhelm.”
The FDA’s own internal inquiry, done before the drug was greenlit, discovered that people at the agency didn’t listen closely enough to opposing opinions from the FDA’s statistical team, which argued that there wasn’t enough proof that the drug was successful. It also found that its work with Biogen, the maker of the drug, “exceeded the norm in some respects.”
The new drug, Leqembi, still poses some potential dangers. The FDA noted that it is incorporating a warning for Leqembi over amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which can lead to life-threatening and serious situations, but typically no symptoms are present.
“ARIA most commonly presents as temporary swelling in areas of the brain that usually resolves over time and may be accompanied by small spots of bleeding in or on the surface of the brain, though some people may have symptoms such as headache, confusion, dizziness, vision changes, nausea and seizure,” it noted.
It said the most frequent side effects were headache, ARIA, and “infusion-related reactions.”
 The FDA will also contemplate final approval after it receives more information from a larger study by the company in a few days, which is something it didn’t do with Adehulm, which was also approved in the accelerated format.
The larger, 18-month study of Leqembi <a href="https://endpts.com/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-lecanemab-from-eisai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that 17.3% of patients using the treatment experienced indications of brain bleeding, while 9% of the placebo group had it. Signs of swelling of the brain also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">happened</a> in 12.6% of those who took Leqembi, compared with 1.7% of those who were on the placebo. &#8220;[S]erious adverse events&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/health/alzheimers-drug-leqembi-lecanemab.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">happened</a> in 14% of those taking Leqembi and 11% of those who got the placebo. Almost 7% of people on Leqembi ended the trial due to adverse side effects, which was more than double the percentage of people who quit who were taking the placebo.
Physicians also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said that side effects can be managed with appropriate watchfulness and most patients don&#8217;t have unpleasant symptoms. If scans do find swelling or bleeding, the patient can temporarily stop receiving the drug.
But there is also concern for people who are taking blood thinners. Three people who took the medicine <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-safety-risks-20230106.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> away while on it, but Eisai said the fatalities can’t be blamed on the medicine. Two of the deceased were taking blood thinners.
The company’s clinical trial also proposed that Leqembi won’t work for around 10% of people who have two copies of APOE4, and they could be hurt by the drug. <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/study-reveals-how-apoe4-gene-may-increase-risk-dementia#:~:text=APOE4%20is%20the%20strongest%20risk,lipid%20imbalances%20in%20brain%20cells." target="_blank" rel="noopener">APOE4</a> is the most frequent genetic risk factor for the disease. Around 25% of people have one copy of it, and 2% to 3% of people have two copies.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-986f1d9a46a48a50a6b554a6c2950801">study</a> showed that people who took the drug were 31% less likely to continue to the next stage of Alzheimer’s while in the study. One kind of swelling was experienced in around 13% of people who got the drug. The treatment also put off the patients’ deterioration by around five months during the study, although the measurement of the decline was not as much as some would have preferred.
“It is unlikely that the small difference reported in this trial will be noticeable by individual patients,” Dr. Madhav Thambisetty of the National Institute on Aging, said in November. He clarified he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the agency.
Some doctors said they will prescribe the drug for patients for whom it might be beneficial, but others caution that it might not do a lot. Physicians also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-alzheimers-drug-approved-by-fda-promises-to-slow-disease-11673032312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">note</a> that its impact isn&#8217;t strong and it isn&#8217;t the same as a cure.
“Most patients won’t notice the difference,” Dr. Matthew Schrag, a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/health/fda-approves-alzheimers-drug-leqembi-safety-risks-20230106.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This is really quite a small effect and probably below the threshold of what we’d call clinically significant.”
Schrag said there is “less drama” for Leqembi when compared with Aduhelm, but he noted that a lot of the similar worries are still there.
“Is this slight, measurable benefit worth the hefty price tag and the side effects patients may experience?” he asked. “I have pretty serious doubts.”

8E2C2146-6532-4D72-855A-3774B9E1A288_1_201_a

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval To New Alzheimer’s Drug

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval To New Alzheimer's Drug Leqembi

Prescription Drugs

U.S.

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Hemsworth</a> is thinking about his own mortality after receiving news that he’s genetically predisposed to eventually developing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alzheimers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alzheimer’s</a>, a condition which also affected his grandfather.
The 39-year-old “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Limitless</a>” star made the comments during a recent <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/11/chris-hemsworth-exclusive-interview-alzheimers-limitless" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Vanity Fair.
“Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death,” Hemsworth told the publication. “Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality.”
The Australian-born actor has two copies of the gene APOE4 which makes him “eight to 10 times more likely” to develop Alzheimer’s in the future. He’s part of an estimated 2-3% of the population carrying a copy of the gene from both parents. Alzheimer’s is a progressive type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior.
The “Thor: Love and Thunder&#8221; alum also mentioned how his grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and often “slips in and out of Dutch,” English, and a “mash-up and then maybe some other new words as well.”
He said the news became both a “self-deprecating sort of joke” and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“I feel like my memory’s getting worse,” the actor told Vanity Fair. “It’s a placebo effect — or it’s taking place! … It’s my excuse now.”
Hemsworth said getting the news has changed his perspective and made him think more about how he spends time. He’s been doing “outdoorsy and adventurous” things with his wife Elsa Pataky and their three children. The actor is also trying to stay as healthy as possible.
“I feel thankful that I have in my arsenal the sort of tools to best prepare myself and prevent things happening in that way,” he told the publication. “The benefit of preventative steps is that it affects the rest of your life.&#8221;
“When you have predisposition&#8230; it’s all about sleep management, stress management, nutrition, movement fitness,” Hemsworth explained. “It’s all kind of the same tools that need to be applied in a consistent way.”
The Marvel star also confirmed that he wasn’t sharing the diagnosis to get attention or sympathy, but was rather seeking to spread awareness and encourage fans “to take better care of themselves.”
“My concern was I just didn’t want to manipulate it and overdramatize it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy, or whatever, for entertainment,” Hemsworth said. “It’s not like I’ve been handed my resignation.”

Chris Hemsworth Launches TAG Heuer Autavia Collection

Chris Hemsworth Confronts ‘Mortality’ After Discovering Genetic Predisposition For Alzheimer’s Disease

Chris Hemsworth Confronts 'Mortality' After Discovering Genetic Predisposition For Alzheimer’s Disease

Celebrities

Entertainment

Health

Hollywood

The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into a manufacturer of an Alzheimer&#8217;s drug over allegations that the company fabricated research findings for the drug.
Federal prosecutors&#8217; investigation into Cassava Sciences centers around whether the company defrauded investors, government agencies, or consumers, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/exclusive-cassava-sciences-faces-us-criminal-probe-tied-alzheimers-drug-sources-2022-07-27/">reported</a>.
The investigation comes after a bombshell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bombshell-possible-fraudulent-images-used-in-key-alzheimers-study-has-misled-research-for-years-report-says">report</a> was published last week in Science Magazine about how key images from one of the most cited research papers on Alzheimer’s disease this century might have been intentionally fabricated, throwing off years and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of taxpayer-funded research into the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Matthew Schrag, a neuroscientist and physician at Vanderbilt University, stumbled upon the controversial study while investigating an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s called Simufilam, which is manufactured by Cassava Sciences.
Schrag was contacted by an attorney that was investigating the drug on behalf of two prominent neuroscientists who said that some of the research behind the drug was &#8220;fraudulent.&#8221;
The report in Science Magazine then pivots to how Schrag&#8217;s investigation into the drug eventually led him to investigating a 2006 study published in Nature by neuroscientist Sylvain Lesné of the University of Minnesota (UMN) that “underpins a key element of the dominant yet controversial amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s, which holds that [protein amyloid beta] Aβ clumps, known as plaques, in brain tissue are a primary cause of the devastating illness,” Science <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/potential-fabrication-research-images-threatens-key-theory-alzheimers-disease">reported</a>.
Science investigated the study and says it corroborated Schrag’s suspicions about Lesné’s research with the help of leading Alzheimer’s researchers and image analysts. The independent experts alleged that some images they reviewed were “shockingly blatant” examples of image tampering.
The authors “appeared to have composed figures by piecing together parts of photos from different experiments,” Elisabeth Bik, a molecular biologist and well-known forensic image consultant, told the publication. “The obtained experimental results might not have been the desired results, and that data might have been changed to … better fit a hypothesis.”
The report noted that the implication of the suspected fraudulent work means that hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) might have been wasted, and that the entire scientific field could have been searching in the wrong direction for the last 16 years for a cure for Alzheimer’s since thousands of studies were based on the study in question.

In this photo illustration a Cassava Sciences, Inc. logo is

Criminal Investigation Launched Into Maker Of Alzheimer’s Drug, Report Says

Department Of Justice Launches Criminal Investigation Into Maker Of Alzheimer’s Drug, Report Says

Department of Justice

UMN physician and neuroscientist Karen Ashe responded to a bombshell Science report published last week, which alleges that key images from one of the most cited research papers on Alzheimer’s disease this century might have been intentionally fabricated, throwing off years and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of taxpayer-funded research.
Matthew Schrag, a neuroscientist and physician at Vanderbilt University, stumbled upon the controversial study while investigating an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s. The 2006 study published in Nature by neuroscientist Sylvain Lesné of the University of Minnesota (UMN) “underpins a key element of the dominant yet controversial amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s, which holds that [protein amyloid beta] Aβ clumps, known as plaques, in brain tissue are a primary cause of the devastating illness,” Science <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/potential-fabrication-research-images-threatens-key-theory-alzheimers-disease">reported</a>.
Ashe portrayed herself as a victim in the scandal, claiming that it was &#8220;devastating to discover that a co-worker may have misled me and the scientific community through the doctoring of images,&#8221; even though she should have been scrutinizing Lesné&#8217;s work.
&#8220;It is, however, additionally distressing to find that a major scientific journal has flagrantly misrepresented the implications of my work,&#8221; she said, adding that the article, which had input from numerous top Alzheimer&#8217;s experts, &#8220;erroneously conflated the two forms of Abeta.&#8221;
The Science report noted that the implication of the suspected fraudulent work means that hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) might have been wasted and that the entire scientific field could have been searching in the wrong direction for the last 16 years for a cure for Alzheimer’s since thousands of studies were based on the study in question.
The authors “appeared to have composed figures by piecing together parts of photos from different experiments,” Elisabeth Bik, a molecular biologist and well-known forensic image consultant, told the publication. “The obtained experimental results might not have been the desired results, and that data might have been changed to … better fit a hypothesis.”
Schrag said that his investigation into Lesné’s and Ashe’s research contained images that appeared to be improperly duplicated or doctored.
Harvard University’s Dennis Selkoe, who was an advocate of the research that Lesné conducted, concluded in reviewing the images that there were “certainly at least 12 or 15 images where I would agree that there is no other explanation” other than the images were intentionally doctored, which he called “very worrisome.”
Selkoe added that there were other red flags with Lesné as some of his scientific comments “made no biochemical sense” to experts because “if it did, we’d all be using” similar methods.
After being confronted about the alleged fraudulent research, which Selkoe deemed was “highly egregious,” he acknowledged that there is now “precious little clearcut evidence that” the specific amyloid beta molecule at the center of the research, amyloid beta star 56 (Aβ*56) “exists, or if it exists, correlates in a reproducible fashion with features of Alzheimer’s—even in animal models.”
Numerous papers by Lesné have been flagged by the scientists leading the investigation for possible instances of fraud, which have led to corrections that have also been problematic.
Another scientist, cell biologist Denis Vivien, a senior scientist at Caen, alleged that in a separate study with Lesné, Lesné provided “dubious” looking research images that students could not replicate. Vivien cut off all contact with Lesné after the incident, saying, “We are never safe from a student who would like to deceive us and we must remain vigilant.”

JERRY HOLT √Øjgholt@startribune.com 7/3/2006—–Portrait of Dr. Karen Hsiao Ashe.

University Of Minnesota Scientist Responds To Explosive Allegations Of Fraud In Alzheimer’s Research

University of Minnesota

Key images from one of the most cited research papers on Alzheimer&#8217;s disease this century might have been intentionally fabricated, throwing off years and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of taxpayer-funded research into the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Matthew Schrag, a neuroscientist and physician at Vanderbilt University, stumbled upon the controversial study while investigating an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s.
The 2006 study published in Nature by neuroscientist Sylvain Lesné of the University of Minnesota (UMN) &#8220;underpins a key element of the dominant yet controversial amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s, which holds that [protein amyloid beta] Aβ clumps, known as plaques, in brain tissue are a primary cause of the devastating illness,&#8221; Science <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/potential-fabrication-research-images-threatens-key-theory-alzheimers-disease">reported</a>.
Science investigated the study and says it corroborated Schrag’s suspicions about Lesné’s research with the help of leading Alzheimer’s researchers and image analysts. The independent experts alleged that some images they reviewed were “shockingly blatant” examples of image tampering.
The authors “appeared to have composed figures by piecing together parts of photos from different experiments,” Elisabeth Bik, a molecular biologist and well-known forensic image consultant, told the publication. “The obtained experimental results might not have been the desired results, and that data might have been changed to … better fit a hypothesis.”
The report noted that the implication of the suspected fraudulent work means that hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) might have been wasted, and that the entire scientific field could have been searching in the wrong direction for the last 16 years for a cure for Alzheimer&#8217;s since thousands of studies were based on the study in question.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-minnesota-scientist-responds-to-explosive-allegations-of-fraud-in-alzheimers-research">RELATED: University Of Minnesota Scientist Responds To Explosive Allegations Of Fraud In Alzheimer’s Research</a>
The study in question came from the lab of UMN physician and neuroscientist Karen Ashe, who won the prestigious Potamkin Prize for neuroscience based partly for her work on the now-scrutinized study, which has been cited in approximately 2,300 research papers. Scientists involved in the research say that Lesné prepared all the images used in the study for publication.
Schrag said that his investigation into Lesné&#8217;s and Ashe&#8217;s research contained images that appeared to be improperly duplicated or doctored.
Harvard University’s Dennis Selkoe, who was an advocate of the research that Lesné conducted, concluded in reviewing the images that there were &#8220;certainly at least 12 or 15 images where I would agree that there is no other explanation&#8221; other than the images were intentionally doctored, which he called “very worrisome.”
Selkoe added that there were other red flags with Lesné as some of his scientific comments &#8220;made no biochemical sense&#8221; to experts because &#8220;if it did, we’d all be using&#8221; similar methods.
After being confronted about the alleged fraudulent research, which Selkoe deemed was &#8220;highly egregious,&#8221; he acknowledged that there is now &#8220;precious little clearcut evidence that&#8221; the specific amyloid beta molecule at the center of the research, amyloid beta star 56 (Aβ*56) &#8220;exists, or if it exists, correlates in a reproducible fashion with features of Alzheimer’s—even in animal models.&#8221;
Numerous papers by Lesné have been flagged by the scientists leading the investigation for possible instances of fraud, which have led to corrections that have also been problematic.
Another scientist, cell biologist Denis Vivien, a senior scientist at Caen, alleged that in a separate study with Lesné, Lesné provided &#8220;dubious&#8221; looking research images that students could not replicate. Vivien cut off all contact with Lesné after the incident, saying, “We are never safe from a student who would like to deceive us and we must remain vigilant.”

Lyon (69): Outpatient hospital of Charpennes

Bombshell: Possible Fraudulent Images Used In Key Alzheimer’s Study Has Misled Research For Years, Report Says

Possible Fraudulent Images Used In Key Alzheimer’s Study Has Misled Research For Years, Report Says

A new computer program could enable researchers to <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220711163210.htm">diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease much earlier</a> so that it can be treated much earlier after its onset.
Boston University researchers, using audio recordings from neuropsychological interviews with 1,000 people, used speech recognition tools that enabled computers to transcribe the recordings and then translate them into numbers. The chances of cognitive impairment were then determined by those numbers, demographic data, and diagnoses from neurologists and neuropsychologists.
“This approach brings us one step closer to early intervention,”  said Ioannis Paschalidis, a co-author on the paper. “It can form the basis of an online tool that could reach everyone and could increase the number of people who get screened early.”
The researchers were surprised to learn that the fluidity of speech among people who were recorded was less important than what they were saying.
“It surprised us that speech flow or other audio features are not that critical; you can automatically transcribe interviews reasonably well, and rely on text analysis through AI to assess cognitive impairment,” Paschalidis admitted.
The researchers discovered that the Boston Naming Test, which requires participants to label a picture with one word, was vital in ascertaining an accurate dementia diagnosis.
&#8220;Our models can help clinicians assess patients in terms of their chances of cognitive decline,&#8221; Paschalidis stated, &#8220;and then best tailor resources to them by doing further testing on those that have a higher likelihood of dementia.&#8221;
Alzheimer’s, which some researchers expect to strike triple the number of people by 2050, cripples the brain as human beings age, as beta-amyloid proteins in the brain get stuck together and tau proteins start to tangle, both of which inhibit neural connections.
In July 2019, researchers from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/good-news-new-vaccine-might-prevent-development-hank-berrien">declared</a> they had created a vaccine that could prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
The department’s newsroom website stated that the vaccine used virus-like particles (VLPs) to eliminate the tangling of the tau protein, which when accumulated in the brain can interrupt neurons in the brain from communicating.
Nicole Maphis, a PhD candidate who was working in the lab of Kiran Bhaskar, PhD, an associate professor in UNM’s Department of Molecular Genetics &amp; Microbiology, stated, “We’re excited by these findings, because they seem to suggest that we can use the body’s own immune system to make antibodies against these tangles, and that these antibodies actually bind and clear these tau tangles.”
Maphis tested the vaccine in mice and they showed a marked improvement in their capacity to deal with mazes. The UNM Health Department site stated, “MRI scans showed that the vaccinated animals had less brain shrinkage, suggesting that the vaccine prevented neurons from dying. Maphis also found significantly fewer tangles in both the cortex and the hippocampus – areas in the brain that are important for learning and memory, and which are destroyed in Alzheimer’s.”
In November 2018, a study published in Alzheimer&#8217;s Research &amp; Therapy touted a new Alzheimer&#8217;s vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern that could conceivably cut the number of dementia cases in half. The research team tested four groups of mice; the vaccinated mice experienced as much as 40% of their beta-amyloid plaques reduced and as much as 50% of their tau tangles diminished. No adverse immune response was observed.

Hands of an elderly woman resting

‘One Step Closer To Early Intervention’: New Computer Program Could Diagnose Alzheimer’s Much Earlier, Study Shows

New Computer Program Could Diagnose Alzheimer's Much Earlier, Study Shows

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease Monday, purportedly giving doctors a new but much-debated method of directly addressing the Alzheimer&#8217;s disease process instead of merely treating the symptoms of it. 
The drug, called aducanumab, was approved through the FDA’s <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-health-care-professionals-drugs/accelerated-approval-program">accelerated approval</a> program, which is reserved for drugs that “fill an unmet medical need based on a surrogate endpoint” but that do not definitively improve patient outcomes. As <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/07/fda-grants-historic-approval-to-alzheimers-drug-designed-to-slow-cognitive-decline/">Stat News</a> notes, this means that, while the drug has shown it can eliminate the toxic protein clumps experts believe contribute to dementia, the regulatory agency doesn’t know definitively if it actually helps improve cognition in the patients who receive it. 
“Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating illness that can have a profound impact on the lives of people diagnosed with the disease as well as their loved ones,” <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-drug">said</a> Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Currently available therapies only treat symptoms of the disease; this treatment option is the first therapy to target and affect the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s. As we have learned from the fight against cancer, the accelerated approval pathway can bring therapies to patients faster while spurring more research and innovation.”
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/health/aduhelm-fda-alzheimers-drug.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage">The New York Times</a>, both proponents and critics of the drug, which also goes by the brand name Aduhelm, agree that it “substantially reduces levels of amyloid,” a protein that “clumps into plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and is considered a biomarker of the disease.” But in the past, drugs that have reduced amyloid levels in patients have still failed to improve outcomes in patients. 
“There’s so little evidence for effectiveness,” said Dr. Lon Schneider, director of the California Alzheimer’s Disease Center at the University of Southern California, who helped conduct one of the aducanumab trials, told the New York Times. He added: “I don’t know what caught the F.D.A.’s fancy here.”
But Harry Johns, chief executive of the Alzheimer&#8217;s Association, called the approval a &#8220;victory for people living with Alzheimer&#8217;s and their families.&#8221;
&#8220;This is the first FDA-approved drug that delays decline due to Alzheimer’s disease,&#8221; said Johns in a <a href="https://www.alz.org/news/2021/alzheimers-association-fda-approval-aducanumab">statement</a>. &#8220;This means individuals may have more time to actively participate in daily life, have sustained independence and hold on to memories longer. We can experience longer — the relationships we hold most dear — our families and friends.”
From Stat News: 
<blockquote>For decades, scientists who study Alzheimer’s have focused much of their research on amyloid. A succession of companies including Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Roche, and Merck have attempted to treat Alzheimer’s with various types of antibody drugs that work by targeting and eliminating beta-amyloid — all without success.
Biogen believed it could succeed where the others failed; it designed Aduhelm to be more potent and therefore better able to eliminate amyloid plaques than earlier drugs. The company also focused on administering Aduhelm to people with mild cognitive impairment or the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s, before brain cells were too damaged to stem the tide of the disease.</blockquote>
An FDA advisory committee voiced opposition to the drug&#8217;s approval in November. However, the FDA isn&#8217;t required to listen to the committee.
Biogen, the maker of the drug, has estimated it will list at $56,000 per year — which does not necessarily reflect the actual price patients or insurance will pay. According to Stat News, analysts believe the price will be between $10,000 and $25,000 per year for patients. The drug is administered intravenously once every four weeks.  
Michel Vounatsos, CEO of Biogen, defended the price of the drug Monday, reportedly telling <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/07/biogen-ceo-says-56000-annually-for-alzheimers-drug-is-fair-promises-not-to-hike-price-for-at-least-4-years.html">CNBC</a> that the list price was “fair.” He also called the drug the product of “two decades of innovation.” The last Alzheimer’s drug was approved by the FDA in 2003. 
“We feel a great sense of purpose and responsibility to turn the hope of today’s FDA approval of [Aduhelm] into a reality for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their families,” <a href="https://investors.biogen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/biogen-and-eisai-launch-multiple-initiatives-help-patients">said</a> Alisha Alaimo, President of Biogen U.S. “We are committed to access and health equity as top priorities and will continue working with multiple stakeholders with the goal of helping patients who may benefit from treatment obtain care as quickly as possible.”
Under the FDA accelerated approval rules, the drug-maker will still need to conduct stage IV clinical trials to prove that Aduhelm provides a clinical benefit to Alzheimer’s patients. “If the confirmatory trial shows that the drug actually provides a clinical benefit, then the FDA grants traditional approval for the drug,” notes the FDA. “If the confirmatory trial does not show that the drug provides clinical benefit, FDA has regulatory procedures in place that could lead to removing the drug from the market.”

Daughter holding hand of her old mother

FDA Approves Alzheimer’s Drug For First Time In Years

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