������� ����������������
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH
Advances in
Alzheimer’s
One Briton in every 88 has
dementia, and of these, almost
two-thirds have Alzheimer’s.
Although there is no cure,
treatment can slow
progression. Here are some of
the latest developments:
� AV-45 is a radioactive
tracer that highlights amyloid
protein deposits between
brain cells: a key feature of
Alzheimer’s. Injected into
patients having PET scans, it
enables doctors to detect a
high risk of Alzheimer’s even
before dementia has started.
Currently, researchers are
studying the difference
between healthy brains and
brains with Alzheimer’s. Once
they make a diagnosis, they
can start trials to identify
effective treatment.
� rember is the first
medication to directly tackle
the memory-impairing tau
protein tangles inside nerve
cells. Researchers at Aberdeen
University found that
sufferers who took the drug
for 50 weeks experienced an
81 per cent reduction in
medical decline, making
rember twice as effective as
existing drugs. If a trial next
year is successful, patients
could have access to it by 2012.
READER’S DIGEST . rdmag.co.uk
� Exebryl-1
is a drug that disruptsamyloidprotein
deposits
between brain
cells and reduces nervedamaging
tau protein tangles.
Clinical trials on mice found
plaque reduced by 40 per
cent and memory skills
improved by 68 per cent. It
is currently being tested
on humans in the US.
� Brain-boosting Dimebon
Julie Christie
plays a
woman with
Alzheimer’s
in Away
from Her
Normal brain
Brain with Alzheimer’s
works by protecting the
brain’s nerve cells. It improved
memory, reasoning and
overall function compared
to placebo in a study for the
Lancet, and is currently being
studied in an international
phase 3 trial of 525 Alzheimer’s
patients.
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.