An anti-depressant drug could be used to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. [s]BBC News[/s] reports that research into 23 people, and transgenic mice, found citalopram hampered a protein which helps to build destructive plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The scientists at the [b]University of Pennsylvania[/b] and [b]Washington University School of Medicine[/b] said they hoped the study could help prevent the disease. Lead author, Dr Yvette Sheline stressed that the study was a ‘proof of concept’ study, hence the small number of people without Alzheimer’s, and that if the results were successful, they could be used to slow the progression of the disease 10 to 15 years before it could typically become apparent.
Researchers have developed a new cognitive test that can better determine whether memory impairments are due to very mild Alzheimer's disease or the normal ageing process. According to a [s]Science Daily[/s] report, memory impairments and other early symptoms of Alzheimer's are often difficult to differentiate from the effects of normal ageing, making it hard for doctors to recommend treatment for those affected until the disease has progressed substantially. But Jim Monti, a [b]University of Illinois[/b] postdoctoral research associate who led the work with Psychology Professor Neal Cohen, affiliated with the [b]Beckman Institute[/b] at Illinois, said although this tool could eventually be used in clinical practice, more studies need to be done to refine the test.
[link url=http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27409135]Full BBC News report[/link]
[link url=http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/6/236/236pc1.abstract?sid=3a71e913-4ab7-45cd-aea6-0a730a17144c]STM abstract[/link]
[link url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140520123515.htm]Full Science Daily report [/link]
[link url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24747209]Neuropsychologia abstract[/link]