Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Inc. (fka RCPIQ)

[Buddhahead]

News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Study Tracks Amyloid Links to Dementia Risk, May 20, 2015

Excerpts:
"Deposits called amyloid plaques may appear in the brain 20 years or more before people develop signs of dementia, a research review finds. These plaques are more often found in older adults. But they also are seen more often in younger adults with a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, the study showed. The study was based on previous research. It included 1,359 people with diagnosed Alzheimer's disease, 538 people with other types of dementia and autopsy results for 1,369 others with Alzheimer's. The living subjects all had PET scans to look for amyloid plaques in the brain. Among those with normal memory and thinking skills, these plaques were more common with age. About 10% of 50-year-olds had them. That increased to 33% at age 80 and 44% at age 90. Some people carried the APOE4 gene variant, which is linked with a higher risk of Alzheimer's. People in this group were 2 to 3 times more likely to have amyloid plaques than those without the gene. People who already had mild memory issues were more likely to have plaques, and at earlier ages. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it May 19. "

"One of the changes linked with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is a build-up of a protein called beta amyloid. However, about 12% of people with diagnosed Alzheimer's disease don't show amyloid deposits on brain scans. And about 30% of older people who continue to maintain excellent thinking and memory have heavy deposits of amyloid on a brain scan. "

"This new research found that highly educated people develop thinking and memory problems at an older age than those with less formal education. However, the highly educated people had more brain amyloid than those with less education. The researchers suggest that more education creates pathways in the brain to help preserve thinking and memory despite these amyloid deposits."

"The complex relationship between brain amyloid and Alzheimer's disease makes it very challenging to study anti-amyloid drugs. But it is probably our best shot at finding a treatment to reduce risk or at least slow the disease.

Recent studies of anti-amyloid drugs have been disappointing. However, it may be that they are being given after the damage is done. New studies are underway to start anti-amyloid drugs much earlier. People in these studies have deposits showing on brain scans but don't show signs of problems with thinking or memory."

Article at:
https://www.intelihealth.com/article/study-tracks-amyloid-links-to-dementia-risk