Now this could be a bit of a breakthrough

The latest Alzheimer Research Newsletter:
http://www.alzforum.org/
contains a fascinating account of research which has found that some people who appear to have Alzheimer's symptoms do not have the biomarkers indicating the presence of amyloid deposits (plaques) which most people with these symptoms do have.

Regular readers of this blog will know that there seems to be a growing scepticism amongst researchers about the almost universally promoted view that the build up of these plaques in the brain constitutes 'the cause' of the disease.

There is also recently reported research which suggests that some of those with the symptoms but not the plaques tend to have a type of dementia that progresses significantly more slowly than the AD which people with symptoms and plaques have.

The question arises: do these groups of people even have the same disease?

As usual, the reports on this site are quite technical.  If anyone can explain these finding more clearly. they are more than welcome to comment.

I have posted prviously about the nuns study
http://adventureswithdementia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/possibly-most-exciting-research-into.html

The research discusssed above might begin to explain why some nuns whose brains post-mortem showed no sign of deposits had all the symptoms of AD.  I still await with interest any explanation as to why some nuns had significant deposits but were not, whilst alive, dementia sufferers.

Possibly the most exciting research into dementia so far

It's not new. I've posted previously about the nuns' study:
http://adventureswithdementia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/nuns-study.html

I have found an article that explains, more clearly than ever, why this research should receive so much more attention:

Perhaps the single most important conclusion from the study is that Alzheimer disease is not straight forward. In several cases, pathology studies of brain tissue from the deceased nuns did not correlate with their performance on cognitive function tests. Sometimes the pathologist would score a brain as having signs of extremely advanced AD, only to learn later that the nun herself scored extremely well on all cognitive tests. Other times a brain would show only slight damage associated with AD, and the nun was characterized as exhibiting the signs of advanced cognitive decline and dementia.

I often wonder whether there is anything new from this study. Apparently the original researcher has retired but the University of Minnesota is hoping to continue the work:

Additionally, the University of Minnesota has announced that it will begin a second study, with a new group of volunteer nuns, to delve further into the mysteries of Alzheimer disease: Why do some people develop symptoms and not others? Why do some people with advanced brain damage: plaques, tangles and tissue loss, not show any symptoms, while others with minimal brain damage show symptoms of advanced AD?

How odd that these questions are so rarely referred to in discussions of the disease!

Here's a link to the article:
http://promega.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/alzheimer-disease-and-the-nun-study/

Beacons of hope

There will be people who come across this blog hoping to find some answers, and maybe some hope.

As anyone who cares for someone with dementia, or who has dementia will know, answers and hope are in short supply.

However, in my search, I have found some glimmers of hope  -  if not for S, then maybe for others who are just starting out on this journey. For new or irregular readers here are links to some stories and summaries which I have found interesting and, in some cases, inspiring.

Morris Friedell

Herpes       more     the research     a possible herpes vaccine
(It's worth noting that 'the research' is the most viewed post in the whole blog.)
Steve and Mary Newport

Centenarians

The nuns' study