{"id":4873,"date":"2018-10-14T10:23:19","date_gmt":"2018-10-14T06:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/?p=4873"},"modified":"2018-10-14T10:23:19","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T06:23:19","slug":"new-drugs-may-be-able-to-treat-alzheimers-before-it-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/2018\/10\/14\/new-drugs-may-be-able-to-treat-alzheimers-before-it-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"New Drugs May Be Able to Treat Alzheimer\u2019s Before It Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-nfljkw\">\n<p>Few effective treatments are available for patients with mid-level or late-stage Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>So researchers are increasingly looking at ways to fight the brain disease before symptoms even become apparent.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why people with known risk factors for Alzheimer\u2019s \u2014 but no signs of cognitive impairment \u2014 are being recruited for a pair of studies called the\u00a0Generation Program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are relatively few studies looking at people without symptoms, even though the trend is already toward doing drug interventions earlier and earlier,\u201d Dr. Pierre Tariot, director of the Banner Alzheimer\u2019s Institute in Arizona, told Healthline.<\/p>\n<p>Banner Alzheimer\u2019s Institute researchers want to test the effectiveness of two types of anti-Alzheimer\u2019s medications on individuals ages 60 to 75 who carry the\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0gene, a biomarker for increased risk of the disease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is one of just two studies looking at risk based on age and genetic vulnerability,\u201d noted Tariot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\">\n<h2>How the research will be conducted<\/h2>\n<p>Voluntary participants in the program will be screened for the presence of\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0through a registry called\u00a0GeneMatch.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers will need to screen approximately 200,000 people in order to identify the 3,400 people with the\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0gene required for the study, Tariot said.<\/p>\n<p>The research involves experimental drugs from pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Amgen.<\/p>\n<p>The early intervention is aimed at preventing the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain \u2014 a known symptom of Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>One study will focus on people with two copies of the\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0gene.<\/p>\n<p>The other will look at those who carry either two copies of the gene or one copy plus some evidence (as seen via brain scans) that amyloid plaques are starting to form.<\/p>\n<p>The drugs tested will include an injected medication that prompts an immune response against amyloid creation and an oral\u00a0antiamyloid\u00a0drug that targets the pathological variant of the plaques.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1tdk91s e2muz2j0\">\n<aside class=\"css-0\">\n<div class=\"css-0\">\n<div class=\"css-14vjguq\">\n<div id=\"inline1__slot\" class=\"css-1dy05as\" data-ad=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CNfbgYmlhd4CFeyGUQod6qwOLw\">\n<div class=\"css-0\">\n<h2>Multiple genes equals higher risk<\/h2>\n<p>About 10 to 15 percent of people carry the\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0gene.<\/p>\n<p>Having one copy of the gene increases Alzheimer\u2019s risk two- or threefold while having two copies carried a 12 times\u00a0greater risk\u00a0for getting the disease, according to\u00a0research\u00a0published in 2014 by Daniel M. Michaelson,\u00a0PhD, of Tel Aviv University.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several drugs that target chemical messengers in the brain and seem to improve symptoms or slow the loss of cognitive ability for some with\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>No drugs have proven effective in halting disease progression in those with more advanced Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>However, research that incorporates genetic biomarkers such as\u00a0<em>APOE4<\/em>\u00a0and the presence of amyloid plaques is relatively recent, said Rebecca Edelmayer,\u00a0PhD, director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/p>\n<p>The Generation Program studies are funded by the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, the National Institute on Aging, foundations, and drugmakers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to start even before someone experiences symptoms and hopefully decelerate or arrest the development of the disease,\u201d Edelmayer told Healthline.<\/p>\n<p>The Banner Alzheimer\u2019s Institute is also running a research project in Colombia, where a population of high-risk 30-year-olds is being immunized against amyloid and tracked over their lifetime for signs of cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we use drugs for treatment when the brain is already damaged, we don\u2019t get much improvement,\u201d said Tariot. \u201cBut if we go in before the damage is done, will it stave off the symptoms? That seems to be our best shot at treating this condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\">\n<h2>Reducing your risk for Alzheimer\u2019s<\/h2>\n<p>Drug therapy isn\u2019t the only way to reduce your risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other forms of dementia, experts say.<\/p>\n<p>The Alzheimer\u2019s Research and Prevention Foundation identifies the \u201cfour pillars of Alzheimer\u2019s prevention\u201d as a Mediterranean diet and supplements, physical and mental exercise, yoga and meditation, and maintaining psychological well-being.<\/p>\n<p>The Alzheimer\u2019s Association also lays out\u00a0\u201c10 Ways to Love Your Brain\u201d\u00a0and reduce your risk for cognitive decline:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Break a Sweat (exercise)<\/li>\n<li>Hit the Books (read and learn)<\/li>\n<li>Butt Out (quit smoking)<\/li>\n<li>Follow Your Heart (take steps to reduce cardiovascular disease risk)<\/li>\n<li>Heads Up (prevent brain injuries)<\/li>\n<li>Fuel Up Right (adopt a healthier diet)<\/li>\n<li>Catch Some Zzzz\u2019s (get more sleep)<\/li>\n<li>Take Care of Your Mental Health<\/li>\n<li>Buddy Up (be socially engaged)<\/li>\n<li>Stump Yourself (play games and do activities that stimulate and challenge your mind)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s two-year U.S. Pointer\u00a0study,\u00a0launched in 2017, is a clinical study designed to evaluate whether lifestyle interventions can protect older adults at risk for cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never too early or too late to start these things,\u201d said Edelmayer.<\/p>\n<p>The recommendations are based more on what\u2019s known about risk factors for cognitive impairment generally than Alzheimer\u2019s in particular, but as Edelmayer noted: \u201cThese things can\u2019t harm you in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Enrolling in studies via registries such as\u00a0GeneMatch\u00a0and the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s TrialMatch is another way people can work proactively toward dementia prevention, she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The bottom line<\/h2>\n<p>Alzheimer\u2019s disease is difficult to treat once symptoms of cognitive decline are detected.<\/p>\n<p>People with certain genes are at significantly higher risk\u00a0for\u00a0getting Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers have begun two studies to determine whether some new drugs that prevent the formation of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer\u2019s are effective when given to those at higher risk before they have symptoms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Healthline<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Few effective treatments are available for patients with mid-level or late-stage Alzheimer\u2019s disease. So researchers are increasingly looking at ways to fight the brain disease before symptoms even become apparent. That\u2019s why people with known risk factors for Alzheimer\u2019s \u2014 but no signs of cognitive impairment \u2014 are being recruited for a pair of studies &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4875,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4873\/revisions\/4875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}