Connections Archive

Connections Newsletter -- Spring 2013

Feature Stories

• National Effort Against Alzheimer’s Ramps Up
• New Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry recruiting 250,000 volunteers
• "Connecting to Combat Alzheimer's" project wins HHSinnovates awards

NIA News & Research Highlights

• Analysis finds gene variants associated with Alzheimer’s amyloid deposition
• Minority Recruitment: Translating General Principles Into Specific Strategies (from LINKS: Minority Research & Training, Winter 2013)

Upcoming events:

• Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias: Research Challenges and Opportunities workshop, May 1-2
• Join NIA to honor Dr. Robert Butler with May 8 memorial lecture:Neuroimaging and Biomarkers: How Early Can We Diagnose Alzheimer's?

Also of Note

• The ADEAR Center is tweeting! Follow us on Twitter@Alzheimers_NIH!
• Looking for funding opportunities? Current NIA funding opportunities and announcements
• New online tip sheets for Alzheimer’s caregivers:
  • Going to the Hospital (PDF, 502K)
  • Home Safety (PDF, 356K)
  • Traveling Overnight (PDF, 425K)
• More free resources from the ADEAR Center

Clinical Trials Now Recruiting

Major Studies:

• Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative—seeking Vietnam War veterans for a new study of brain aging, as well as older adults with a significant memory concern but no signs of cognitive impairment for a study to define biological markers and structural brain changes of Alzheimer’s (multiple sites)
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN)—seeking adult children age 18 and older with a biological parent who has a known genetic mutation for Alzheimer’s (multiple sites)
• Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial: Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT-MIND)—recruiting volunteers age 50 or older with high blood pressure—systolic (upper) number of at least 130—who have a history of heart disease or chronic kidney disease or are at risk for heart disease, but with no history of diabetes or stroke (multiple sites)

Drug Trials:

• PF-05212377 for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms
• BAN2401 for Early Alzheimer’s Disease
• Bisnorcymserine in Healthy Adult Volunteers
• Effects of EVP-0962 on Amyloid Levels in Cerebrospinal Fluid
• ELND005 for Agitation and Aggression in Alzheimer’s Disease
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trial: An Opportunity to Prevent Dementia (DIAN TU)

Brain Imaging and Biomarker Studies:

• Florbetapir (18F) PET Imaging Effectiveness in Management of Patients with Cognitive Decline
• Arterial Spin Labeling MRI for Cognitive Decline
• Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
• Effects of Simvastatin on Biomarkers

Non-Alzheimer's Dementias:

• Living with Frontotemporal Dementia

Other Trials:

• Aerobic Exercise in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
• Effects of Fruitflow-II and Resveratrol on Memory, Fitness, and Cerebral Blood Flow
• Memory Consolidation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• PhytoSERMs for Menopause Symptoms and Age-Associated Memory Decline

Connections Newsletter -- Winter 2013

New Research Resources

• Latest NIH Alzheimer’s Research Progress Report Available
• The NIH "Toolbox" Is Open
• New Database Aims to Capture International Alzheimer’s Disease Research Efforts

NIA News & Research Highlights

• NIH-supported Alzheimer’s studies to focus on innovative treatments (January 14, 2013)
• NIA researchers find protein PGC-1alpha may play important role in brain health (December 12, 2012)
• NIH-supported international teams identify rare Alzheimer’s disease risk gene variant (November 15, 2012)
• Dr. Neil Buckholtz named head of Division of Neuroscience (October 2, 2012)
• Risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease associated with lower brain amyloid (October 1, 2012)
• Investigators create “brain map” of key epigenetic processes (August 14, 2012)

Also of Note

• Request for Information: Increasing Enrollment in Alzheimers Disease and Related Clinical Trials and Studies
• Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease: What Do We Know?
  New booklet looks at current research on risk factors and prevention strategies
• Read about NIA’s minority research and training activities in NIA’s LINKS e-newsletter
• New online tip sheets for Alzheimer’s caregivers:
  • Bathing (PDF, 619K)
  • Disaster Preparedness (PDF, 613K)
  • End-of-Life Care (PDF, 156K)
  • Going Out (PDF, 401K)
  • Grooming and Dressing (PDF, 168K)
  • Incontinence (PDF, 501K)
  • Managing Medicines (PDF, 625K)
  • Managing Personality and Behavior Changes (PDF, 748K)
  • Money Problems (PDF, 156K)

Clinical Trials Now Recruiting

Major Studies:

• Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2 (ADNI2)
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN)
• Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial, Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT-MIND)

Drug Trials:

• Gantenerumab for Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease
• Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IGIV), 10%, in Alzheimer's Disease
• RG1662 in Individuals with Down Syndrome
• RO4602522 in Patients with Moderate Alzheimer Disease on Donepezil or Rivastigmine Therapy

Other Trials:

• ADvance Deep Brain Stimulation in Patients with Mild Probable Alzheimer's Disease
• Risk Evaluation and Education for Alzheimer’s Disease (REVEAL) IV
• Metabolic Cerebral Imaging in Incipient Dementia

Exercise Trials:

• Cognitive Benefits of Aerobic Exercise Across the Age Span
• Dose Response Study of Aerobic Exercise in Older Adults
• Fit & Active Seniors Trial (FAST)

Connections Newsletter -- Summer 2012

Features

• Researchers, Advocates Gather to Accelerate Alzheimer's Research
• Exendin-4: From Lizard to Laboratory...and Beyond

Research Highlights

• Experimental Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in small, early-phase clinical studies (July 12, 2012)
• Cancer drug bexarotene reverses Alzheimer’s deficits in mice (June 1, 2012)
• Protein involved in brain-wave maintenance linked to Alzheimer’s-related cognitive dysfunction (June 1, 2012)
• NIH-funded research provides new clues on how ApoE4 affects Alzheimer's risk (May 16, 2012)
• Obama administration presents national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease (May 15, 2012)
• Genes involved in age-related declines in brain volume may play role in Alzheimer’s disease (April 16, 2012)
• New study identifies role of large protein fragment in blocking amyloid build-up (April 13, 2012)
• Smoking in middle age is associated with increased rate of cognitive decline in men (March 22, 2012)
• Brain imaging shows lifetime cognitive activity may influence Alzheimer’s disease risk (February 1, 2012)
• Pilot clinical trial shows nicotine patch may improve cognition in older people with memory loss
  (January 10, 2012)

Clinical Trials Now Recruiting

• New, improved Alzheimer's clinical trials finder launched
• Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2 (ADNI2)
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN)
• Exendin-4 for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Resveratrol for Alzheimer’s Disease
• Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial—Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT-MIND)

Also of Note

• Register now for "Unveiling the NIH Toolbox" meeting, Sept. 10-11
• New online tip sheets for Alzheimer’s caregivers
• NIH steps up efforts on clinical research awareness
• Organ donation–You’re never too old to make a difference
• NIH partners with new public TV project
• Sign up for NIA and ADEAR email alerts

Page last updated: August 1, 2013