Alzheimer Disease

To the Editor: Alzheimer's disease is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder and a leading cause of dementia in the elderly. The genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease are complex, and only four mendelian genes have indisputably been associated with the disease. Mutations in genes…

Background  Gantenerumab is a fully human anti-Aβ monoclonal antibody in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD).

Objectives  To investigate whether treatment with gantenerumab leads to a measurable reduction in the level of Aβ amyloid in the brain and to elucidate the mechanism of amyloid reduction.

Design  A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose positron emission tomographic study

The clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) have much in common. As patients with DLB and PDD have particularly severe deficits in cortical levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, blocking i...

22550192 2012 05 02 2012 05 04 1538-3598 307 17 May 2 JAMA 1798-800 Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA. bryan_james@rush.edu James Bryan D BD Bennett David A DA Boyle Patricia A PA Leurgans Sue S Schneider Julie A JA eng

The neuropathologic examination is considered to provide the gold standard for Alzheimer disease (AD). To determine the accuracy of currently used clinical diagnostic methods, clinical and neuropathologic data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center, which gathers information from the network of National Institute on Aging (NIA)-sponsored Alzheimer Disease Centers (ADCs), were collected as part of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set (UDS) between 2005 and 2010. A database search initially included all 1198 subjects with at least one UDS clinical assessment and who had died and been autopsied; 279 were excluded as being not demented or because critical data fields were missing. The final subject number was 919. Sensitivity and specificity were determined based on "probable" and "possible" AD levels of clinical confidence and 4 levels of neuropathologic confidence based on varying neuritic plaque densities and Braak neurofibrillary stages. Sensitivity

22397659 2012 03 08 2012 03 16 1533-4406 366 10 Mar 8 N. Engl. J. Med. 957-9 Schneider Lon S LS eng Comment Editorial United States N Engl J Med 0255562 0028-4793 0 Cholinesterase Inhibitors 0 Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists 0 Indans 0 Piperidines

There are still no effective treatments to prevent, halt, or reverse Alzheimer's disease, but research advances over the past three decades could change this gloomy picture. Genetic studies demonstrate that the disease has multiple causes. Interdisciplinary approaches combining biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, and transgenic modeling have revealed some of its molecular mechanisms. Progress in chemistry, radiology, and systems biology is beginning to provide useful biomarkers, and the emergence of personalized medicine is poised to transform pharmaceutical development and clinical trials. However, investigative and drug development efforts should be diversified to fully address the multifactoriality of the disease.

22341031 2012 02 20 2012 05 04 1474-4465 11 3 Mar Lancet Neurol 212 Holmes David D eng Biography Historical Article Journal Article England Lancet Neurol 101139309 1474-4422 IM history Sperling Reisa R.

NGC is the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

NGC is the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

NGC is the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

Guideline for Alzheimer's disease management.

Recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders associated with dementia: EFNS guideline.