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Doctors and Family Not Good at Detecting Alzheimer's and Dementia

2010-01-18T19:10:00.001-05:00

Doctors and Family Not Good at Detecting Alzheimer's and Dementia

By Bob DeMarco

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Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,050 articles with more than 8,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.

A Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

TauRx Therapeutics-- New treatment halts progress of Alzheimer's disease

2008-08-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

clipped from alzheimersreadingroom.blogspot.com

The results of the Phase 2 study of TauRx's new treatment strongly suggest that it is possible to halt progression in mild and moderate Alzheimer's. TauRx is continuing to refine its treatment and hopes that restoration may be possible at least at the earlier stages with improved versions of its drug. Tangles are already destroying nerve cells in parts of the brain critical for memory in people in their fifties and upwards. The ultimate goal is to develop a product that is convenient for patients that could be widely used at the very earliest stages of the disease, long before patients experience the first symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Amazon.com Widgets

Other Articles

Keeping Time With Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease: What is it? Who gets it? What causes it?

I Just Wanted to Scream, STOP!

The latest in Financial Infotainment--Minyanville

2007-07-19T11:56:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to this website, Minyanville. The site is will worth visiting. Informative and entertaining. The stuff on China, subprime loans and trading is thought provoking. Chances are good you will be sending this link along to your freinds.

Some examples of the headline stories.

Fire in the Hole!
Todd Harrison
...as yesterday’s false alarm once again proved, structural smoke won’t matter until someone actually sees a fire.

Testing the Waters of Intel
Jeff Macke
Plucking at the strings of lunacy, trying to find something valid enough to trade off, thus becomes a somewhat futile exercise...

Stocks To Watch: Dell, eBay, Ford, IBM, Sysco
Minyanville Staff
Today's top stories and some stocks with potential to move...

Bear Stearns' Hedge Fund Mess
Bennet Sedacca
Brokerage paper has been widening relative to Treasuries of late, but so has everything else, as perhaps it should.

The Market's Remarkable Symmetry
The market may have an agenda higher in terms of time and price, but... there are many clusters of time, price and pattern projecting a turning point in this neighborhood.

Subscribe to Robert T DeMarco Weblog by Email

hedge funds, infotainment, investing, minyanville, subprime loans, trading

CNBC Portfolio Challenge Bonus Bucks Answers

2007-04-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

CNBC Portfolio Challenge Bonus Bucks Answers for Friday, April 20, 2007 and CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge

Google reported that it's quaterly net profit rose how much?

Shareholders of Firstgroup will meet today to close a 1.8B pound takeover deal of what major U.S. services company?

Get the Answers

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge

2007-03-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

CNBC Portfolio Challenge Bonus Bucks Answers for Friday, March 30, 2007 and CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge

How many new stores did Home Depot open in the U.S. in 2006?
The FDA-approved drug Provenge is used to fight what disease?

Get the Answers

Exercise slows decline in Alzheimer's patients

2007-03-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

I can attest, exercise makes a difference. My mother now has the tendency to sit around all day. On those days when I can get her to go to Gold's Gym with me she is a completely different person. The look on her face, from dull to smiling, is more than enough to tell me that exercise works to her benefit.

"Nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease who participate in a moderate exercise program have a significantly slower deterioration than those who receive routine medical care, researchers have shown."

Read the article in its entirety at the CareGiver: The Book Weblog

Clinton/Obama: Hillary Clinton: I'll End This War

2007-02-03T00:10:00.000-05:00

Hillary Clinton: I'll End This War

Clinton/Obama: An email from the Obama camp

2007-01-25T12:51:00.000-05:00

I received an interesting email from the OBama camp that you can read by following this link.

"Last night was an evening for rhetoric and promises. But now is the time for action - now is the time to actually get something done. You deserve leadership that's commensurate to the challenges we face in this country, and I look forward to working with all of you to make this happen in the days and months to come."

Clinton/Obama: A Message from Barack

2007-01-23T23:56:00.000-05:00

Follow the link to view the video A Message from Barack.

Clinton/Obama: A Message from Barack

2007-01-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

Follow the link to see the video Clinton/Obama .

Clinton/Obama: Sen. Clinton returns focus to health care

2007-01-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

"I will be introducing legislation to make quality, affordable health care available to every child in America,' she told a roomful of reporters at a public health center in New York City as a girl clutched her hand."

Read the entire article Sen. Clinton returns focus to health care.

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2007-01-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

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Other Articles

Keeping Time With Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease: What is it? Who gets it? What causes it?

I Just Wanted to Scream, STOP!

Alzheimer’s Disease: What is it? Who gets it? What causes it?

2006-12-21T18:32:00.000-05:00

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of a condition called dementia. It is named for the German doctor who first described it, Alois Alzheimer. What is it? Who gets it? What causes it?

You can read the entire post at The CareGiver Weblog

The CareGiver: Huperzine A Factsheet (Alzheimer's)

2006-11-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

The CareGiver: Huperzine A Factsheet (Alzheimer's)

I recently read about Huperzine A. The following page contains a fact sheet about the herb. Huperzine A may have cognition-enhancing activity in some.

Source Huperzine A

TRADE NAMES

Huperzine A is available from numerous manufacturers generically. Branded products include Memorall (PharmAssure), Huperzine Rx-Brain (Nature's Plus).

DESCRIPTION

Huperzine A is a plant alkaloid derived from the Chinese club moss plant, Huperzia serrata, which is a member of the Lycopodium species. Huperzia serrata has been used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of fevers and inflammation.

Huperzine A has been found to have acetylcholinesterase activity. Huperzine B, also derived from Huperzia serrata, is a much less potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Natural huperzine A is a chiral molecule also called L-huperzine A or (-)-huperzine A. Synthetic huperzine A is a racemic mixture called (±)-huperzine A. Huperzine A is also known as HUP, hup A and selagine. In Chinese medicine, the extract of Huperzia serrata is known as Chien Tseng Ta and shuangyiping. Huperzine A derivatives are being developed for pharmaceutical application.

ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY ACTIONS

Huperzine A may have cognition-enhancing activity in some.

MECHANISM OF ACTION

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with neuritic plaques that affect the cerebral cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. There is also neurotransmission damage in the brain. One of the major functional deficits in Alzheimer's disease is a hypofunction of cholinergic neurons. This leads to the cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease and the rationale for strategies to increase acetylcholine in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. Two FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, tacrine and donepezil, are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Huperzine A is also an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and has been found to increase acetylcholine levels in the rat brain following its administration. It also increases norepinephrine and dopamine, but not serotonin levels. The natural L or (-)-huperzine A is approximately three times more potent than the racemic or (±)-huperzine A in vitro.

PHARMACOKINETICS

There are limited pharmacokinetic studies with huperzine A. It appears that huperzine A is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and transported to the liver via the portal circulation. Some first-pass metabolism takes place in the liver, and huperzine A and its metabolites are distributed widely in the body, including to the brain. Following ingestion, the time to reach peak blood level is approximately 80 minutes.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

Huperzine A has potent pharmacological effects and, particularly since long-term safety has not been determined, it should only be used with medical supervision. It may have some effectiveness in Alzheimer's disease and age-related memory impairment. It has been used to treat fever and some inflammatory disorders, but there is no credible scientific evidence to support these uses.

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Numerous studies, most of them from China, suggest that huperzine A may be as effective as the drugs tacrine and donepezil in Alzheimer's disease. This is not so surprising since in vitro and animal model tests have demonstrated that huperzine A effectively inhibits acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that catalyzes acetylcholine breakdown. Tacrine and donepezil work in the same way to conserve acetylcholine in the brain--the mode by which they presumptively improve memory and cognition in those with Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive impairment. Huperzine A may prove superior to tacrine (dose-limited due to its hepatotoxicity) if long-range studies, yet to be conducted, demonstrate its safety.

In one double-blind, randomized study, huperzine A, in injectable form, was tested against a saline control in 56 patients with multi-infarct dementia or senile dementia and in 104 patients with senile and pre-senile simple memory disorders. Huperzine A produced significant positive effects as measured by the Wechsler Memory Scale. Dizziness was experienced by a few of the huperzine A-treated patients.

In another study, this one multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized, 50 subjects with Alzheimer's disease were given huperzine A or placebo for eight weeks. Significant improvement was noted in 58 percent of the patients in terms of memory, cognitive and behavioral functions. Research is ongoing.

CONTRAINDICATIONS, PRECAUTIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS CONTRAINDICATIONS

None known.

PRECAUTIONS

Huperzine A should be avoided by children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Because of possible adverse effects in those with seizure disorders, cardiac arrhythmias and asthma, those with these disorders should avoid huperzine A. Those with irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease and malabsorption syndromes should avoid huperzine A.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

Adverse effects reported with huperzine A include gastrointestinal effects, such as nausea and diarrhea, sweating, blurred vision, fasciculations and dizziness. Possible adverse effects include vomiting, cramping, bronchospasm, bradycardia, arrhythmias, seizures, urinary incontinence, increased urination and hypersalivation.

INTERACTIONS DRUGS

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: Use of huperzine A along with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors donepezil or tacrine may produce additive effects, including additive adverse effects. Other acetylcholinesterase inhibitors include neostigmine, physostigmine and pyridostigmine, and use of these agents along with huperzine A may produce additive effects, including additive adverse effects.

Cholinergic Drugs: Use of huperzine A along with cholinergic drugs, such as bethanechol, may produce additive effects, including additive adverse effects.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Use of huperzine A with choline, phosphatidylcholine, CDP-choline and L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine hypothetically might produce additive effects, including additive adverse effects.

OVERDOSAGE

There are no reports of overdosage with huperzine A.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION

There are various forms of huperzine A available, including extracts of Huperzia serrata, natural (-)-huperzine A and synthetic racemic (±)-huperzine A. Natural (-)-huperzine A is approximately three times more potent than the synthetic racemic mixture. The doses of natural (-)-huperzine A used in clinical studies ranged from 60 micrograms to 200 micrograms daily. Huperzine A should only be used with a physician's recommendation and monitoring.

HOW SUPPLIED

Capsules — 50 mcg

Tablets — 50 mcg

LITERATURE

Cheng DH, Tang XC. Comparative studies of huperzine A, E-2020 and tacrine on behavior and cholinesterase activities. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1998; 60:377-386.

Cheng DH, Ren H, Tang XC. Huperzine A, a novel promising acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Neuroreport. 1996; 8:97-101.

Quian BC, Wang M, Zhou ZF, et al. Pharmacokinetics of tablet huperzine A in six volunteers. Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao. 1995; 16:396-398.

Tang XC, Kindel GH, Kozikowski AP, Hanin I. Comparison of the effects of natural and synthetic huperzine A on rat brain cholinergic function in vitro and in vivo. J Ethnopharmacol. 1994; 44:147-155.

Xiong ZQ, Tang XC. Effect of huperzine A, a novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, on radial maze performance in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1995; 51:415-419.

Xu SS, Gao ZX, Weng Z, et al. Efficacy of tablet huperzine-A on memory, cognition and behavior in Alzheimer's disease. Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao. 1995; 16:391-395.

Ye JW, Cai JX, Wang LM, Tang XC. Improving effects of huperzine A on spatial working memory in aged monkeys and young adult monkeys with experimental cognitive impairment. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1999; 288:814-819.

Zhang RW, Tang XC, Han YY, et al. Drug evaluation of huperzine A in the treatment of senile memory disorders. [Article in Chinese] Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao. 1991; 12:250-252.

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