News Briefs: ALS Medications; Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia; Marriage and Dementia Risk; Night Sweats
MGH Launches Trial to Test Multiple Promising ALS Medications
The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is beginning a “platform trial” for drugs to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease). A platform trial is a clinical trial in which multiple treatments are tested and evaluated simultaneously. This helps reduce the time between the identification of a promising new medication and when it can be tested. It also reduces the cost of research and increases patient access to trials. Three drugs will be tested initially, with two more to be added shortly afterwards. The drugs include zilucoplan, verdiperstat, bioenergetic nanocatalysis, pridopidine, and IC14 immunotherapy. ALS is a disease that causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles. There is no cure for ALS, but there are medications and other therapies that can help manage symptoms and prolong life. For more information on the trial, visit www.massgeneral.org/als.
Walking Pattern May Help Distinguish Between Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia
Diagnosing dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the second most progressive form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD), can be especially challenging because the symptoms are often similar to AD. DLB is also sometimes mistakenly diagnosed as a psychiatric illness. Neurological and physical exams, as well as tests of cognition, can help diagnose DLB and often distinguish it from Alzheimer’s. Yet, making that distinction can still be difficult. However, recent research suggests that monitoring a person’s walking pattern may help identify which form of dementia is present. In a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, British researchers found a noticeable difference in the gait of people with AD and those with DLB. After having study participants walk on a mat outfitted with thousands of sensors that track footsteps, researchers found that the gait of someone with DLB tended to change often. The length of a stride and the time it took to lift the foot and put it down again with each step varied frequently. People with AD, however, tended to walk in a more consistent pattern. More study is needed, but researchers say that studying the walking patterns of people who have dementia symptoms may lead to more accurate diagnoses and earlier treatment.
Marriage May Help Stave Off Dementia
Being married may lower your risks for dementia, according to a study that compared dementia risk among four groups of people: married couples, widowed individuals, people who were living together, and people who never married. Married people were less likely to experience dementia as they got older, while divorcees (especially men) were about twice as likely as married people to develop dementia. Factors that helped explain the findings included generally greater financial security and healthier behaviors (having someone remind you to see a doctor or eat healthier) among married couples compared with divorcees. Health-related factors didn’t seem to be as important among cohabiters and people who never married. The findings were published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B.
Study: Night Sweats Associated with Poor Cognitive Performance
Getting a good night’s sleep is a frequently repeated piece of advice for people who want to retain sharp thinking skills and attention. But a recent study, presented at a conference of the North American Menopause Society, suggests that getting more sleep may not provide brain health benefits for all women. Researchers found that women who experience night sweats, an uncomfortable but very common symptom of menopause, may be more vulnerable to cognitive dysfunction the longer their sleep duration continues. Unexpectedly, researchers found that women experiencing night sweats tended to sleep longer. However, those same women also became more vulnerable to experiencing prefrontal cortex deficits, such as decreased attention and executive function. Total sleep time was shown to be unrelated to memory performance in the study. Researchers suggest that the findings could be helpful in treating menopausal women and modifying certain risk factors to help prevent or lessen problems such as cognitive dysfunction.
The post News Briefs: ALS Medications; Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia; Marriage and Dementia Risk; Night Sweats appeared first on University Health News.
