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A progressive brain disease, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. It gradually destroys a person’s ability to reason, remember, learn, make judgments, and carry out daily activities. In late stages, Alzheimer’s patients need total care. The rate of progression can vary greatly from one person to the next. The average time to death after diagnosis is eight years.
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 | Randall Bateman M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology Alzheimer's disease: Pathophysiology, biomarkers, predictive diagnostics and treatments |
|  | Guojun Bu Ph.D.
Professor of Pediatrics and Cell Biology & Physiology LDL receptor family members in human disease |
|  | Nigel Cairns Ph.D., MRCPath
Research Associate Professor of Neurology and Pathology & Immunology; Director, Betty Martz Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research Protein misfolding, inclusion formation and neurodegeneration in Frontotemporal Dementias |
|  | Hans H. Dietrich Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery Regulatory mechanisms of cerebrovascular microcirculation |
|  | Anne M. Fagan Niven Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor of Neurology Biomarkers, and mechanisms of apoE4 action in Alzheimer's Disease |
|  | Carl Frieden Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics Protein folding, structure |
| |  | Alison M. Goate D.Phil.
Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Chair in Psychiatry; Professor of Neurology and Genetics; Hope Center Steering Committee Linkage and association studies to uncover genetic susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disease. |
|  | David M. Holtzman M.D.
Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and Chairman of Neurology; Professor of Molecular Biology; Hope Center Steering Committee Cellular/Molecular/Biomarkers studies of Alzheimer's disease and neonatal brain injury. |
|  | Eugene M. Johnson Ph.D.
Professor of Neurology and Developmental Biology; Hope Center Steering Committee Biological function and pharmacological potential of GFL neurotrophic factors |
|  | Vitaly Klyachko PhD
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cell Biology and Physiology |
|  | Raphael Kopan Ph.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine and Developmental Biology Studies of cell fate determination in mammalian system with focus on Notch mediated signal transduction. |
|  | Jin-Moo Lee M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage |
|  | Rohit V. Pappu Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Alzheimer's disease; biophysics; mathematical modeling; thermodynamics |
|  | B. Joy Snider M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology Mechanisms of protein degradation and intracellular calcium homeostasis in neurodegenerative disorders |
| |  | Gregory J. Zipfel M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery and Neurology Role of amyloid-B peptide and cerebral amyloid angiopathy in neurovascular dysfunction, ischemic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage |
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Hope Center researchers measure Alzheimer's protein in HumansResearchers have known since the early 20th century that a characteristic sign of Alzheimer’s disease is that it leaves sufferers’ brains riddled with plaques. The key ingredient of the plaques is a fragment of a protein known as amyloid precursor protein (APP). The fragment itself is called amyloid beta (Aβ). The causes of excessive Aβ are often maddeningly elusive. That’s partially because a wealth of environmental and genetic factors probably contribute to risk. But another significant question also obsc Read More > Alzheimer's genetics expert Goate turns to ALSA member of the Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine since 1992, Alison Goate, Ph.D. is the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Genetics in Psychiatry and professor of genetics and of neurology. Her 16-person lab is devoted to genetic research on Alzheimer's disease (AD), tauopathies, and alcoholism—and since January 2005, the molecular underpinnings of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. Read More > Brain-fluid sampling gives glimpse into Alzheimer's DiseaseA team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in collaboration with researchers at Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis, have developed a new technique that, for the first time, provides a way to dynamically study proteins known to be related to Alzheimer’s disease in the fluid between brain cells, called interstitial fluid. Read More > Molecular pump may help Alzheimer's patientsOct. 20, 2005 — A molecule that has long been an obstacle to cancer chemotherapy and drug treatments for brain disorders may soon become an ally in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Rochester. Read More > Imaging breakthrough may help predict Alzheimer'sNov. 18, 2005: A combination of brain scanning with a new imaging agent and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis has left neuroscientists encouraged that they may finally be moving toward techniques for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease before its clinical symptoms become apparent. Read More > Randall Bateman develops test to monitor Alzheimer'sA team led by Hope Center members Randall Bateman and David Holtzman, the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor of Neurology, has developed a test to monitor amyloid beta peptide, the long-suspected cause of Alzheimer's Disease, in humans for the first time. Read More > |
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| Through clinical studies with
volunteers such as Carl Garrett, researcher Randall J. Bateman, MD, and
colleagues are studying the body’s production and clearance rates of the protein
fragments that collect and impair the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. |
Washington University Sites
Information about Alzheimer's Disease
No single cause is known. The most common form is late-onset Alzheimer’s,
affecting adults over 65. By age 85, the risk of Alzheimer’s is 50%.
A rare form of familial Alzheimer’s, linked to a specific gene, has been
found in several hundred families around the world. Members of these families
are virtually certain to get the disease, sometimes by their 30’s or 40’s.
What happens in Alzheimer’s?
The brains of Alzheimer’s patients show at least two abnormal features:
“plaques,” or abnormal buildups between brain cells of a fatty protein called
amyloid beta; and “tangles,” or twisted strands of another protein within brain
cells.
We’re not sure what role these features play in Alzheimer’s, but
they are associated with a decline in a chemical called acetylcholine, a
neurotransmitter necessary for cognitive function.
How is Alzheimer’s diagnosed?
There is no single diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s. However, a skilled
physician can diagnose it with 90% accuracy. Diagnosis is based on a thorough
medical exam, tests of mental function, family history, and exclusion of other
conditions or possible causes of dementia, such as vascular dementia, or brain
damage due to constriction or disruption of blood flow to the brain. Some of
these other conditions can coexist with Alzheimer’s in a “mixed dementia.” Since
some of them are reversible, it’s important to rule them out. It’s believed that
brain cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s begins years before symptoms show.
Symptoms can include more than ordinary forgetfulness, mood changes including
depression, and sudden changes in ordinary routines such as sleep patterns.
Alzheimer’s symptoms are often first spotted by family or household members.
What are some active areas of investigation in Alzheimer’s?
Washington University scientists recently announced an important discovery
about the rate at which amyloid beta builds up and is cleared from brain tissue.
The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders conducts laboratory and patient
research, and works collaboratively across disciplines to find causes and
treatments for neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases.
Although
many Hope Center faculty are physicians, the Hope Center itself does not provide
direct medical care.
To schedule an appointment with a specialist in Alzheimer's Disease, please
contact the WU Department of Neurology.
U.S. Government Sites
Associations and Foundations
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