UCSF scientists have identified a cell population that is a primary target of the degenerative brain disease known as frontotemporal dementia, which is as common as Alzheimer's disease in patients who develop dementia before age 65.

The surge of baby boomers now entering their 60s means more drivers on the road who may be impaired by dementia or other cognitive impairments linked to aging. Researchers at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have developed a three-hour workshop that trains health care providers to identify potentially unsafe drivers with dementia and to encourage appropriate retirement from driving.

A protein known primarily for its role in killing cells also plays a part in memory formation, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report. Their work exploring how zebra finches learn songs could have implications for treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Using innovative brain-scan technology UCLA researchers have shown that the abnormal brain protein deposits that define Alzheimer's disease can be detected in mild cognitive impairment - a condition that increases the risk for developing Alzheimer's and affects 15 to 20 million Americans. The study will be published in the Dec. 21 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Study Will Measure the Safety of One of the First Imaging Biomarkers Designed to Differentiate Alzheimer's Disease from Other Forms of Dementia

Experiments on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest that treatment with male sex hormones might slow its progression. The findings, published in the December 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, provide new insight into the relationship between testosterone loss and AD, which affects 4.5 million Americans.