When 83-year-old Verda Edwards began experiencing hallucinations late last year, her doctor figured it was another cut-and-dried case of Alzheimer's disease. He prescribed an anti-psychotic drug to ease the hallucinations and another drug to boost her memory. But within three months, Edwards became a feeble, helpless shell of her former vibrant self...

Patients with Dementia who show hallmark signs of the Lewy body subtype often have confirmatory autopsies, according to investigators who presented their findings here at the 130th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.

From News-Medical.net In findings that support a relationship between agricultural chemicals and Parkinson's disease, two groups of researchers have found new evidence that loss of DJ-1, a gene known to be linked to inherited Parkinson's disease, leads to striking sensitivity to the herbicide paraquat and the insecticide rotenone.

Written by request for a home care service in Toronto, CA for inclusion in their newsletter.

From News-Medical.net German scientists developed a computer program that enhances the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) scans with Alzheimer's patients. It is able to identify various other Dementia disorders (like frontal lobe Dementia or Lewy body disease) that also show typical, but different abnormalities in the FDG-PET image. This prototype research tool is not yet designed for commercial application.

From News-Medical.net Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine working with scientists at Elan Pharmaceuticals, have reported promising results in mice of a vaccine approach to treating Parkinson's and similar diseases.

A protein found naturally in the brain may protect against Parkinson's disease (PD), a new study shows. The findings also may lead to an improved understanding of a disorder called early-onset torsion dystonia.

Scientists trying to find a way to beat Parkinson's disease are reporting promising tests of a vaccine in mice.