With National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month upon us, attention continues to focus on new approaches to cognitive health in an aging population. Now, research with grape polyphenols presented today at Neuroscience 2007 in San Diego shows promise for maintaining long-term cognitive health.
The researchers will now focus on grape polyphenols and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the newly established Center for Research in Alternative and Complementary Medicine in Alzheimer’s disease research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM).
Two recent population studies associated moderate red wine and 100 percent fruit juice consumption with lowering the risk of AD dementia (wine) or delay in AD onset (juice). Adding further weight to those studies is the research presented by Dr. Lap Ho at Neuroscience 2007, which demonstrated the potentially protective effect of Concord grape juice and Cabernet Sauvignon polyphenols to slow beta-amyloid neuropathology.
A characteristic hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease-type neuropathology is the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides and their formation into plaques in the brain. Dr. Ho at MSSM found that polyphenol extracts from Cabernet Sauvignon and Concord grape juice reduced the generation and accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides in experimental models of Alzheimer’s disease.
“This grape polyphenol research is preliminary, but very encouraging,” said Dr. Giulio Pasinetti, director of the new center and principal investigator of the research program in polyphenolics at MSSM. “The results show the potential protective role which non-alcoholic, polyphenol-rich Concord grape juice may play in maintaining long term cognitive health.”
Previous work by Dr. Pasinetti’s group at MSSM reported that moderate consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon wine had reduced AD-type neuropathology and prevented cognitive decline in a transgenic mouse model , yet counseled that even moderate intake of alcohol may carry health risks, particularly with an older population.
Currently, it is estimated that five million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, with the number projected to reach 11 to 16 million by the year 2050. However, delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by five years is estimated to potentially reduce the number of projected cases by 50 percent. Ongoing studies directed by Dr. Pasinetti at the new center will provide critical information about the functional role of selected grape-derived polyphenols in the prevention and/or attenuation of cognitive deterioration of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our goal is to learn which compounds are bioactively available to reach the brain and exert a benefit,” says Dr. Pasinetti.
Source: Hunter Public Relations
Related stories:
Eating fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and veggies lowers risk of memory problems
A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the November 13, 2007, issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Scientists Seek to Block Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease with Novel Medication that Targets the Source
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of California, San Diego Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Research Center (ADRC) are conducting studies on an experimental medication to block nerve damage and inflammation in the brain that can lead to progressive memory loss and behavioral changes in people with Alzheimer’s disease. While current Alzheimer’s disease therapies focus on improving symptoms, this study aims to attack the root of the disease progression. Nationwide, 400 volunteers with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease are needed to further test this new approach.
Alzheimer's disease breakthrough
CSIRO scientists have developed a new system to screen for compounds that can inhibit one of the processes that takes place during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Breakthrough in cell-type analysis offers new ways to study development and disease
(PhysOrg.com) -- Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack. While decimating one cadre of cells, diseases will inexplicably spare a seemingly identical group of neighbors. What makes cells vulnerable or not depends largely on the kinds and amounts of proteins they produce — their “translational profile,” in the lingo of molecular biology. For this reason, scientists have struggled to parse the subtle molecular differences among the hundreds of specialized cell types that are tangled together in tissues like the brain.
How the APOE gene can modify your risk for Alzheimer's disease
One of the hallmarks of the brain of an individual with Alzheimer disease is the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide (A-beta), something that is believed to be toxic to many brain cells (specifically neurons) and to therefore contribute to the underlying cause of disease. Berislav Zlokovic and colleagues, at the University of Rochester Medical School, have now generated data in mice that mechanistically links a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer disease with accumulation of A-beta in the brain.
Brain imaging study supports the 'cognitive reserve' hypothesis
Individuals with higher education levels appear to score higher on cognitive tests despite having evidence of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the November issue of
Archives of Neurology.
Pittsburgh Compound B finds Alzheimer's-associated plaques in symptom-free older adults
In the largest study of its kind, Pittsburgh Compound B, an imaging agent that could facilitate the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, has been used to identify amyloid deposition in the brains of clinically older adults.
Compounds May Help Combat Brain Diseases
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas and Southern Methodist University (SMU) have identified a group of chemical compounds that slows the degeneration of neurons, a condition that causes such common diseases of old age as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.