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A medical investigator from the University of Stony Brook undertakes a unique analysis that will allow him to listen to the human brain, observing it from a healthy state to the stages complexes of Alzheimer's disease. 19659002] It's a business that will involve more than 100 local volunteers as subjects of study, said Dr. Christine DeLorenzo, Senior Scientist and Director of the Center for Understanding Biology in Help of Stony Brook's imaging technology
. The regions of the brain involved in memory, using a type of technology called positron emission tomography, or PET.
DeLorenzo's Efforts Reflect A Largest Research Axis Announced By The National Institute On Aging Earlier This Year: Alzheimer's Disease Must Be Understood By Biological Forces complex and dynamic that lead to it.The symptoms alone are no longer sufficient for diagnosis.
In DeLorenzo , Stony Brook is looking for these biological forces – markers of the disease – since doctors around the world claim that the unveiling of these indicators "
" We began a pilot study on people aged 55 and over , by examining the entire gamut from health to Alzheimer's disease, "said DeLorenzo
with an intimate understanding of how the disease attacks the brain, new treatments can be refined to more specifically target the damage. The hope is to provide interventions in the not-too-distant future, which will stop or reverse these anomalies before they turn into an accumulation of assaults that steal spirits and destroy lives.
Alzheimer's disease is a relentless neurodegenerative disorder for which there is currently no cure. Doctors still do not have a clear scientific understanding of how the disorder destroys the cells involved in memory.
The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the only one in the top 10 without curative or reversible treatment. Currently, more than 400,000 people in New York, including 50,000 in Long Island, live with the disorder, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.
Nationwide, more than 5.7 million people are afflicted with Alzheimer's dementia. It is expected that the disease will increase explosively as the population ages.
DeLorenzo focused his research on what is known as the cholinergic system, which is composed of widely distributed cells in the brain. These cells are abundant in the region of the hippocampus of the three-pound organ, which is associated with short and long-term memory.
"It's a very important system for memory," DeLorenzo said. cholinergic neurons – cells that rely on the brain's essential chemical called acetylcholine
This chemical neurotransmitter is involved in sending signals through the brain into a vast communications network that underlies the thought and memory. target cholinergic cells by blocking an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. The problem with drugs, says DeLorenzo, is their limited effectiveness
Still coping
Families affected by Alzheimer's disease despite the unbeatable odds of a progressive illness and only five medications allowed to treat her over the past 22 years
In Medford, Susan Miller, who oversees her husband's life with Alzheimer's, said the drugs improved clarity, but that they certainly did not heal.
Her husband, Jay Gassman, was diagnosed in 2012 at age 56. onset of Alzheimer's disease, a form of the disease that occurs before age 65. Early dementia is rare because Alzheimer's disease is largely a disease of old age. No matter when the disease starts, the prescribed medications are the same.
Gassman, Ph.D., had been a clinical psychologist before the onset of Alzheimer's disease. He is taking two medications for the disorder, Miller said.
One is galantamine, which works by helping to slow the breakdown of acetylcholine; he also takes a drug called Namenda, which regulates the activity of a brain chemical called glutamate. This compound is involved in the brain's ability to process information, store it, and then retrieve it. Both drugs are intended for mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer's.
"We all want something better," she says of herself and other caregivers
"Jay was able to tell me at the time that galantamine was prescribed . that it made him feel a lot clearer, that there was more clarity, "said Miller." With the addition of Namenda that also seemed to shake things up in terms of clarity and awareness, and he was able to express that. "
Despite powerful drugs, Miller is certain of this fact:" He certainly continues to deteriorate. It's a fact. "
" If you did not know him, you would not think that something was wrong, "she said.
" It's the most cruel disease, "she said. Miller, her husband's brain, a man who was once an expert on the human spirit
DeLorenzo is encouraged by the possibility that his research may offer something new to patients
"We believe that we may be able to improve the effectiveness of current treatments by gaining a better understanding of the structure and function of cholinergic neurons. "
She and her colleagues will compare images of cholinergic regions in healthy people to those who have Alzheimer's disease for three years.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America, based in Manhattan , was so intrigued by DeLorenzo's investigation that she granted him a grant of $ 206,184 to conduct the pilot study.
"We view this as a possible game changer, Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation
DeLorenzo's research was funded as it could ultimately help refine methods of choosing the most effective treatments, said Fuschillo
]. ] But while Stony Brook's investigation draws attention, doctors remain stuck by the scarcity of Alzheimer's disease drugs.
In recent years, all Alzheimer's drugs have failed. Between 2002 and 2012, more than 400 trials were initiated for Alzheimer's drugs, but only one – Namenda – was approved
DeLorenzo argues that failures of clinical trials stem from a lack of understanding of basic biology of Alzheimer's disease.
"The whole field is moving in the direction we need to understand what is happening biologically, even before we see symptoms," she said.
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