Alzheimer's disease

New tests of blood and spinal fluid can show how far Alzheimer's has progressed and how fast a patient's memory will decline.

Dr. Dale Bredesen discusses his new book "The Ageless Brain: How to Sharpen and Protect Your Mind for a Lifetime," in which he shares the latest, cutting-edge science on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration. He offers a preventative program that he claims readers of all ages can put into practice to optimize their cognitive health now and sustain it for years to come.

Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, authorities revealed Friday.

Texas Senate Bill 5 would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Voters would be asked this fall to approve $3 billion for a decade of funding.

Myra Solano Garcia, who has Alzheimer's, says the drug Kisunla may be one reason she can still drive, cook, and sing.

In a statement, officials said their study analyzed patterns in dementia and aging from 678 nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame. They were part of the "Nun Study," now overseen by the Glenn Biggs Institute.

The National Institutes of Health, the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the U.S., announced Feb. 7 plans to drastically cut “indirect costs.” However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the move. The Health Science Center is unsure of how its research will be affected.

An analysis of brains at various stages of Alzheimer's found that neurons called inhibitory neurons are the first to be affected by the disease.

The antiviral drug also used to treat hepatitis B may help slow cognitive decline.

The FDA recently approved the anti-amyloid drug donanemab, sold as Kisunla. The medication can delay cognitive decline in early Alzheimer's patients by about seven months, but it is expensive and can have serious side effects. Still, it will be soon be available for some patients in South Texas.