PANEL APPROVES NEW STATIN DRUG
A US government advisory panel Wednesday recommended approval of Crestor, a new cholesterol-lowering pill. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide next month whether they will approve it.

Crestor is a statin, a class of drugs being studied for potential treatment of cholesterol-related Alzheimer's plaques. Scientists also believe that statins may work against multiple sclerosis, which results from damage to a fatty covering around central nervous system fibers and interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

PLANT EXTRACT IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Iranian researchers say that a plant extract, Melissa officinalis, improves cognitive function and reduces agitation in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. S. Akhondzadeh from Tehran University Medical School and colleagues tested 42 patients with mild to moderate AD. The results revealed that patients receiving the Melissa officinalis experienced significant improvements in cognition after 16 weeks of treatment.

Melissa officinalis is known to affect acetylcholine receptor activity in the central nervous system. Another study showed that the plant modulates mood and cognitive performance in young healthy volunteers.

 

ARTISTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S
For people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, finding a tangible way to express themselves is often a difficult task. But for unknown reasons, some can communicate their thoughts and feelings through art even after they can no longer express themselves with words.

“Memories in the Making” is an annual art auction held by the Alzheimer's Association Rocky Mountain Chapter. This year’s event welcomed more than 400 guests and the 65 original works of art brought more than $100,000.

MAPPING THE BRAIN

Australian scientists are working on mapping the brain to better understand how it works.

Dr. Hamish Scott of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research explained that such a map could help drug companies develop new medicines for brain disorders.

"If we take a snapshot of an Alzheimer's brain, Parkinson's brain or motor neuron disease . . . and show that there are genes that are constantly altered and . . . have commonality between them . . . a drug may be developed for one that might work for many."