ARCHIVED - Your Health Research Dollars at Work 2005-2006

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Alzheimer's Disease

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The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. Through CIHR, the Government of Canada invested approximately $18.7 million in 2005-06 in research on Alzheimer's disease across Canada.

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The Facts

• Caring for people with Alzheimer's disease costs about $5.5 billion each year in Canada.
• One in 20 Canadians over age 65 - and one-in-four over age 85 - is affected by Alzheimer's disease.
• Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of all dementias.
• In 2005 there has been an estimated 94,270 new cases of dementia; by 2011 new cases of dementia are expected to reach 111,560/year.
• Twice as many women as men have dementia.
• More than a quarter of a million Canadians (280,000) over 65 have Alzheimer's disease. By 2031, more than 750,000 Canadians are expected to have Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
• Half of Canadians know someone with Alzheimer's disease and one quarter of Canadians have someone in their family with the disease.

Research Finding Solutions to Alzheimer's Disease

• CIHR-supported University of Toronto researchers Drs. Peter St. George-Hyslop and JoAnne McLaurin have demonstrated that a simple sugar solution helps improve conditions created by Alzheimer's disease. In tests with mice, the researchers found that treatment with several types of a sugar known as inositol eliminated several types of amyloid plaques, reduced inflammation and improved cognitive function. The next step is to begin testing in humans.

• CIHR-supported researchers Drs. Ian Mackenzie and Howard Feldman have discovered a gene mutation responsible for a common form of dementia in persons under 65. The mutation, found in the progranulin gene, causes an inherited form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The team hadn't expected to find these mutations and the discovery now opens the door to possible treatment for FTD. Both researchers are affiliated with the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

• A team of CIHR-supported researchers from Université Laval, lead by Dr. Serge Rivest, may have discovered a new tool in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. The team discovered that when they used bone marrow stem cells to produce immune cells known as microglia, these cells were able to digest plaque created by Alzheimer's. Microglia are present in persons with Alzheimer's but, in their natural form, are unable to eliminate the plaque.

• According to research by CIHR-supported researcher Dr. Vladimir Hachinski of The University of Western Ontario, a stroke may trigger worsened symptoms of Alzheimer's among persons predisposed to the disease. In his study, rats were injected with a protein known to cause Alzheimer's that leads to some behavioural changes. Dramatic changes were seen when the researchers later induced a stroke into the brain cores of the rats. The study draws attention to the need for even greater control of risk factors for strokes.

• Cell death is an important function in the human body and all cells have the ability to, in effect, die on command. This programmed response, called apoptosis, is quite useful in eliminating cancerous cells, but can also result in cells dying prematurely, such as with Alzheimer's disease. CIHR-supported researcher Dr. Peter Greer of Queen's University has found a protein called calpain that can both promote and inhibit programmed cell death. The finding will help researchers find ways to blocking the premature death of neuronal cells in Alzheimer's patients.

• Good news for tea drinkers. A CIHR-supported research team from the Douglas Hospital, McGill University, has demonstrated for the first time that extracts from both green and black teas are effective at protecting neurons from amyloid plaque created by Alzheimer's disease. Previously, studies have shown that extract drawn from green tea has the potential to combat a variety of different diseases, Alzheimer's included. The benefits of black tea may be at a lower intensity, but the study shows that benefits do exist.

• CIHR spinoff, Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. of Toronto, has partnered with the Ontario Genomics Institute to accelerate development of the first-ever blood test for Alzheimer's disease. The test is based on Amorfix's Epitope Protection technology, which is also being adapted to detect bovine prions, the infectious aggregated misfolded proteins that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Amorfix was founded with a grant from CIHR's Proof of Principle program to commercialize the discoveries of CIHR-supported researchers Drs. Neil Cashman and Marty Lehto of the University of Toronto.

In the Pipeline...
Understanding the Quality of Life for Alzheimer's Patients

How does the quality of life for Alzheimer's disease patients change as the condition worsens? How does patients' own rating of their quality of life compare with the rating given by their caregivers? Dr. Gary Naglie, a researcher at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, aims to find out through a study with participants from memory disorder clinics in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Whitby, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Calgary and Vancouver. The team will use a variety of different measures to try and provide greater insights into quality of life in this patient population. An earlier pilot study has already found that, generally speaking, patients rated their quality of life much higher than their caregivers did, a fact that raises interesting questions according to Dr. Naglie.

The Researchers...
Dr. Peter Nguyen - Learning What Keeps the Aging Brain Flexible

It turns out that some of the popular sayings are true, at least scientifically speaking. Consider the expression use it or lose it.

"I would say that is totally accurate," says CIHR-supported researcher Dr. Peter Nguyen of the University of Alberta, who adds that exercising your brain helps maintain a sharp mind as you age.

Dr. Nguyen is a specialist in the field of brain plasticity, in other words, the capacity to learn new information and to store memories. Research in this area is important in helping to understand and counter the effects of numerous neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Two main types of plasticity exist. The first is purely structural. To imagine this, picture the following: individual brain cells, or neurons; long axons or fibres that extend out from the neurons; an elaborate system of dendrites branching out from the axons; and so-called synaptic junctions that help make connections between neurons.

With structural plasticity your brain uses these elements to constantly build and re-build new networks to respond to new stimuli and to help create records or memories of these events. This plasticity takes on more importance given the rapid rate at which we lose the neurons necessary for these functions. According to Dr. Nguyen, plasticity becomes a hedge against the ravages of time.

"Our neurons are constantly in flux because we lose tens of thousands each day. We can't generate new cells, so we have to constantly re-use and rewire these circuits to make use of what we have," he notes.

The second type of plasticity refers to the strength with which these signals are transmitted, something called physiological plasticity. In this case, much the same way as a guitar string changes pitch depending on how tightly it is strung, plasticity can either boost or weaken the strength of the signal.

Many questions remain. For example, researchers are still trying to understand how these different types of plasticity are related to specific brain functions. Dr. Nguyen is also trying to better understand the chemical and molecular events that contribute to these different forms of plasticity.

"We have identified molecules for some different types of plasticity, but we don't know yet which form of plasticity is best for slowing down Alzheimer's," he notes.

One of the long-term goals of the research is to help develop drugs that would assist the work of these molecules in maintaining plasticity. As appealing as this sounds, Dr. Nguyen cautions against what he calls a "magic pill" for memory. "Producing a drug to enhance memories is a challenge. You have no idea how difficult life would be if every memory adhered to your brain like Teflon," he concludes.

The CIHR Institute

Canada's population is aging - by 2050, 20% of Canadians will be over 65. CIHR's Institute of Aging is helping older Canadians of today and tomorrow enjoy good health and quality of life by focusing on a wide range of conditions associated with aging.

About CIHR

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian healthcare system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
160 Elgin St., 9th Floor, Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/