The trial’s results are now the first solid confirmation that lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of both mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a degree of brain decline that’s considered the gateway to dementia, and probable dementia. […]
While there are many ways people can change their behavior to lower their risk of heart disease and cancer–such as eating a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding or stopping smoking–there are few similar steps that have been scientifically proved to reduce the risk of degenerative brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. Genes play a prominent role in determining who will develop the disease, and age is also a major factor–neither of which are under human control.
The [SPRINT MIND study] provides the strongest evidence yet that there may be something in people’s control that lowers their risk of cognitive decline.
“Controlling blood pressure is not only good for the heart but good for the brain,” says [Dr. Jeff Williamson, chief of geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine and the leader of the study]. “This is the first intervention of any kind that has proven in a randomized trial to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment.”
Despite the fact that Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in older people, there is not a single drug available to treat the condition. (Getty Images/Cultura RF)
Alzheimer’s researchers, patients, and investors were eagerly anticipating the results of a phase 2 study on a potentially promising new medication, called BAN2401, from the drugmakers Biogen and Eisai.
On July 5, the companies released a summary of the findings from a trial of the drug involving 856 patients with early Alzheimer’s, showing the medication could slow the progression of the brain-ravaging illness. On Wednesday afternoon, they presented more details about their findings at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago.
The results have sparked cautious optimism. “Millions of people have Alzheimer’s, and right now it’s a death sentence. So any time we see positive results from a trial that appears to show disease modification, that gives us hope,” said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs at the Alzheimer’s Association. “But it’s a cautious hope.” […]
If the results are indeed solid, and the drug is approved for market, it could mean people with early-stage Alzheimer’s might be able to keep the disease at bay. It could also mean that we finally have an actual treatment for the disease, and not just its symptoms, available for patients. […]
The results are still preliminary and not yet peer-reviewed or published. […] The drug still needs to pass a phase 3 clinical study and FDA scrutiny. […]
“An experimental treatment completely reversed Alzheimer’s disease in mice by reducing the levels of a single enzyme in the animals’ brains. The results further bolster the theory that amyloid plaques are at the root of this mysterious brain disease, and that addressing these plaques could lead to an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s.” (Newsweek)
Although the promising results of this study may show that research is on the right track, mice are too different from humans for the results to mean a sudden cure and it would be a minimum of five to seven years researchers would know if the same approach is helpful in humans.
The trial’s results are now the first solid confirmation that lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of both mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a degree of brain decline that’s considered the gateway to dementia, and probable dementia. […]
