The race is on to find a treatment and possibly a cure for Alzheimer's - The Globe and Mail

One of those strategies is early detection of the disease to help slow cognitive decline, which Dr.

With Alzheimer’s and many other neurodegenerative diseases, the cells stop communicating, ultimately causing progressive cognitive decline.

“We do know now synapse loss is one of the best, if not the best, correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease,” he says.

Parsons says.

Many researchers worldwide are working to identify better biomarkers for Alzheimer’s to predict who will develop the disease so treatment can begin early.

With the help of funding from the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, the Memorial team is working with a known gene mutation linked to familial forms of Alzheimer’s, introducing them to brain cells or tissues in the lab, either in cell cultures or in animal models.

By doing that, the team hopes to figure out how the particular gene mutation affects the brain cell’s ability to communicate, which in turn leads to cell death and cognitive decline.

Parson’s and his team are also conducting related research into Huntington’s disease, which bears certain similarities to Alzheimer’s and can also cause devastating cognitive decline.

Josée Guimond, the director of research, knowledge translation and exchange at the Alzheimer Society of Canada, says there are some promising targets for new treatments to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Aduhelm, which targets a protein in the brain linked with Alzheimer’s, is recommended for patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Guimond says it’s an important step as no other clinical treatment for the disease has been brought to market in nearly 20 years.

“While the number of potential treatment options currently being explored represents a significant improvement over the years, dementia research funding is still far behind any other major disease resulting in fewer drugs in the pipeline of clinical trials.”