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One of the worst things about Alzheimer's disease has always been that there's no way to prevent it.  But that may be changing.  A new study has found that a protein may inhibit the beginning of the disease. According to newswise.com, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a compound in animal studies that reduced by more than half the levels of amyloid ( a starchlike protein that is deposited in the liver, kidneys, spleen, or other tissues in certain diseases) proteins in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers hope that someday a treatment based on the molecule could be used to ward off the neuro-degenerative disease since it may be safe enough to be taken daily over many years. Amyloid beta contributes to the plaques that develop in the Alzheimer's brain.  “What we want in an Alzheimer’s preventive is a drug that modestly lowers amyloid beta and is also safe for long-term use,” the Web site quotes Martin J. Sadows...

Antidepressants have helped millions feel better about their lives.  And now they may play an even bigger role in making us feel good.  They may prevent Alzheimer's. A new study has found that a  commonly prescribed antidepressant can reduce production of the main ingredient in Alzheimer’s brain plaques, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Pennsylvania. Stopping plaque buildup may halt the disastrous mental decline caused by the disorder. Newswise.com reports that this research  supports preliminary mouse studies that evaluated a variety of antidepressants. The scientists found that the antidepressant citalopram (or Celexa) stopped the growth of plaques in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. And in young adults who were cognitively healthy, a single dose of the antidepressant lowered by 37 percent the production of amyloid beta, the primary ingredient in plaques. "Although the findings ...