Central retinal artery occlusion is an ophthalmologic emergency and an important cause of acquired blindness. Occlusion of the central retinal artery is usually secondary to one or more serious systemic diseases, often carotid artery or cardiac valvular disease, although hypercoagulability, atrial fibrillation and autoimmune diseases are significant contributors as well. While most patients with acute occlusion
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Virtually all clinical trials of Alzheimer’s medications have failed in the last 15 years. Drugs ranging from antibodies to neurochemical enhancers did not make it to the pharmacies. However, plenty of food supplements are on the shelf at the pharmacy, some promising to “support your memory and brain function,” “protect from oxidative stress,” and even
The FDA conditionally approved Biogen’s drug aducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease yesterday, the first new treatment for this disease approved in decades. As a physician caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, I’ve been looking forward to the day when I can offer a course altering therapy for this unfair and frustrating disease. So why don’t I
Last week the Alzheimer’s Association appealed to the FDA to approve Biogen’s anti-amyloid immunotherapy drug aducanumab after the FDA heard appeals from patients and families affected by this Alzheimer’s disease. The statement from the Alzheimer’s Association read in part: “The Alzheimer’s Association worked directly with the FDA to arrange this session as part of our
Here at the SchragLAB, we believe Retinal Health = Brain Health. Consequently, we have been leading a charge to develop the world's first effective treatment for strokes of the retina due to central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). CRAO is a somewhat rare disorder which we estimate afflicts 50,000-65,000 Americans and is an important cause of
Vitamin D levels are linked to having sufficient access to sunlight and promote bone health. Over the last decade or so, vitamin D has increasingly been studied as a potential neuroprotective agent and people are interested in whether it may prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. However, conflicting results from clinical
A Perspective for Thriving with Alzheimer’s Disease As clinical trial after clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease fails to produce effective treatments, it is easy to get discouraged. Never-the-less, we have learned an incredible amount about Alzheimer's disease over the last decades and our ability to help people with this disease is growing. The popular conception
A recent Washington Post article slamming pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for burying data on a potential link between their anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel and prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has generated considerable controversy. The article contends that Pfizer, due to various business considerations, withheld key data that suggests Enbrel may “reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by
Physicians and scientists have seen fluid-filled spaces around blood vessels in the brain for decades and while we have known that they were associated with hypertension and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, most people interpreted these spaces as a benign finding of little clinical importance. Our collaborator, Angela Jefferson, recently published a landmark paper in the journal
In our recent article in the American Journal of Ophthalmology we reported that our patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) had a very high rate of stroke and stroke risk factors. In fact, their risk of stroke was equivalent to the high-risk category of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Dr. Anthony Arnold from UCLA wrote
Patients often ask me about specialized diets, supplements, vitamins and other alternative approaches to treating memory problems, so I thought we should review the science about a few that we've been asked about lately. I asked Carolyn Akers, a Vanderbilt Neuroscience major, to dig into the evidence behind the Ketoflex diet, Beta-XB supplement and Prevagen
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) causes a blockage of the main blood supply to the retina resulting sudden, painless vision loss in the affected eye. Unfortunately, this vision loss is usually permanent and an important part of our research has focused on developing strategies to protect vision when a CRAO occurs. We were somewhat surprised
Oxidative stress in the brain might not be major driver of Alzheimer's disease afterall. We are continuing our analytical work to understand the nature of oxidative changes in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. We previously found that patients with Alzheimer's disease have deficiencies in blood and serum non-enzymatic antioxidants (like vitamin C and E and
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a significant cause of blindness and is associated with a considerable risk of heart attacks, strokes and death. Our major research objective in confronting this terrible disease is to 1) identify the best treatment(s) to rescue the visual function of the retina and 2) to identify the risk factors which
Recently published results in the Journal of Cerebrovascular Disease further broadens the differential diagnosis of cerebral microhemorrhages. In healthy populations, the vast majority of cerebral microhemorrhages are caused by hypertension and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, but in hospitalized and ill patients, the causes are much more diverse. The authors found that a very high proportion of