Dementia is caused by different illnesses that affect the brain and is characterised by;
- Loss of memory
- Mood changes
- Difficulty in understanding people and finding the right words when speaking
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's, a disease that destroys brain cells and affects thinking and memory.
It is estimated that dementia affects about 750,000 people in the UK and about 7.4 million world-wide. There is as yet no effective cure or treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists believe that the nerve cells in the brain are destroyed by the formation of plaques or plates of protein material, (beta-amyloid protein), building up in the brain.
Scientists at Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company based in San Francisco, have genetically engineered a mouse which develops the characteristics of Alzheimer's disease.
The scientists then developed a vaccine that would induce the mice's own immune system to recognise the protein plaques as foreign and so destroy them. The majority of vaccinated mice showed no plaque formation. Others did develop plaques but much less than in unvaccinated animals. The vaccinated mice showed no deterioration in their nerve cells.
Following these studies in mice, studies have now started in humans to see if this technique can be safely used to combat this distressing and widespread disease.
