The Alzheimer's Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia is currently ongoing (9-12 June 2007) in Washington D.C.

In lieu of the said conference, Alzheimer's Disease takes the spotlight this week and here are a few of the latest findings on this neurodegenerative disease:

Unexplained Late-life Weight Loss May Be Early Predictor Of Alzheimer's Disease: University of South Florida researchers have reported that the most likely cause of the unexplained weight loss (weight loss that precedes dementia by more than 10 years) is the severity of the Alzheimer changes in the brain rather than an eating disorder or other condition associated with declining cognition.

Simple Test Predicts 6-year Risk of Dementia: San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers led the development of a simple test that can be given to patients by any physician which predicts a person's risk for developing dementia within six years with 87 percent accuracy.

Newly Discovered Antibody May Be Body's Natural Defense Against Alzheimer's: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's physician-scientists have identified naturally occurring antibodies in human blood that may help to defend against this form of dementia as well as other neurodegenerative diseases.