Rutgers target form of dementia
Alzheimer's treatment study needs volunteers
By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... A critical study in the battle reduce the severity of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is coming to New Jersey.
.....
The Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has been chosen as one of about 40 sites across the U.S. to see how well benfotiamine -a synthetic from of Vitamin B1 - can slow cognitive decline in people with mild dementia and early Alzheimer's.
..... It is especially significant for New Jersey, which has one of the biggest prevalences of Alzheimer's with 12.3% of seniors affected, according to a study using 2020 data.
..... And as the bulk of the baby boom generation enters its golden years, the number of New Jerseyans over 60 is expected to explode this decade to 3 million residents - a jump of almost 1 million.
..... A single-site in New York has already yielded promising results. Those who took two benfotiamine pills twice a day showed a slowdown in the onset of mental impairment, which helped preserve their ability to carry out daily routine activities.
..... The study, which was expanded nationwide, is especially important because it involves a non-proprietary supplement that is relatively inexpensive, does not have major side effects and is found on the shelves of most drugstores and big-box retailers.
..... Now Rutgers researchers need toe most important piece of the study: volunteers.
..... For 18 months, participants will take benfotiamine or a placebo twice each day. They will have to attend periodic clinic visits for memory tests, blood work and MRI scans.
.....
They will be monitored for safety and participates with a study partner.
..... Rutgers is looking for 10 to 15 participants. They must be between 50 and 89 years old. They must also be experiencing "mild memory concerns" or have already been diagnoses with early stage Alzheimer's. the can live at home or in a care facility.
Here's how to participate
..... Email Fei Chen, a Rutgers researcher at chen2@wjms.rutgers.edu or call 732-667-0746 for more information.
.....
Brains are fueled by glucose. Glucose needs thiamine - vitamin B1 - to metabolize. Patients with Alzheimer's have a lack of thiamine that contributes to the buildup of plaque in the brain and damages cells.
..... Benfotiamine is a synthetic from of thiamine that can be more easily absorbed,
..... "In people with Alzheimer's seaside, brain cells often struggle to precess that fuel," said Fred Kobylarz, a professor at the medical school and the stud's main investigator.
..... "Benfotiamine works by significantly raising the levies of thiamine. In the blood - up to 100 times higher than normal," Kobylarz said.