A medication that has been around for 40 years and successfully used to treat epilepsy, migraines and bipolar disorder may provide new hope for the more than 4 million Americans suffering with Alzheimer's disease.

The University Memory and Aging Center (UMAC) of Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland is one of 30 institutions participating in a national study to determine if the medication valproate can reduce the occurrences of problem behaviors and affect the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The $10 million "Valporate in Dementia" study, led by the nationally renowned Alzheimer's research group at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will target 300 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's who are living at home and have not yet shown signs of agitation. Alzheimer's patients experience personality changes with symptoms of agitation: easy to anger, low frustration level and, at its worst, physical aggression. The latter is one of the primary symptoms that prompts families to place loved ones in a skilled nursing facility.

Scientists will study whether patients who take valproate experience less agitation, as well as whether valproate will affect the deterioration of memory and daily functioning that occurs as the disease progresses.

According to Alexander Auchus, clinical director at UMAC, this study is the first of its kind to look at an agent that may have the potential to block "tangles," one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease linked with memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.

Tangles are abnormal brain tissue structures formed by abnormal processing of a protein called tau. Normally, tau is crucial for intracellular functioning and structure, but in Alzheimer's patients a stringy cluster of tau and phosphate molecules form, leading to dysfunction that impairs the cell's ability to communicate with neighboring cells. This eventually leads to cell death, contributing to the confusion, disorientation and forgetfulness associated with Alzheimer's disease.

For details, call 216-844-6328.

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