Monday, November 18, 1996New Alzheimer’s drug could restore
memory
A new drug, which in some tests of healthy elderly men restores
memory almost to that of young people, soon will be tested on
patients with Alzheimer’s, the fatal brain disorder that destroys
the mind.
Dr. Gary Lynch of the University of California at Irvine said
Sunday the drug called ampakine CX-516 accelerates signals between
brain cells and appears to significantly sharpen the memory.
The drug, used in only mild doses, was tested on students in
their early 20s and on men aged 65 to 70 and the results were
"particularly striking" among the older people, Lynch said. He
delivered a report on the drug Sunday at a national meeting of the
Society for Neuroscience.
"The results for the 65- to 70-year-old men was particularly
striking," said Lynch. "They scored near the range of young
people."
In some tests even the young experienced improvement in memory
by about 20 percent, he said.
Lynch said the hope is that the drug will improve the memory of
patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive disorder that
destroys memory and other functions of the brain and eventually
kills. About 5 million Americans, mostly elderly, have Alzheimer’s,
and it is estimated that the number will climb to 15 million over
the next quarter-century as the nation’s population ages.
Ampakine CX-516 has been tested only on small groups in clinical
experiments to detect any toxic effects.
A more definitive test will start next year at the National
Institutes of Health, when 16 patients with mild to moderate
Alzheimer’s disease will be given the drug.
Dr. Donald Price, a neuroscience researcher at Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore, said the new drug is "intriguing and
innovative" and that it will influence "a very important synapse"
in the brain.
However, he said, "I have reservations about its use in
Alzheimer’s, because it does not directly address the disease
mechanism. It is a palliative."
L.A. City Council blocks Prop. 218
The City Council voted to ask the courts to block implementation
of Proposition 218, the newly approved ballot measure that limits
local governments’ ability to raise or impose taxes.
The new law declares that local governments generally cannot
pass or raise taxes, create or raise fees or create or increase
property assessments unless they bring the issue to voters for
approval.
In some instances, existing taxes and assessments will have to
be submitted for voter approval. On an 8-3 vote, the council
approved a motion Friday that directs the city attorney to draft a
legal challenge to Proposition 218’s constitutionality on the basis
that it denies renters the right to vote in some cases.
Under the measure, only property owners can vote on assessments,
and property owners who must pay a higher assessment will have
their vote weighted accordingly. Non-property owners, such as
renters and tenants, do not get a vote.
"I am absolutely sure most of the renters who voted for this
didn’t know they were giving up their right to vote," said
Councilman Richard Alarcon.
At the rancorous hearing, other members argued that the city
should not try to undermine a statewide vote.
"I have a great deal of difficulty in having the city of Los
Angeles spend taxpayer dollars to challenge a vote of the people,"
said Councilman Hal Bernson, who voted against the court
challenge.
A representative of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association,
which sponsored Proposition 218, denounced the council’s vote.
"This is an abuse of the taxpayers’ funds to thwart the will of
the people," John Coupal said. "For the City Council to do this is
not only an affront to the voters, but an assault on taxpayer
funds."
Coupal maintained Proposition 218 protects renters and everyone
else by forcing government agencies to put more tax measures to a
general vote.
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