Nasal Spray Could Help Ward Off Alzheimer's

Intriguing news on the Alzheimer's front: Researchers at Tel Aviv University are working on a nasal spray they say protects against the disease as well as strokes, Israel 21 reports. The vaccine also can repair damage already done to the brain by triggering the body's immune system, say the researchers, whose findings have been accepted by the journal Neurobiology of Aging. It works by clearing away the waxy plaque that clogs the brain's vascular system.

"Using part of a drug that was previously tested as an influenza drug, we've managed to successfully induce an immune response against amyloid proteins in the blood vessels," says the study's leader. "In early pre-clinical studies, we've found it can prevent both brain tissue damage and restore cognitive impairment." Click for more. (More Alzheimer's disease stories.)