§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department has received notification of research work into the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and senile dementia in particular; and if he will make a statement on its findings.
§ Mr. William SheltonThe Medical Research Council is supporting research relevant to Alzheimer's disease and dementia at a number of its units, including the neurochemical pharmacology unit in Cambridge. I understand that the results of a collaborative study between that unit and the university's department of psychiatry on various data from the patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease is shortly to be published. Prior to publication I cannot comment in detail on these findings, but I can say that they reveal apparent age-related differences in the activity of an important enzyme.
It is likely that a certain amount of research into the relationship of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is being carried out at universities and medical schools using funds provided through the University Grants Committee as block grants for teaching and research.