Feature Channels: Alzheimer's and Dementia

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If you're having difficulty identifying the right word to express yourself clearly or remembering a story correctly, you may blame menopause.

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New basic science and clinical research identifies TAU, the same protein studied in the development of Alzheimer’s, as a biomarker for glioma development.

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When it comes to certain parts of the brain, bigger doesn’t necessarily equate to better memory. According to a new study led by Michigan State University, a larger hippocampus, a curved, seahorse-shaped structure embedded deep in the brain, does not always reliably predict learning and memory abilities in older adults.

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A team of physicists from McMaster University has developed a process to modify red blood cells so they can be used to distribute drugs throughout the body, which could specifically target infections or treat catastrophic diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s.

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Preclinical research has revealed a key missing piece of the Alzheimer’s disease puzzle. That allowed proof-of-concept experiments — using an existing drug — that dramatically reduced Alzheimer’s pathology and symptoms in mouse models, potentially offering an immediate treatment for this disease.

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Un interruptor molecular es capaz de encender, en animales, una sustancia que repara el daño neurológico de trastornos como la esclerosis múltiple, descubrió un estudio de Mayo Clinic.

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Houston Methodist scientists identified a protein found in ovarian cancer that may contribute to declining brain function and Alzheimer’s disease, by combining computational methods and lab research.

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A molecular switch has the ability to turn on a substance in animals that repairs neurological damage in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Mayo Clinic researchers discovered.

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Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine have found that a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides could be a promising treatment for frontotemporal dementia.

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An image of your retina may help determine your risk for Alzheimer’s disease even before other symptoms are detectable. Iowa State researchers will use the retinal images, cognitive measurements and economic data to determine if this information can identify risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

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A preliminary study has found that when young, healthy men were deprived of just one night of sleep, they had higher levels of tau, a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease, in their blood than when they had a full, uninterrupted night of rest. The study is published in the January 8, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The five-year, $5 million Atlas of Retinal Imaging in Alzheimer’s Study (ARIAS) is sponsored by BayCare Health System’s Morton Plant Hospital and St. Anthony’s Hospital and funded largely by Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation and St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation in Pinellas County, Florida.

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During the years 1976 through 1980, 15% of U.S. adults were obese. Today, about 40% of adults are obese. Another 33% are overweight.

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Brain imaging of pathological tau-protein "tangles" reliably predicts the location of future brain atrophy in Alzheimer's patients a year or more in advance, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center.

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A study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases provides new evidence of an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health, particularly in gray matter and total brain volume — regions of the brain involved with cognitive decline and aging.

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Researchers report that accumulating amyloid protein occurred faster among persons deemed to have “objectively-defined subtle cognitive difficulties” (Obj-SCD) than among persons considered to be “cognitively normal,” offering a potential new early biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease.

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The scientific community has long believed that beta-amyloid, a protein that can clump together and form sticky plaques in the brain, is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Beta-amyloid then leads to other brain changes including neurodegeneration and eventually to thinking and memory problems. But a new study challenges that theory. The study suggests that subtle thinking and memory differences may come before, or happen alongside, the development of amyloid plaques that can be detected in the brain. The study is published in the December 30, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A large study that followed more than one million women for nearly two decades has found that obesity in midlife is linked to a greater risk of dementia later in life; however, poor diet and lack of exercise are not. The study is published in the December 18, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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UCLA Health experts weigh in on the most significant healthcare advances of the last ten years and what exciting developments we can look forward to in the decade ahead.

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In the search for an Alzheimer’s cure, the scientific community has focused on drugs to lessen the buildup of amyloid protein in the brain. But new research published today in Science Translational Medicine finds that targeting tau pathology shows promise.The discovery came by looking at what could make worms resistant to pathological tau protein. That’s when researchers discovered the role of the MSUT2 gene. The latest study applied to mice as well. And held true in autopsy samples of Alzheimer's patients.

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A monthly roundup of research briefs showcasing recent scientific advances led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center faculty.

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For more than 14 years, Bea Weiser, 98, has volunteered at the front desk of FAU’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center to help attendees who are struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. Nothing slows down this vibrant and energetic senior who continues to maintain her independence (she still drives) and who has worked since she was 14 years old. Even a recent setback with a broken shoulder and a cancer diagnosis has not deterred her from returning to the center three afternoons a week to continue her passion to help others.

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An expert at Rutgers’ Care2Caregivers helpline shares tips on how families can celebrate the holidays with loved ones suffering from an illness that affects memory

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An article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describes a new pathway in the central nervous system to expel waste substances from the brain through the creation of corpora amylacea (CA), aggregates formed by glucose polymers amassing waste products.

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Cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND), or mild cognitive impairment, is a condition that affects your memory and may put you at risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

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A team from the Beaumont Research Institute believes low-dose radiation might be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers are now seeking patients with Alzheimer’s disease for the study.

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While most of us are enjoying the traditional turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day, employees at Cedars-Sinai will be hand-feeding stem cells their special daily formula, carefully monitoring the incubator temperatures and caring for the cells that may become part of important research that could one day lead to treatments for diseases that have plagued humans for years.

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A new paper in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology finds a gene that may help explain a large part of the genetic risk for developing Alzheimer disease.

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Women in their 70s and 80s who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution experienced greater declines in memory and more Alzheimer's-like brain atrophy than their counterparts who breathed cleaner air, according to USC researchers.

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A paper published today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) shed new light on a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease that may indirectly influence patients’ risk of postoperative delirium.

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Israeli researchers have developed new technology for transporting drugs within silicon nanostructures to the brain. These nanostructures release an essential protein, which can inhibit the development of Alzheimer's disease, and provide targeted delivery in the brain with the use of a “gene gun.”

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Scientists at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam have uncovered a possible explanation for the mental sluggishness that often accompanies illness.

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Nearly half of Americans in their 50s and early 60s think they’re likely to develop dementia as they grow older, but only 5% of them have actually talked with a doctor about what they could do to reduce their risk, a new study finds. Meanwhile, a third or more say they’re trying to stave off dementia by taking supplements or doing crossword puzzles – despite the lack of proof that such tactics work.

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A gene called apolipoprotein E (APOE), long implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, has two variants that act differently among Caribbean Hispanics depending on the ancestral origin, according to a study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Researchers identified non-coding regions of the human genome that control the development and function of four brain cell types and mapped genetic risk variants for psychiatric diseases. They found that risk variants for Alzheimer’s disease were enriched in microglia-specific regulatory elements.

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A new study finds that cognitive impairment begins in the earliest stages of age-related hearing loss—when hearing is still considered normal.

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Endocytosis, a fundamental process that cells use to take in macromolecules, functions a lot like an airlock on a spaceship – but squishier, says Dr. Gunther Hollopeter, assistant professor of molecular medicine at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

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New research has found that people who are illiterate, meaning they never learned to read or write, may have nearly three times greater risk of developing dementia than people who can read and write. The study is published in the November 13, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The advisory council is made up of federal and non-federal members who serve overlapping four-year terms. As a new member, Ordóñez brings the perspectives of Hispanic and Latino Americans and providers of long-term services and support.

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Columbia neuroengineers have found the first evidence that individual neurons in the human brain target specific memories during recall. They studied recordings in neurosurgical patients who had electrodes implanted in their brains and examined how the patients’ brain signals corresponded to their behavior while performing a virtual-reality object–location memory task. The researchers identified “memory-trace cells” whose activity was spatially tuned to the location where subjects remembered encountering specific objects.

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A Rutgers-led team has created better biosensor technology that may help lead to safe stem cell therapies for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders. The technology, which features a unique graphene and gold-based platform and high-tech imaging, monitors the fate of stem cells by detecting genetic material (RNA) involved in turning such cells into brain cells (neurons), according to a study in the journal Nano Letters.

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People who have trouble sleeping may be more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or other cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases, according to a study published in the November 6, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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By: Kara Irby | Published: November 6, 2019 | 10:10 am | SHARE: November is nationally recognized as Alzheimer’s Awareness month. President Ronald Reagan made the designation in 1983 and today more than 50 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia worldwide.These Florida State University experts are available to comment on a variety of topics related to Alzheimer’s disease.

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A new test agent can easily and efficiently detect the misfolded protein aggregates that cause devastating neurological diseases in blood samples. The technology could lead to early diagnosis of prion, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases for the first time.

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Malgré des décennies d'examen scientifique, les chercheurs qui se consacrent à la maladie d’Alzheimer doivent encore en déterminer la cause ou le traitement. En comprenant les éléments sous-jacents de ses trois sous-types différents, une nouvelle perspective de recherche prometteuse semble se dessiner.

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Apesar de décadas de escrutínio científico, os pesquisadores da doença de Alzheimerainda não descobriram sua causa ou tratamento. Compreender no que se baseiam os seus três subtipos distintos é considerado uma nova e promissora via de investigação.

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Trotz jahrzehntelanger wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen haben die Erforscher der Alzheimer-Krankheit deren Ursache und Behandlungsmethoden noch nicht klären können. Zu verstehen, was den drei verschiedenen Subtypen der Krankheit zugrunde liegt, gilt als vielversprechender neuer Forschungsansatz.

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Pese a décadas de escrutinio científico, a los investigadores sobre la enfermedad de Alzheimer todavía les queda por resolver su causa y tratamiento. No obstante, se cree que al entender lo que subyace bajo los tres subtipos distintos, las nuevas investigaciones se enrumbarán por un camino esperanzador.