Feature Channels: Alzheimer's and Dementia

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La proteína tóxica tau es una de las principales características biológicas en los cerebros de las personas con enfermedad de Alzheimer, pero aún no se entiende bien los factores que hacen a la gente más susceptible o resistente a la acumulación de esta proteína. Un estudio preliminar de Mayo Clinic muestra que en los ancianos puede haber una relación entre variantes heredadas en el ADN y la aparición de depósitos de proteína tau.

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In the study, a group of lab mice that had consumed a diet that included the HM-10/10 peptide was found to have a significantly lower tumor load than mice that had not eaten the peptide.

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Older people who regularly walk, garden, swim or dance may have bigger brains than their inactive peers, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020. The effect of exercise was equal to four fewer years of brain aging.

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New research data in the journal PLoS Pathogens suggests that reactivated HSV in trigeminal nerves of laboratory mice kills off at least a portion of sensory neurons. The findings provide additional evidence that as humans get older, the long-term consequences of HSV infection in the nervous system can accumulate and cause neurological damage.

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For years, curry lovers have sworn by the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, but its active compound, curcumin, has long frustrated scientists hoping to validate these claims with clinical studies.

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Middle school football players greatly reduce the chance of head injuries if they wear padded helmets and use safe tackling and blocking techniques, according to Rutgers researchers.

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The toxic protein tau is a key biological feature in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Yet the factors that make people susceptible or resistant to tau accumulation are not well-understood. A preliminary Mayo Clinic study shows that inherited DNA variants may be associated with developing tau deposits in older adults. The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 25–May 1.

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Researchers know that the protein tau develops into tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. But until now they have struggled to understand what factors make you more or less likely to develop these tangles. In a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020, researchers say that they have identified gene variants that are associated with a susceptibility to developing tau deposits in older age.

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A team of researchers at the University of Arizona has found that low-intensity ultrasound waves directed at a particular region of the brain’s prefrontal cortex in healthy subjects can elevate mood, and decrease connectivity in a brain network that has been shown to be hyperactive in psychiatric disorders. The method uses transcranial focused ultrasound (‘tFUS’), a painless, non-invasive technique to modulate brain function comparable to transcranial magnetic stimulation (‘TMS’), and transcranial direct current stimulation (‘tDCS’). This study shows, for the first time, a correlation between tFUS-induced mood enhancement, and reorganization of brain circuits.

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New research by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists reveals how a cellular filament helps neural stem cells clear damaged and clumped proteins, an important step in eventually producing new neurons.

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Scientists from the Uniformed Services University (USU), Emory University and the University of Vermont have found that cigarette smoking is linked to increased lesions in the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities. White matter hyperintensities, detected by MRI scan, are associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. These findings may help explain the link between smoking and increased rates of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline.

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TMS shows promise in treating a broad range of neurological disorders, including stroke, dementia and migraines

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MD Anderson announces a strategic research collaboration with Denali Therapeutics to develop new targeted therapies for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

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As out-of-pocket costs go up for drugs for the neurologic disorders Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral neuropathy and Parkinson’s disease, people are less likely to take the drugs as often as their doctors prescribed, according to a study funded by the American Academy of Neurology and published in the February 19, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Harvard researchers have discovered a new mechanism for how the brain and its arteries communicate to supply blood to areas of heightened neural activity. The findings enable new avenues of study into the role of this process in neurological diseases.

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University of Kentucky professor Ann Stowe’s research may pave the way to understanding and improving how the brain recovers from stroke.

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Few studies have examined how the neighborhood’s physical environment relates to cognition in older adults. Researchers categorized 4,716 individuals by apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype – a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to determine if there are cognitive benefits of living in neighborhoods with greater access to social, walking and retail destinations. Results showed that the positive influence of neighborhood environments on cognition are strongest among those who are at the lowest risk for AD, specifically APOE ε2 carriers.

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Today, at a European Parliament lunch debate hosted by Christophe Hansen MEP (Luxembourg), Alzheimer Europe launched a new report presenting the findings of its collaborative analysis of recent prevalence studies and setting out updated prevalence rates for dementia in Europe.

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With the support of a recent $3 million grant renewal from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Mariana Figueiro is perfecting a treatment she developed for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias that helps to regulate sleep and reduce symptoms of depression — and requires no drugs, only light.