Dementia News and Research

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Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a descriptive term for a collection of symptoms that can be caused by a number of disorders that affect the brain. People with dementia have significantly impaired intellectual functioning that interferes with normal activities and relationships. They also lose their ability to solve problems and maintain emotional control, and they may experience personality changes and behavioral problems, such as agitation, delusions, and hallucinations.

UCL Study Uncovers Astrocytes' Role in Brain Energy Boosting Mechanism

A key mechanism which detects when the brain needs an additional energy boost to support its activity has been identified in a study in mice and cells led by UCL scientists.

4 Jul 2024

Novel Epigenetic Tool CHARM Offers Hope for Prion Disease Treatment

In a new study in mice, researchers introduce "CHARM," a compact and versatile epigenetic editor that can be used to silence prion protein throughout the brain.

28 Jun 2024

Novel protein biomarker panel can detect Parkinson's disease in early stages using blood samples

A team of researchers used multiplexed mass spectrometry data and a machine learning model to identify biomarkers that can predict Parkinson’s disease.

27 Jun 2024

Unlocking the Secrets of Aging Brains

Researchers have determined the potential mechanisms through which some long-lived mutants of the Caenorhabditis elegans model system experience cognitive decline and others can retain learning and memory into old age.

26 Jun 2024

Christchurch Variant Offers Protection Against Early-Onset Alzheimer's

A scientific story that began with a discovery in just one extraordinary patient is now panning out.

21 Jun 2024

Innovative ssREAD Database Provides Rich Alzheimer's Disease RNA-Seq Resources for Researchers

The Single-cell and Spatial RNA-seq databasE for Alzheimer’s Disease, or ssREAD.

12 Jun 2024

Astrocyte Receptor Effects Differ Dramatically Between Sexes

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have uncovered the first evidence that astrocyte receptors can trigger opposite effects on cognitive function in male and female preclinical models.

31 May 2024

Herpes Gene Therapy Achieves 90% Viral Reduction in Pre-Clinical Studies

Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center have found in pre-clinical studies that an experimental gene therapy for genital and oral herpes removed 90% or more of the infection and suppressed how much virus can be released from an infected individual, which suggests that the therapy would also reduce the spread of the virus.

16 May 2024

Glutamate tRNA Fragments Play Key Role in Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease

A significant research paper published in the journal Cell Metabolism by the team of Prof. LIU Qiang at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) reveals the critical role of glutamate tRNA fragments in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.

14 May 2024

UCLA Study Reveals Novel Mechanism for Memory Formation During Sleep

UCLA Health researchers have discovered a mechanism that creates memories while reducing metabolic cost, even during sleep.

9 May 2024

Using State-of-the Art Imaging to Understand Lipid Dysfunction in Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease causes significant problems with memory, thinking and behavior and is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 50 million people around the world each year.

24 Apr 2024

Mapping Gene Signatures Unveils How Lewy Bodies Impact Brain Cells

A new study by scientists at Van Andel Institute provides an initial glimpse into the intricate molecular changes taking place in brain cells with Lewy bodies, crucial pathological markers of Parkinson’s disease and certain dementias.

17 Apr 2024

Unveiling Mechanisms to Block Tau Aggregation

The buildup of aberrant, misfolded tau proteins in the brain is the cause of a variety of neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Fronto Temporal Dementia (FTD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and Cortico Basal Degeneration (CBD).

4 Apr 2024

Scientists Pioneer mRNA Approach to Target Alzheimer's Protein

Scientists at The Florey have developed an mRNA technology approach to target the toxic protein tau, which builds up in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

29 Mar 2024

New Study Sheds Light on Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Aging

The central nervous system requires a tightly controlled environment for the neurons in the brain to function properly and be able to process information. The blood-brain barrier, which is maintained by specific brain endothelial cells lining blood vessel inner walls, controls the exchange of chemicals between the neurological and circulatory systems.

25 Mar 2024

Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Genetic Influences on Alzheimer's Disease Risk

Identifying genetic variants and the role they play in predisposing people to Alzheimer's disease can help researchers better understand how to treat the neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no cure.

21 Mar 2024

New Research Into the Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health is Urgently Required Due to ‘Significant Threat’ to Human Health

A new metastudy published in Cambridge Prisms: Plastics by Cambridge University Press, has identified a body of evidence demonstrating the negative impact of microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs) on human health and identifying the limitations of current research.

20 Mar 2024

New Biomarker Offers Early Detection of ALS and FTD

Two progressively degenerative diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD, recently in the news with the diagnoses of actor Bruce Willis and talk show host Wendy Williams), are linked by more than the fact that they both damage nerve cells critical to normal functioning -; the former affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord leading to loss of movement, the latter eroding the brain regions controlling personality, behavior and language.

19 Mar 2024

SIRPβ1 Gene Mutation Alters Alzheimer's Disease Progression

The scientist of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Malaga José Luis Royo has coordinated a study that summarizes eight years of research and brings together 100 multidisciplinary specialists, identifying a mutation that alters Alzheimer's disease progression.

18 Mar 2024