Neurodegenerative Disease News and Research

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Comprehensive mutation map helps better understand the biological processes underlying Alzheimer's

A study published in the journal eLife made all the possible mutations in the amyloid beta peptide and tested how they influence its aggregation into plaques, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

10 Mar 2021

Study: Phase separated droplets have many important functions in cells

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process by which cells capture and degrade their own dysfunctional or superfluous components for degradation and recycling.

22 Jan 2021

Researchers develop a diagnostic tool for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Infrared analyses of neuronal proteins provide information on molecular changes in patients with ALS. This helps to verify their diagnosis.

10 Dec 2020

Research reveals a gene responsible for anthraquinone synthesis in plants

Anthraquinones are a class of naturally occurring compounds prized for their medicinal properties, as well as for other applications, including ecologically friendly dyes. Despite wide interest, the mechanism by which plants produce them has remained shrouded in mystery until now.

25 Nov 2020

Research projects receive BTCA awards to develop new drugs

Five research projects with exceptional promise to deliver new life-changing and health-altering therapies have received the inaugural Blavatnik Therapeutics Challenge Awards (BTCA) at Harvard Medical School.

From Harvard Medical School 30 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection

To identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists at the New York Genome Center, New York University, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, performed a genome-scale, loss-of-function CRISPR screen to systematically knockout all genes in the human genome.

27 Oct 2020

Vacuolar Tauopathy: New, rare genetic form of dementia discovered

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of Penn Medicine researchers. This discovery also sheds light on a new pathway that leads to protein build up in the brain -- which causes this newly discovered disease, as well as related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease -- that could be targeted for new therapies. The study was published today in Science.

5 Oct 2020

Biomarker for diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases identified in the eye

A new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers indicates a well-known biomarker that serves as a marker for earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is now detectable in the eye.

24 Sep 2020

UB biophysicist receives $2 million NIH grant to explore protein-RNA droplets

Inside human cells, proteins and RNA can cluster together to form spherical droplets that play vital roles in cellular processes as well as in certain human diseases.

23 Sep 2020

Star-shaped brain cells are essential for blood-brain barrier health, shows study

Hard skulls help protect our brains from physical injuries.In addition to a tough outer shell, brains have internal defenses, including a powerful shield called the blood-brain barrier that defends brain cells from substances in the bloodstream that are toxic and dangerous to nerve cells. If the blood-brain barrier is breached, then health problems arise.

22 Sep 2020

Study highlights the role of brain astrocyte cells in Parkinson's disease pathology

A new study using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology links astrocyte dysfunction to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology.

9 Sep 2020

Discovering the Critical Role of Astrocytes in Neurodegenerative Diseases

AZoLifeSciences talks to Dr. Shane Liddelow about their research into discovering the critical role of astrocytes in neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma.

From New York University (NYU) 29 Jul 2020

New link found between impaired brain energy metabolism and delirium

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new link between impaired brain energy metabolism and delirium - a disorienting and distressing disorder particularly common in the elderly and one that is currently occurring in a large proportion of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

15 Jul 2020

Subtypes in alzheimer's disease may be linked to tau protein modifications

A new study reveals a possible biological reason that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) progresses at different rates in different patients.

25 Jun 2020

Astrocytes may play a key role in neurodegenerative disorders

According to a new research performed in rodents, cells that usually nurture nerves may actually destroy them following a brain injury.

From New York University (NYU) 24 Jun 2020

Disrupted circadian rhythms in older adults linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease

Older men who have a weak or irregular circadian rhythm guiding their daily cycles of rest and activity are more likely to later develop Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences who analyzed 11 years of data for nearly 3,000 independently living older men.

16 Jun 2020