Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

New insights on an enzyme complex involved in plaque production

A research team led by Wim Annaert (VIB-KU Leuven) uncovered the early assembly of gamma-secretase, a protein complex linked to numerous cellular processes including the development of Alzheimer's disease.

23 Jul 2021

Children with rare genetic disorder experience dramatic improvements in a gene therapy trial

Children with a devastating genetic disorder characterized by severe motor disability and developmental delay have experienced sometimes dramatic improvements in a gene therapy trial launched at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

13 Jul 2021

Study reveals the relationship between gut microbiome and neurodegenerative disorders

Eran Blacher bagged the NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize 2021 for his work in highlighting the relationship between the microbiome and neurodegenerative diseases.

12 Jul 2021

Study finds a link between progression of Alzheimer’s disease and corpuscles in cell nuclei

Studies conducted on patients’ tissue as well as mini-brains created from stem cells have provided a better insight into Alzheimer’s disease.

15 Jun 2021

Misfolded tau proteins cause progressive degeneration in Alzheimer's disease

According to a study performed by researchers from the Van Andel Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, misfolded proteins that impair neurons in Alzheimer’s disease travel the “roads” of the brain, similar to a supply truck crossing the countryside.

11 Jun 2021

Brain study provides new insights on dementia

The largest study to date has provided a better understanding of how genes are controlled in dementia, including the identification of 84 novel genes associated with the condition.

From University of Exeter 11 Jun 2021

Study reveals the first look of brains retrieving faulty memories

Scientists have observed for the first time what it looks like in the key memory region of the brain when a mistake is made during a memory trial.

9 Jun 2021

Developing computational tools to illuminate how genetic factors impact the brain

Liang Zhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop computational tools that improve our understanding of the human brain.

From University of Pittsburgh 8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021

New study on genotype-phenotype associations sheds light on human complex traits, diseases

A new study analyzing the association between an individual's genetics (genotype) and their observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of genetics and the environment (phenotype), contributes new knowledge to the understanding of human complex traits and diseases.

2 Jun 2021

Study shows why “the brain's memory center” is vulnerable to damage, degeneration

In a world first, scientists from the University of Sussex have recorded blood oxygen levels in the hippocampus and provided experimental proof for why the area, commonly referred to as 'the brain's memory center', is vulnerable to damage and degeneration, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

31 May 2021

Researchers suggest new strategies for finding drugs that neutralize key enzymes

Scientists from the UK's University of Bath explore racemases - an important type of enzyme that is linked to certain cancers and other life-threatening diseases while also being critical to cell function - in a paper published in the prestigious journal Chemical Society Reviews. The scientists also propose new strategies for finding drugs that neutralize these enzymes.

From University of Bath 26 May 2021

Researchers devise a small-molecule cocktail to protect stem cells from stress

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain normal stem cell structure and function.

4 May 2021

Chaperone protein imbalance initiates toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain

Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain - an early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) neuroscientists suggests.

21 Apr 2021

Study shows how tau aggregates promote Alzheimer’s disease

If looked deep into the brain of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease or those suffering from the most types of dementia or the concussion-associated syndrome, called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), there would be hairball-like tangles of a protein known as tau—a common suspected culprit.

20 Apr 2021

Researchers identify overlapping genetic locations that shape face and the brain

An interdisciplinary team led by KU Leuven and Stanford has identified 76 overlapping genetic locations that shape both our face and our brain.

6 Apr 2021

New function of BMI1 gene can protect against Alzheimer’s disease

The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre has taken another step toward interpreting Alzheimer’s disease.

24 Mar 2021

Processed meat consumption associated with increased risk of dementia

Scientists from the University of Leeds's Nutritional Epidemiology Group used data from 500,000 people, discovering that consuming a 25g serving of processed meat a day, the equivalent to one rasher of bacon, is associated with a 44% increased risk of developing the disease.

23 Mar 2021

New high-throughput system for testing drug candidates to treat neurodegenerative diseases

On the basis of a license agreement with the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF), the Dresden-based start-up "Neuron-D GmbH" is developing a high-throughput system for testing drug candidates to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

19 Mar 2021

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