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.

Ancestral backgrounds can influence Alzheimer's disease risk, finds study

Genetics contributes to the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and the APOE gene is the strongest genetic risk factor, specifically the APOE4 allele.

5 Feb 2021

Machine intelligence can be used to improve brain-mapping technique

Scientists in Japan's brain science project have used machine intelligence to improve the accuracy and reliability of a powerful brain-mapping technique, a new study reports.

21 Dec 2020

Innovative gene therapy approach for regeneration of functional new neurons

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes disability and seriously compromises quality of life. While decades of research have made significant progress in axonal regeneration after SCI, most of the interventions have not been translated into clinical therapies.

18 Dec 2020

ECSIT protein can shed light on the origin of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have found how a protein governs the behavior of proteins associated with the activity in mitochondria, which is impacted in Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2020

Microglia surveillance helps prevent seizure activity in the brain

An important part of the brain's immune system, cells called microglia constantly extend and retract "branches" from their cell body to survey their environment.

15 Dec 2020

Study sheds light on molecular underpinnings of long-term memory

On a late summer day in 1953, a young man who would soon be known as patient H.M. underwent experimental surgery.

From Harvard Medical School 10 Dec 2020

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

Scientists use advanced methods for investigating structure and interactions of proteins

Michael Gross, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and of immunology and internal medicine at the School of Medicine, and his team are experts in footprinting proteins -- that is, using advanced methods for investigating the structure and interactions of proteins within larger molecules.

8 Dec 2020

Researchers identify promising treatments for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists from The Mount Sinai Hospital and the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology based in Japan have recently discovered novel molecular mechanisms that drive late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD).

25 Nov 2020

Tau protein in Alzheimer's disease looks different at every dementia stage

Research into Alzheimer's disease has long focused on understanding the role of two key proteins, beta amyloid and the tau protein. Found in tangles in patients' brain tissue, a pathological form of the tau protein contributes to propagating the disease in the brain.

19 Nov 2020

Study confirms correlation between gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Still incurable, it directly affects nearly one million people in Europe, and indirectly millions of family members as well as society as a whole.

16 Nov 2020

Researcher develops procedures for defining preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease

Both of Andrew Kiselica's grandfathers developed dementia when he was in graduate school. As Kiselica was going through neuropsychology training in graduate school, he saw his mother's father become unable to walk or speak due to severe dementia.

12 Nov 2020

Low levels of hydrogen peroxide can slow down cell aging

High levels of reactive oxygen species, called oxidants, are detrimental to cells in all organisms and have been associated with ageing.

10 Nov 2020

Nanoparticles could be used to deliver drugs to the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have shown that nanoparticles could be used to deliver drugs to the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

10 Nov 2020

Genetically edited form of herpes simplex virus outperforms key vaccine candidate

A genetically edited form of a herpes simplex virus -- rewired to keep it from taking refuge in the nervous system and eluding an immune response -- has outperformed a leading vaccine candidate in a new study from the University of Cincinnati, Northwestern University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

9 Nov 2020

LipiDiDiet project shows positive effects of nutrient intervention in early Alzheimer’s disease

Trial participants who received a multinutrient formulation over an extended period of time showed a significantly less rapid deterioration in cognitive performance than the patients in a control group, who received only a placebo.

6 Nov 2020

Researchers use AI tool to study the dynamics behind cancer, Alzheimer’s disease

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), scientists from the University of Copenhagen have solved a crucial issue that, to date, has been a major barrier to significant protein research into the dynamics behind various diseases, like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and also in the development of novel gene-editing techniques and sustainable chemistry.

4 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 receive $2.6 million grant to examine tau-glycan interactions involved in Alzheimer's disease

Tangles of misfolded tau proteins in the brain are closely associated with memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

29 Oct 2020

Metabolite of dietary soy may decrease key risk factor for dementia

A metabolite produced following consumption of dietary soy may decrease a key risk factor for dementia--with the help of the right bacteria, according to a new discovery led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

23 Oct 2020