Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Pearling Mechanism Regulates Precise Spacing of Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondria are often described as the cell's power plants, because they generate energy. To help them achieve this, mitochondria carry their own small genome called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

3 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How STING Protein Migrates to Trigger Immune Responses

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified how the quintessential immune protein known as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) migrates from one cellular organelle to another, a necessary step in its activation.

27 Mar 2026

NAC Complex Triggers Protein Folding at Earliest Stage of Synthesis

In the earliest phase of creating human proteins, the protein complex NAC performs an essential task by starting the first steps towards folding proteins into their correct three-dimensional structures.

24 Mar 2026

New PanNDA Atlas Maps Protein Networks in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases form a tangled biological web with overlapping molecular signatures and symptoms. To decode this complexity, a multi-institute collaboration led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists developed the pan-neurodegeneration atlas (PanNDA).

24 Mar 2026

Comprehensive Brain Atlas Maps Epigenetic Changes During Aging

Neurodegenerative diseases affect more than 57 million people globally. The incidence of these diseases, from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's to ALS and beyond, is expected to double every 20 years.

13 Mar 2026

Transplanted Mitochondria Enhance Cell Metabolism and Survival Under Stress

Mitochondria, also known as the powerhouses of the cell, are essential for cell survival, repair, and adaptation.

5 Mar 2026

DNA Changes in Alzheimer’s That May Drive Disease Progression

In a study published in Nature Communications, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered particular DNA-level abnormalities in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

4 Mar 2026

Decoding the Molecular Machinery of Vesicle Transport

Since the 1940s, scientists have known that cells form tiny carriers called vesicles that move molecules among cellular compartments and to other cells.

2 Mar 2026

Structural Blueprint of Cellular Biomolecular Condensates Opens New Therapeutic Possibilities

Cells rely on biomolecular condensates to coordinate essential biological processes without surrounding membranes.

26 Feb 2026

New Antibodies Prevent EBV Infection in Humanized Mouse Models

Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions.

18 Feb 2026

Hidden Neuronal Lattice May Shield the Brain From Alzheimer’s

Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them - signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces - in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep.

12 Feb 2026

Controlled Oxidative Burst Promotes Brain Repair

Oxidative stress is a direct consequence of an excess in the body of so-called "free radicals" – reactive, unstable molecules that contain oxygen.

12 Feb 2026

Reprogrammed Engrams Reverse Cognitive Decline in Mice

Age-related memory decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's are often thought of as irreversible.

11 Feb 2026

Cells Use Protein Partnership to Manage Oxidative Stress

Cornell researchers have discovered a new way cells regulate how they respond to stress, identifying an interaction between two proteins that helps keep a critical cellular recycling system in balance.

10 Feb 2026

Microglia Found to Drive New Neuron Growth in Adult Hippocampus

Breakthrough research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is revealing how immune cells in the adult brain can regulate the generation of new neurons.

10 Feb 2026

ER-Phagy: A Novel Target for Age-Related Diseases

Improvements in public health have allowed humankind to survive to older ages than ever before, but, for many people, these added golden years are not spent in good health.

4 Feb 2026

Human Neurons Reveal Why Some Cells Resist Tau Protein Buildup

New research by UCLA Health and UC San Francisco has uncovered why certain brain cells are more resilient than others to the buildup of a toxic protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, potentially leading to new targets for therapies or treatments.

31 Jan 2026

UT Southwestern Researchers Design Tau Protein to Combat Neurodegenerative Diseases

A designer version of the tau protein, developed by a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers, maintains its biological function while resisting aggregation, a pathological trait linked to neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. These findings, reported in Structure, could lead to new treatments for conditions including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and progressive supranuclear palsy.

24 Dec 2025

Machine Learning Models Identify Early Metabolic Shifts

Acute systemic inflammation has long been suspected to trigger harmful processes within the brain, contributing to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. A new study published online in the Journal of Proteome Research on November 30, 2025, led by Professor Kei Zaitsu from the Faculty of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology, Kindai University, Japan, now provides compelling evidence that such inflammation causes region-specific metabolic disruption, identifying biochemical pathways that fail during the early stages of neuroinflammation.

22 Dec 2025

A Molecular Tug-of-War Shapes Gene Regulation and Disease

A newly revealed molecular tug-of-war may have implications for better understanding how a multitude of diseases and disorders - including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and immune disorders - originate, as well as how to potentially treat them, according to researchers at Penn State.

18 Dec 2025