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.

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

Scientists Pinpoint Gene Linked to Neuronal Susceptibility in Alzheimer’s Disease

Protein buildup and cell degeneration in specific populations of brain cells are hallmarks of the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases.

12 Mar 2024

Genetic Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Revealed in Colombian Kindred

UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators in Colombia, Brazil and Germany are progressing toward an understanding of mechanisms that underlie Alzheimer's disease, in particular an early-onset, genetic form that has afflicted generations of an extended family in Colombia.

28 Feb 2024

Breaking Down the Complex Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration

By using a novel neuronal cell culture model, researchers at the University of Zurich have illuminated the complex mechanisms behind neurodegeneration.

23 Feb 2024

Researchers Identify Genes Linked to Genomic Instability and DNA Damage

More than one hundred key genes linked to DNA damage have been uncovered through systematic screening of nearly 1,000 genetically modified mouse lines, in a new study published today (14 February) in Nature.

16 Feb 2024

New Understanding of DNA Damage and Disease Risk

Researchers identified 145 genes that are essential for the health of the genome and potential treatments for human genomic disorders.

15 Feb 2024

Study Uncovers How Oxytocin Boosts Memory in Animals

Researchers have discovered particular oxytocin neurons in the mouse brain that influence memory for object recognition.

14 Feb 2024

New Research Finds Placenta Cells May Lower Blood Pressure

Scientists from La Trobe University and the Hudson Institute have demonstrated that cells from placentas could have therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from high blood pressure.

1 Feb 2024

Exploring the Dual Role of Phosphorylated α-Synuclein in Healthy Neural Function

It has been found by researchers that phosphorylated α-synuclein, a protein linked to a number of neurodegenerative illnesses, including Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, is also engaged in the regular processes of neuronal communication in a healthy brain.

10 Jan 2024