Dementia News and Research

RSS

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.

Researchers discover genetic risk factor for stroke

A research team from Geisinger Health System has detected a common genetic variant as a risk factor for stroke, particularly in patients aged more than 65.

20 Jan 2021

Study shows how AFV3-109 protein with slipknot structure folds and unfolds based on temperature

Scientists from the Pacific Quantum Center of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) figured out how the AFV3-109 protein with slipknot structure folds and unfolds depending on temperature. The protein is typical for the viruses of the oldest single-celled organisms that can survive in the extreme conditions of underwater volcanic sources - archaea. The research outcome appears in PLOS ONE.

15 Jan 2021

KAIST researchers identify mechanism underlying plasticity in adult brains

Developing brains constantly sprout new neuronal connections called synapses as they learn and remember. Important connections — the ones that are repeatedly introduced, such as how to avoid danger — are nurtured and reinforced, while connections deemed unnecessary are pruned away.

28 Dec 2020

Anti-diarrhea drug could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines

The research group led by Dr Sjoerd van Wijk from the Institute of Experimental Cancer Research in Paediatrics at Goethe University already two years ago found evidence indicating that the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines.

23 Dec 2020

New model shows how the brain uses "gating" phenomenon to control information

Getting computers to "think" like humans is the holy grail of artificial intelligence, but human brains turn out to be tough acts to follow. T

17 Dec 2020

Study examines impacts of widespread ocean pollution on human health

Ocean pollution is widespread and getting worse, and when toxins in the oceans make landfall they imperil the health and well-being of more than 3 billion people, according to a new report by an international coalition of scientists led by Boston College's Global Observatory on Pollution on Health and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

4 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 shows how air pollution exposures affect mental health later in life

In a study of women aged 80 years and older, living in locations with higher exposures to air pollution was associated with increased depressive symptoms.

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

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

Beetroot peptide may help treat inflammatory, neurodegenerative diseases

A team of researchers have successfully isolated a peptide (a tiny protein molecule) from beetroot in a recent study.

2 Nov 2020

Study shows statins have different effects on different parts of the body

Contrary to expectation, treatment with statins has a different effect on blood cells than on muscle cells, a new study from the University of Copenhagen reveals.

2 Nov 2020

SARS-Cov-2 spike proteins can directly impact the function of blood-brain barrier

Like a key, SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - attaches to specific molecules on the host cell surface, opening gateways into the cell interior.

30 Oct 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.

30 Oct 2020

Study links gut hormone to Parkinson’s dementia

A team of researchers have discovered that a gut hormone, called ghrelin, is a crucial regulator of new nerve cells that form in the adult brain.

26 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

Gene variations that regulate dopamine levels may influence the mobility of elders

Variations in a gene that regulates dopamine levels in the brain may influence the mobility of elderly and frail adults, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

13 Oct 2020