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.
Aging leads to a decline in cellular fitness and loss of optimal protein function. Many age-related ailments, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, are caused by protein aggregation, a result of errors in protein folding.
WEHI researchers have produced the first molecular images of an enzyme that controls proteins to signal and communicate with each other in human cells.
In a breakthrough that holds significant promise for early diagnosis and better treatment of psychiatric illness, researchers have for the first time used neurons derived from human stem cells to predict the cardinal features of a psychiatric illness, such as psychosis and cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.
Prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), are fast-moving, fatal dementia syndromes associated with the formation of aggregates of the prion protein, PrP.
According to a study, grown-ups with certain genetic causes of mental health and other brain disorders had substantially increased rates of chronic disease.
In cold conditions, brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat generates heat to keep the body warm. Compared with white adipose tissue, BAT has more mitochondria-;subcellular organelles associated with energy production-;which allows it to burn calories and produce heat by activating the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1).
Scientists have determined for the first time the structure of the molecule associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases.
New research from the University of Chicago points to microglia, key immune cells in the brain, as a key mediator in the relationship between the gut microbiome and b-amyloid deposits in male mice in a model of Alzheimer's disease.
In 2019 University of California San Diego researchers discovered the area of the brain where "value decisions" are made.
Dementia is a condition that involves severe loss of cognitive function.
Cambridge researchers have developed 'mini brains' that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and dementia – and for the first time have been able to grow these for almost a year.
Scientists have revealed how bacteria make tiny liquid droplets from proteins to help them survive harsh environments and thus reduce their chances of being killed by antibiotics.
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have revealed a vital but previously unknown role for immune cells that protect the brain from disease and injury: The cells, known as microglia, also help regulate blood flow and maintain the brain's critical blood vessels.
At the beginning of neurodegenerative disease, the immune cells of the brain – the "microglia" – take up glucose, a sugar molecule, to a much greater extent than hitherto assumed.
A commonly available oral diuretic pill approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be a potential candidate for an Alzheimer's disease treatment for those who are at genetic risk, according to findings published in Nature Aging.
New research published in The Journal of Physiology has shown that ketone supplements may be a novel therapeutic strategy for protecting and improving brain health in people with obesity.
To break down toxic proteins more quickly, immune cells in the brain can join together to form networks when needed. This is shown by a joint study of the University of Bonn, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and the Institut François Jacob in France.
Scientists identified that older adults could take advantage of a specific diet named the MIND diet even when the protein deposits are developed.
Ground-breaking new Curtin University-led research has discovered a likely cause of Alzheimer's disease, in a significant finding that offers potential new prevention and treatment opportunities for Australia's second-leading cause of death.
AD, the most frequent cause of dementia, affects an estimated 24 million people worldwide. With very limited treatment options, scientists are looking for ways to understand the disease better.