Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Scientists discover how abnormal proteins unleash latent toxicity in neurodegenerative diseases

Thanks to modern medicine, humans tend to live much longer than before. Unfortunately, this also opens a wider window to develop chronic diseases with late-onset, such as neurodegenerative diseases.

23 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

Study shows how chaperone activity influences the course of neurodegenerative diseases

In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death.

12 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

White blood cells can be trained to attack tumor cells

Scientists at the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) and Dresden University Medicine, together with an international team of researchers, were able to demonstrate that certain white blood cells, so-called neutrophil granulocytes, can potentially - after completing a special training program - be utilized for the treatment of tumors.

9 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

New research sheds light on the working principles of advanced biosensing technologies

The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly the most challenging global health burden since the 2nd World War. The pandemic has raised social awareness on the importance of effective and timely diagnosis that may help minimize the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

22 Oct 2020

Researchers demonstrate healing power of extracellular vesicles on a heart-on-a-chip

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) -- nanometer sized messengers that travel between cells to deliver cues and cargo -- are promising tools for the next generation of therapies for everything from autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases to cancer and tissue injury.

15 Oct 2020

Enzyme SSH1 impairs disposal of damaged tau and mitochondria leaking toxins

In a healthy brain, the multistep waste clearance process known as autophagy routinely removes and degrades damaged cell components - including malformed proteins like tau and toxic mitochondria.

13 Oct 2020

Fly larvae extract could protect plants from pathogenic bacteria

Biotechnologists from MIPT have developed a method for extracting the active constituents from the fat of black soldier fly larvae.

6 Oct 2020

Vacuolar Tauopathy: New, rare genetic form of dementia discovered

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of Penn Medicine researchers. This discovery also sheds light on a new pathway that leads to protein build up in the brain -- which causes this newly discovered disease, as well as related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease -- that could be targeted for new therapies. The study was published today in Science.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target for spinocerebellar ataxia

Scientists have created an animal model that simulates cerebellar neurodegeneration and motor dysfunction.

25 Sep 2020

Biomarker for diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases identified in the eye

A new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers indicates a well-known biomarker that serves as a marker for earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is now detectable in the eye.

24 Sep 2020

Researchers identify the cause for Parkinson's disease and potential treatments

In a seven-year research effort, an international team of scientists has clarified the cause for certain genetic forms of Parkinson's disease, and has identified potential pharmacological treatments.

14 Sep 2020

Protein aggregation reduces elasticity of blood vessels during aging

Deposits of a protein called "Medin", which manifest in virtually all older adults, reduce the elasticity of blood vessels during aging and hence may be a risk factor for vascular dementia.

10 Sep 2020

Researchers explore link between uncontrolled inflammation and brain's immune cells

Inspired by the need for new and better therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, Rutgers University researchers are exploring the link between uncontrolled inflammation within the brain and the brain's immune cells, known as microglia.

9 Sep 2020

Researchers investigate cellular factors that could be significant for COVID-19 infection

An infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can affect multiple organs. With this in mind, researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Cornell University in the US have investigated cellular factors that could be significant for an infection.

4 Sep 2020

Researchers identify brain protein that leads to seizures, abnormal social behaviors

Scientists have identified a novel mechanism that is responsible for causing the abnormal development of neuronal connections in the mice brain.

1 Sep 2020