Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Live-Cell Imaging Reveals How STING Activates Innate Immunity

When pathogens attack the body, the innate immune system goes to work protecting against the invading disease.

12 Jan 2024

Ancient DNA Reveals Reason for High Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Rates in Europe

Researchers have created the world’s largest ancient human gene bank by analysing the bones and teeth of almost 5,000 humans who lived across western Europe and Asia up to 34,000 years ago.

10 Jan 2024

Research Reveals Unforeseen Functions for Autophagy Genes in Neuronal Health and Aging

Autophagy, which declines with age, may hold more mysteries than researchers previously suspected. In the January 4th issue of Nature Aging, it was noted that scientists from the Buck Institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys and Rutgers University have uncovered possible novel functions

5 Jan 2024

NEMO Protein Promotes Degradation of Harmful Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates in Parkinson's Disease

Researchers have identified a mechanism that promotes the breakdown of harmful protein deposits. If it malfunctions, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease.

21 Dec 2023

A Computational Toolkit for Brain Imaging Analysis

A group of researchers has introduced a set of free tools designed for analyzing extensive collections of brain dissection images from brain banks worldwide.

13 Dec 2023

Misfolded Proteins: How They Damage Neurons and Cause Neurodegeneration

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the deposition of clumped proteins in the brain and progressive neuronal cell death.

5 Dec 2023

Prion Protein Forms Dynamic Liquid Condensates to Regulate Copper Ions

In an innovative research article published in Science Advances, scientists from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE-Berlin) illuminate the intricate interplay between the prion protein and copper ions in the physiopathology of live cells.

4 Dec 2023

Deciphering the Tumor Microenvironment with Spatial Transcriptomics

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) has emerged as a crucial technique for mapping gene expression across tissue sections while preserving vital locational data, setting it apart from traditional methods like bulk or single-cell RNA sequencing.

30 Nov 2023

Study Reveals Crucial Protein’s Role in Brain Cell Development

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have pinpointed a crucial protein associated with the formation of a specific type of brain cell implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

20 Nov 2023

New Study Sheds Light on Evolution of Sex Differences in Animals

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and Heidelberg University in Germany have shown that sex differences in animals vary dramatically across species, organs and developmental stages, and evolve quickly at the gene level but slowly at the cell type level.

3 Nov 2023

Study Identifies Significant Changes in Peptides During Pyroglutamination

Peptides are biomolecules formed when two or more amino acids that perform key functions in the human organism, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, painkillers and antibiotics, bind together. For this reason, they are much studied and used by the pharmaceutical industry, for example.

2 Nov 2023

New Synthetic Biology Approach Offers Promise for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers at the University of Cologne's CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences have found a promising synthetic plant biology approach for the development of a therapy to treat human neurodegenerative diseases, especially Huntington's disease.

3 Oct 2023

Slowing down Alzheimer’s with Specialized T Cells

Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological disorder characterized by gradual cognitive decline, including memory loss, affects up to 5.8 million Americans today. Protein aggregates made up of beta-amyloid or other proteins occur in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. These beta-amyloid plaques appear to be a major cause of the disease.

8 Sep 2023

Bats' Navigation Brain Cells Also Encode Social Information

The same neurons that help bats navigate through space may also help them navigate collective social environments, finds a new study published today in the journal Nature.

31 Aug 2023

Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Muscular Dystrophy Patients

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital reveal how damage to the cell’s energy factory causes muscle wasting. Closing a pore in the mitochondrial membrane in gene-edited mice prevents disease progression.

28 Aug 2023

Viral Proteins Promote the Spread of Protein Aggregates in the Brain

Viral genetic remnants found naturally in the human genome may influence the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

22 Aug 2023

Aging Disrupts Gene Expression in Specific Regions of the Brain

Most of us who've reached middle age have noticed a slowing in memory and cognition, but scientists don't have a clear picture of the molecular changes that take place in the brain to cause it.

18 Aug 2023

Unique Molecular Structure Has Effects on Age-Related Diseases

The mitochondria, sometimes known as the “powerhouses of the cell,” are widely recognized for their function as energy producers, but these organelles are also essential for preserving general health.

8 Aug 2023

Potential Strategies for Slowing Cognitive Deterioration in Age-Associated Neurodegenerative Conditions

As we age, our bodies undergo various changes that can impact our overall health and make us more susceptible to diseases.

3 Aug 2023

New Tool Maps Cellular Stress Memory

When does that seasonal tan turn into a melanoma risk? When might those extra pounds cause diabetes? Could severe head injuries cause Alzheimer’s to develop? In the grand scheme of things, genetics, lifestyle, and age are risk factors, with the solutions frequently appearing only after the unfortunate diagnoses.

20 Jul 2023