Neurodegenerative Disease News and Research

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Targeted treatment slows progression of two degenerative brain diseases in mice

Scientists report a significant step toward combatting two degenerative brain diseases that chip away at an individual's ability to move, and think.

12 Apr 2017

Gladstone scientists discover common mechanism that links neurodegeneration in young and old

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), identified a common mechanism in two forms of neurodegeneration that affect young adults or the elderly.

12 Apr 2017

Scientists discover new role for autophagosomes in neurodegenerative diseases

Autophagosomes are at the center of attention, at least since the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded for research on autophagy in 2016. The much talked about autophagosomes are small membrane vesicles in charge of waste disposal to promote recycling of its components.

11 Apr 2017

Greebles may prove to be valuable tools in detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease

Unique graphic characters called Greebles may prove to be valuable tools in detecting signs of Alzheimer's disease decades before symptoms become apparent.

11 Apr 2017

MPA approves Renishaw study into chronic drug delivery system in Parkinson's patients

The Medicines Agency of Sweden, MPA, has authorised Herantis Pharma Plc and Renishaw plc’s randomised, placebo-controlled Phase 1-2 clinical study, for the investigation of Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor (CDNF) and Renishaw’s chronic drug delivery system, in Parkinson’s patients.

4 Apr 2017

Alzheimer’s disease risk not increased by psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders do not increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland.

4 Apr 2017

Treatment with microRNA re-insulates ravaged nerves, restores limb mobility in mouse models of MS

Scientists partially re-insulated ravaged nerves in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and restored limb mobility by treating the animals with a small non-coding RNA called a microRNA.

27 Mar 2017

Neurology researchers on the hunt for biomarker signal for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Around 100,000 Austrians suffer from Alzheimer's disease and 16,000 from Parkinson's. Experts estimate that, in view of the ageing population, these numbers are set to triple over the next 30 years.

27 Mar 2017

New research reveals surprising culprit involved in self-destruction of axons

In many neurodegenerative conditions — Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and peripheral neuropathy among them — an early defect is the loss of axons, the wiring of the nervous system.

24 Mar 2017

Study identifies urinary biomarker that may help monitor progression of ALS

A study in Neurology suggests that analyzing levels of the protein p75ECD in urine samples from people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may help monitor disease progression as well as determine the effectiveness of therapies.

22 Mar 2017

Research findings suggest potential strategies to combat IBMPFD and other degenerative diseases

UCLA researchers have discovered the molecular basis of, and identified potential treatment for, an incurable disease known as inclusion body myopathy, Paget disease with frontotemporal dementia, or IBMPFD.

21 Mar 2017

Scientists identify new toxic pathway for protein aggregates in ALS and FTLD

Led by professor Ludo Van Den Bosch, scientists from Belgium, the UK and the US have identified new processes that form protein "clumps" that are characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).

17 Mar 2017

CUMC researchers discover common genetic variant that impacts brain aging

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have discovered a common genetic variant that greatly impacts normal brain aging, starting at around age 65, and may modify the risk for neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Mar 2017

Rutgers study discovers that chemical used to detect amyloid plaques increases roundworm lifespan

While many anti-aging drugs don't live up to their claim, a tightly replicated study by Rutgers and a group of researchers from around the country discovered that a chemical used to detect amyloid plaques found in the brains of those with Alzheimer's extended the lifespan of thousands of roundworms similar in molecular form, function and genetics to humans.

10 Mar 2017

Scientists discover how misfolded proteins can damage cells’ energy-producing powerhouses

Working with yeast and human cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have discovered an unexpected route for cells to eliminate protein clumps that may sometimes be the molecular equivalent of throwing too much or the wrong trash into the garbage disposal.

3 Mar 2017

Doctoral student in biology investigating cause of hereditary neurodegenerative disease

Babita Adhikari Dhungel, doctoral student in biology from Nepal, is researching the cause of CLN8 disease, which is a form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses.

3 Mar 2017

Researchers discover CTE in deceased patient's brain with no known history of head trauma

Researchers at Toronto Western Hospital's Canadian Concussion Centre have discovered the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of a deceased patient with no known history of traumatic brain injury or concussion, the first known case of its kind.

2 Mar 2017

Red hair-related gene variant may contribute to link between melanoma and Parkinson's disease

A gene variant that produces red hair and fair skin in humans and in mice, which increases the risk of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma, may also contribute to the known association between melanoma and Parkinson's disease.

2 Mar 2017

Duke researchers discover potential cause for ALS syndromes using mouse models

A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center led by Dr. Paulo Ferreira and whose work was supported by the National Institutes of Health has found that derailing the transport of certain receptors that carry cargoes from and to the nucleus of motor neurons causes motor neuron disease in mice.

1 Mar 2017

Rice scientists develop new method to obtain structural details on molecules in biomembranes

Five years of hard work and a little "cosmic luck" led Rice University researchers to a new method to obtain structural details on molecules in biomembranes.

16 Feb 2017