Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

Brain-protecting immune cells may actually drive Alzheimer's disease

Immune cells that normally protect the body from damage by attacking foreign or infected cells are found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders at much higher levels than in healthy brains.

3 Sep 2026

Neural networks reveal how training shapes learning in living brains

A new study has used a type of machine learning called a neural network to reveal how different kinds of training can change how learning happens-both in machines, and in living brains.

3 Sep 2026

AI platform uncovers new molecular targets for Alzheimer's disease

Groundbreaking study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia reveals the crucial links between the NAD⁺-mitophagy axis and neurodegeneration.

1 Sep 2026

Aerobic exercise boosts executive function in postmenopausal women

Regular aerobic exercise – the kind that gets your heart pumping – can improve important thinking skills called executive functions, and the benefits appear especially strong for women after menopause, according to Rutgers researchers.

31 Aug 2026

People with diabetes may have another reason to protect their cardiovascular health

Better cardiovascular health, measured using Life’s Essential 8, was associated with a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment among people with diabetes after accounting for genetic susceptibility. Associations with dementia varied by genetic risk, while higher LE8 scores were also linked to greater gray matter volume and lower white matter hyperintensity volume.

30 Aug 2026

Primate-specific DNA change reveals a new link to dementia-related neurodegeneration

Brain diseases, including dementia, have long been studied using experimental animals such as mice. However, differences between the human and animal genomes have raised concerns that some disease mechanisms may not be fully explained by conventional animal models.

29 Aug 2026

Salk researchers isolate specific neurons controlling complex social behaviors

Our brains constantly integrate information about both our internal state and our surroundings to determine how we behave.

27 Aug 2026

Egg yolk peptides protect brain cells from oxidative stress

As the human lifespan increases, so too does the risk of developing neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety and depression.

27 Aug 2026

Brain organoids reveal how Alu-mediated gene deletion can lead to neurodegeneration

Brain diseases, including dementia, have long been studied using experimental animals such as mice.

27 Aug 2026

Multi-ancestry genetic score improves risk prediction for Alzheimer's disease

Late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive disorder characterized by cognitive decline and memory impairment, affecting an estimated 6.9 million people in the U.S.

27 Aug 2026

Brain shrinkage biomarker may predict early-onset Alzheimer’s progression

In people diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, a biomarker tool that detects shrinkage of the brain's gray matter may predict how quickly someone may progress from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia, according to a new study published August 26, 2026, in Neurology, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Aug 2026

Brain atrophy on MRI could help predict Alzheimer’s progression

Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute researchers have found that a pattern of brain atrophy visible on MRI could help predict how quickly people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease progress from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

27 Aug 2026

Faulty myelin-making brain cells may help drive cognitive decline with age

Researchers found that greater age-related cognitive decline was associated with more dysfunctional oligodendrocytes, reduced NRF2 expression, smaller myelinated axons, and abnormally thicker myelin in human white matter. Experiments in mice showed that deleting NRF2 specifically from oligodendrocytes reproduced key white matter abnormalities and reduced cognitive improvement over time, implicating this pathway in cognitive aging.

26 Aug 2026

A major NFL brain study puts new numbers on the burden of CTE

Researchers analyzed 1,712 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021, including 338 brain donors, to estimate the possible prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at death and its association with dementia. At least 24.5% of players who died from 2016 to 2021 had confirmed CTE, while stage IV CTE among brain donors was associated with a 44% higher risk of clinician-adjudicated dementia.

26 Aug 2026

Nanoparticles regenerate neurons and improve cognition in Alzheimer’s mice

The adult human brain has limited capacity to repair or regenerate neurons lost to Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia.

26 Aug 2026

Molecular switch ERBB4 linked to broad range of Alzheimer's pathologies

What if amyloid plaques are not the whole story of Alzheimer's disease? New research suggests that a broad range of Alzheimer's pathologies may be orchestrated by a molecular switch called ERBB4 when it turns on in the wrong neurons.

26 Aug 2026

Hormone replacement therapy may reduce dementia risk for some women

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may reduce the risk of dementia, particularly for certain groups of women - according to a study from the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter.

26 Aug 2026

Researchers find alarming rates of CTE in former football players

In a new study from Mass General Brigham, Boston University (BU), and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, researchers found evidence that at least 1-in-4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of their death, a much higher prevalence compared to the general population.

25 Aug 2026

Novel blood-based method diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy

Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for 60–80% of global dementia cases, with its core pathological feature being the misfolding and aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) proteins in the brain.

25 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026