Frontotemporal Dementia News and Research

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Dementia spreads via synaptic connections between brain networks

In a new study, UC San Francisco scientists used maps of brain connections to predict how brain atrophy would spread in individual patients with frontotemporal dementia, adding to growing evidence that the loss of brain cells associated with dementia spreads via the synaptic connections between established brain networks.

14 Oct 2019

Serum neurofilament levels can be used to differentiate between frontotemporal dementia and psychiatric disorders

Early symptoms of frontotemporal dementia are often confused with symptoms occurring in psychiatric disorders.

10 Oct 2019

The delicate issue of taking away a senior’s smartphone

At first, Dr. Robert Zorowitz thought his 83-year-old mother was confused. She couldn't remember passwords to accounts on her computer. She would call and say programs had stopped working.

26 Sep 2019

RNA hitches lysosome rides to make proteins far away from the nucleus

Proteins inside a cell are often made at the site where they are used, rather than being shipped long distances. This is so with nerve cells which have long cell extensions in the form of axons and dendrites, up to four feet long in some case

22 Sep 2019

Social and executive brain functions critical for effective communication

Impairments in social and executive brain functions hinder effective communication, according to research in patients with dementia recently published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 28 Aug 2019

Super-resolution microscopy helps unravel elusive causes of dementia

University of Queensland researchers have used super-resolution microscopy to observe key molecules at work inside living brain cells, further unraveling the puzzle of memory formation and the elusive causes of dementia.

2 Aug 2019

Researchers determine atomic interactions that stabilize phase-changing proteins

Most of the well-studied proteins in our bodies are like metal; some can change shape easily, like aluminum foil, and others are rigid, like steel beams, but they typically have a solid, well-defined structure.

2 Jul 2019

Canadian Institutes of Health Research and partners fund CCNA's second phase

Thanks to a $46-million investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and other funding partners, the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) will be renewed for a second phase, announced today.

17 Jun 2019

Study shows marked impairment of moral emotions in patients with frontotemporal dementia

A study conducted by Marc Teichmann and Carole Azuar at the Brain and Spine Institute in Paris (France) and at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital shows a particularly marked impairment of moral emotions in patients with frontotemporal dementia.

16 Jun 2019

Dysfunctional neurons repaired in dementia mouse model

Dysfunctional neurons in the hippocampus of adult female mice modeling dementia can be repaired and reconnected to distant parts of the brain, reports a new study published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 28 May 2019

Research suggests wisdom is linked to happiness and mental health

New research suggests that wisdom is a direct contributor to psychological well-being and happiness.

15 May 2019

Researchers uncover potential clue to halt destruction of nerve cells in people with ALS

A special focus on rogue proteins may hold future promise in stopping the progression of nerve cell destruction in people who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or frontotemporal dementia.

24 Apr 2019

Researchers observe correlation between abnormal proteins and aggressive behavior in dementia

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have together with American colleagues studied deceased patients who were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal dementia.

12 Apr 2019

Biochemical switches could be triggered to treat pathology of IBM, ALS and FTD

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have found that the enzymes ULK1 and ULK2 play a key role in breaking down cell structures called stress granules, whose persistence leads to toxic buildup of proteins that kill muscle and brain cells.

11 Apr 2019

Scientists solve mystery surrounding common genetic cause of ALS

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have cracked the mystery surrounding the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

11 Apr 2019

Scientists develop technique to clear abnormal tau protein from human neurons

Harnessing a probe used to image the brain in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and related forms of dementia, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital have successfully cleared patient-derived brain cells of an abnormal protein associated with dementia and other neurogenerative disorders.

10 Apr 2019

New approach to reduce toxic protein production in ALS

Patients with ALS frequently have a string of repeated DNA code in the cells of their brain, carrying hundreds to thousands of copies within the gene C9orf72.

22 Jan 2019

Study points to potential new biomarker and drug target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Research led by stem cell scientists at Harvard University points to a potential new biomarker and drug target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease that is extremely difficult to diagnose and treat.

16 Jan 2019

New compound blocks genetic cause of familial ALS and frontotemporal dementia

Since the ice bucket challenge went viral in 2014, raising awareness and funding for ALS research, scientists have learned much about a disease that disconnects muscles from nerves, leading to muscle atrophy and eventual death. Their ultimate goal is to create medications capable of stopping ALS in its tracks.

18 Dec 2018

New research lays out potential path for treatment of Huntington’s disease

New research gives scientists a clearer picture of what is happening in the brains of people with Huntington's disease and lays out a potential path for treatment.

14 Dec 2018