Neurodegenerative Disease News and Research

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Unfolded protein response could be cause of metabolic disorders, say researchers

The cell's response to unfolded or misfolded proteins could be a cause, rather than a consequence, of metabolic disorders, report researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in an article published online ahead of print on September 4, 2017 by Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

4 Sep 2017

Review focuses on possible role of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

In the journal Current Aging Science, a research team has reviewed modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

26 Aug 2017

Emory scientists use new tools to detect granulins for the first time inside cells

Emory University School of Medicine researchers have developed tools that enable them to detect small proteins called granulins for the first time inside cells.

14 Aug 2017

Brain scans reveal lower serotonin transporters in people with mild cognitive impairment

In a study looking at brain scans of people with mild loss of thought and memory ability, Johns Hopkins researchers report evidence of lower levels of the serotonin transporter -- a natural brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and appetite.

14 Aug 2017

Small clinical trial shows promise for treating rare neurodegenerative disease

Results of a small clinical trial show promise for treating a rare neurodegenerative condition that typically kills those afflicted before they reach age 20.

11 Aug 2017

Scientists stop formation of protein clumps linked to ALS and frontotemporal dementia

Scientists report in a new study that by imitating a natural process of cells, they prevented the formation of protein clumps associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia.

8 Aug 2017

Researchers develop set of tools to trace path of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease

As neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease progress, misfolded proteins clump together in neurons, recruiting normal proteins in the cell to also misfold and aggregate.

4 Aug 2017

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) among former American football players: Study

A new study involved 202 deceased players of American football players’ brains. It was found that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) could be neuropathologically diagnosed in 177 players. Of the sample of players who developed CTE, 110 of 111 former National Football League players were found to have CTE in their brains. Researchers connected the presence of CTE in the brains of the dead players to the participation in football.

25 Jul 2017

Established therapeutic drugs may be effective against childhood dementia

Although dementia is most often seen in adults, childhood or adolescent dementia does occur. A team of researchers from the University of Würzburg believes that established therapeutic drugs might be effective against childhood dementia.

24 Jul 2017

Researchers find increased bacterial populations in Alzheimer's brains

Researchers in the UK have used DNA sequencing to examine bacteria in post-mortem brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease.

17 Jul 2017

ASU-TGen researchers find source of altered ANK1 gene expression linked to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers led by Arizona State University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer's disease, in specific cells in the brain.

14 Jul 2017

New approaches to early detection of Parkinson's disease on the horizon

Detecting Parkinson's disease before non-reversible symptoms occur: New approaches to early detection are meant to ensure just that. They are based on detection of alpha-synuclein in the skin or intestines.

24 Jun 2017

Research provides insight into role of APP gene variant in Alzheimer’s disease

New research from the University of Eastern Finland shows that the APP gene variant protecting against Alzheimer's disease significantly decreases plasma beta-amyloid levels in a population cohort.

20 Jun 2017

Neurofilaments can help in ALS diagnosis

Researchers at VIB, KU Leuven, and UZ Leuven, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Jena, have demonstrated that measuring neurofilaments provides reliable confirmation of an ALS diagnosis.

19 Jun 2017

Viral vectors for gene transfer can travel to distant areas in the brain, study shows

Gene transfer is seen as a hopeful therapy for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients. The approach involves using harmless laboratory-produced viruses to introduce important genes into the brain cells.

16 Jun 2017

TSRI scientist and partners receive $7.2 million grant to create new RNA-based treatments for ALS

Professor Matthew Disney of the Department of Chemistry on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, together with scientists from Mayo Clinic's Florida campus and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has been awarded $7.2 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of The National Institutes of Health to create new RNA-based treatments for the most common form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as a type of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

15 Jun 2017

USC scientists illuminate impact of early brain-clogging plaques on Alzheimer's disease

Older adults with elevated levels of brain-clogging plaques -- but otherwise normal cognition -- experience faster mental decline suggestive of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC that looked at 10 years of data.

13 Jun 2017

Pyk2 deficits contribute to memory problems in Huntington’s disease mouse model

Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences of the UB and from IDIBAPS together with a team from the University Pierre and Marie Curie and the Institute du Fer à Moulin, published a study in Nature Communications, which demonstrates that the regulation in Pyk2, a protein-tyrosine kinase, causes alterations of the synaptic plasticity involved in memory tasks, associated with the hippocampus in mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's.

13 Jun 2017

Study provides new insight into cells that rejuvenate the brain

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease manifested by various neuronal pathological processes and a significant decline in brain function.

9 Jun 2017

New protocol offers faster and more effective way to obtain astrocytes from stem cells

Neurons have long enjoyed the spotlight in neuroscience--and for good reason: they are incredibly important cellular actors. But, increasingly, star-shaped support cells called astrocytes are being seen as more than bit players in the brain's rich pageant.

6 Jun 2017