Neurodegeneration News and Research

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Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.

Simple test and an MRI predicts future Alzheimer’s disease

Until now is has been believed that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia could be diagnosed only when symptoms appear which almost always means when patients are in their 70s or 80s. Now the latest research shows that some brain lesions are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease and can be detected in the brains of healthy people in their 40s. Along with this a simple mental skills test may be able to detect the problem many years sooner than previously thought.

10 Nov 2010

New mouse model confirms mutation of beta-synuclein protein promotes neurodegeneration

A team of scientists from Japan and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new mouse model that confirms that mutations of a protein called beta-synuclein promote neurodegeneration. The discovery creates a potential new target for developing treatments of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

3 Nov 2010

Researchers explain how adiponectin prevents stress-induced damage in heart

One of the many advantages of maintaining a normal body weight is having healthy fat, which in turn supports a healthy heart. Fat tissue is increasingly seen as more than just a storage depot - it's also an active secretory organ that normally produces high levels of a cardioprotective hormone called adiponectin. How adiponectin protects the hearts of healthy people has long been a mystery, and now a team led by Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D. and Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, Ph.D. at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) reveals that the protein T-cadherin is the receptor that anchors adiponectin to heart cells.

2 Nov 2010

Alzheimer’s risk raised 157% with smoking: Study

A Kaiser Permanente study reported this Monday that heavy smoking in midlife more than doubles the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease. This study is one of the first of its kind to examine the long-term consequences of heavy smoking on Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia explained the study's principal investigator, Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. The research is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Oct 2010

Snoring may destroy grey matter

A new Australian study has found that snoring and troubled nights could be a warning of brain damage occurring while sleeping. The team looked at brain scans of 60 people, aged in their mid-40s and recently diagnosed with a common sleep disorder – obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea often affects overweight and the obese and leads to snoring. Results showed “decreased amount of grey matter” when compared to healthy sleepers.

21 Oct 2010

Kinemed updates translational biomarkers strategy at 2010 Conference in Boston

Marc K. Hellerstein, M.D., Ph.D. Co-Founder and Chief of SAB, Kinemed, Inc. presented an "Updated Strategy for Using Disease Predictive Translational Biomarkers in the Rapidly Advancing Field of Causal Pathway Measurements" at the 2010 Personalized and Translational Medicine Conference. In Boston, on September 20-21, 2010.

21 Oct 2010

SHIP and PTEN enzymes act cooperatively to suppress B cell lymphoma: Study

Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system. White blood cells divide again and again, spreading abnormally throughout the body. Lymphomas can arise from two types of white blood cells, T cells or B cells, which divide uncontrollably when the molecular mechanisms that keep them in check go awry.

20 Oct 2010

UCSF professor receives National Medal of Science

UCSF Nobel laureate Stanley B. Prusiner, MD, UCSF professor of neurology and director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, today (Oct. 15, 2010) was named to receive the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for science and technology.

18 Oct 2010

ApoE4 protein causes GABAergic interneuron loss, learning and memory deficits

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an extremely complicated disease. Several proteins seem to be involved in its cause and progression. For example, the lipid-transport protein apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) is the major genetic risk factor for AD, and apoE4 carriers account for 65% of all Alzheimer's cases, but exactly how apoE4 contributes to the disease is unclear.

14 Oct 2010

Scientists identify molecular mechanism of muscle stem cell differentiation

Under normal circumstances, adult stem cells reside in muscle tissue, where they can differentiate into a number of different cell types. After an injury (or even a tough workout), muscles are inflamed as cells and molecules flood the area to control damage and begin repairs. When called upon to replace muscle tissue damaged by injury or genetic disease, some muscle stem cells differentiate, becoming new muscle cells, while others make more stem cells. At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team of scientists led by Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D., recently uncovered the molecular messengers that translate inflammatory signals into the genetic changes that tell muscle stem cells to differentiate.

11 Oct 2010

CVS/pharmacy's fundraising campaign raises $4.1 million for ALS research

In just 21 days, CVS/pharmacy's ninth annual in-store fundraising campaign to support the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) brought in $4.1 million. The funds raised by the campaign will be donated to the Boston-based ALS Therapy Alliance (ATA) to support the funding of new clinical research aimed at developing new therapies for ALS patients and focused on the ultimate goal of finding a cure for ALS.

1 Oct 2010

Memantine enhances language and communication skills in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Memantine enhances language and communication skills in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a valuable contribution for patient independence and quality of life for both the patient and the family/caregivers. These are the findings discussed at the 14th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS).

30 Sep 2010

Sanford-Burnham receives five-year core grant renewal from NCI

The Cancer Center at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) has received a five-year core grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

29 Sep 2010

UB researchers to investigate influence of environmental factors on MS progression

A $634,000 grant from the Department of Defense is allowing researchers at the University at Buffalo to investigate a trio of environmental factors and their influence on the progression of multiple sclerosis.

23 Sep 2010

Researchers receive $634,000 grant to study environmental factors, MS progression

22 Sep 2010

QR Pharma and MUSC receive $220,000 SBIR grant to study Posiphen in AD transgenic mice

QR Pharma, Inc., a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing therapeutics with novel approaches for the treatment of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) announced today that they received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) phase I grant in the amount of $220,000 to study Posiphen® and its metabolites in cell culture and in transgenic Alzheimer mice.

22 Sep 2010

Alpha-synuclein protein in Parkinson's disease inhibits autophagy: Research

A protein linked to Parkinson's disease may cause neurodegeneration by inhibiting autophagy-the process in which cells digest some of their contents-according to a study in the September 20 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology

21 Sep 2010

New findings in brain plasticity and development

Brain plasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise neural pathways – will be discussed at a major symposium this week at the University of New South Wales (Friday 24 September).

19 Sep 2010

Cell quality control mechanism research paves way for new understanding of neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have solved a long-standing mystery of how cells conduct "quality control" to eliminate the toxic effects of a certain kind of error in protein production. The findings may lead to a better understanding of a host of neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Sep 2010

Alzheimer's disease drug market to increase from $4.3 billion to $13.3 billion in 2019: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, owing to the emergence of new agents that have the potential to affect disease progression, the Alzheimer's disease drug market will more than triple, from $4.3 billion in 2009 to $13.3 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

8 Sep 2010