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.

New protein atlas identifies distinct subtypes of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases form a tangled biological web with overlapping molecular signatures and symptoms. To decode this complexity, a multi-institute collaboration led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists developed the pan-neurodegeneration atlas (PanNDA).

23 Mar 2026

Internal compass helps the brain keep memories stable during change

A new discovery by McGill researchers sheds light on how we retain memories over time, even though brain activity is constantly changing.

23 Mar 2026

Higher meat intake may slow cognitive decline in older adults with APOE ε4

In older Swedish adults, higher meat intake was associated with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk among people carrying APOE ε3/ε4 or ε4/ε4, but not among other genotype groups. A higher processed-to-total meat ratio was linked to worse dementia outcomes, while unprocessed red meat and poultry showed no substantial difference.

22 Mar 2026

Oral semaglutide fails to slow early Alzheimer’s decline in two phase 3 trials

Two large phase 3 trials found that oral semaglutide 14 mg did not slow cognitive or functional decline over 104 weeks in people with early symptomatic, amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s disease. Semaglutide was generally consistent with its known safety profile and showed some biomarker changes, but these did not translate into clinical benefit.

22 Mar 2026

Brain lesions in Down syndrome show unexpected reversible changes

What has long been interpreted as permanent and irreversible vascular damage may not be exclusively so.

19 Mar 2026

New compound targets the neuronal epigenome to treat Alzheimer's disease

A team from the University of Barcelona has designed and validated in animal models an innovative compound with a pioneering mechanism of action for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

19 Mar 2026

Siemens Healthineers launches brain health research portfolio with first biomarker assays now available

Siemens Healthineers announced today its offerings for brain health research are expanding, with the brain-derived, fully automated Atellica IM Phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) and Atellica IM Brain Derived Tau (BDTau) assays now available for 1.

From Siemens Healthineers 19 Mar 2026

Menopause may raise women’s Alzheimer risk earlier than doctors once thought

This review argues that women’s higher Alzheimer disease risk may be shaped in part by midlife neuroendocrine aging, especially the menopause transition, rather than by longevity alone. It highlights early menopause, bilateral oophorectomy, vasomotor symptoms, and midlife cognitive changes as underinvestigated but potentially important risk markers, while calling for sex-specific, biomarker-driven prevention strategies.

18 Mar 2026

New data hub aims to advance alternatives to animal testing

A research team at NYU Langone Health and Sage Bionetworks has been awarded a $25 million grant to establish the data hub and coordinating center for the National Institutes of Health's Complement-Animal Research in Experimentation (Complement-ARIE) program.

18 Mar 2026

New data platform transforms prediction and understanding of Alzheimer’s disease

A powerful new real-world data platform could transform how scientists predict and understand Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD), reports a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and collaborators at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Nursing as well as the University of Miami and University of Chicago.

18 Mar 2026

Newly identified protein regulates lysosome positioning and cellular metabolism

Lysosomes are the control centers for the metabolism of cells and tissues, including the brain. They break down defective proteins and other macromolecules into their basic building blocks.

18 Mar 2026

Psychiatrists’ use of biomarkers could open a new window into mental health diagnoses

Amanda Miller was 30 and pregnant with her second child in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when she developed depression.

17 Mar 2026

Alcohol consumption in early adulthood linked to middle age cognitive decline

It's well known that alcohol consumption is an age-old method for coping with stress. But surprising? research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that, when such self-medication begins in early adulthood, negative cognitive effects start to show up in middle-age-even after long periods of total abstinence.

16 Mar 2026

Study suggests new way to diagnose combined Alzheimer’s and FTLD

People with Alzheimer's disease often have other neurodegenerative conditions as well, including a less-understood disorder called frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).

16 Mar 2026

In switching to original medicare, beware of Medigap plan refusals

It's open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage, when people currently enrolled in private managed-care plans can either sign up for a new one or switch to original Medicare through March 31.

16 Mar 2026

Stress hormones disrupt the internal GPS system of the brain

Persons under stress may have a harder time spatially orienting themselves. Researchers in Bochum have discovered why.

13 Mar 2026

Study reveals racial differences in early Alzheimer's brain changes

A team of researchers at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has identified important differences in how early Alzheimer's disease-related brain changes appear across racial and ethnic groups, underscoring the need for more inclusive approaches to studying and diagnosing the disease.

12 Mar 2026

MUSC’s new manual for navigating dementia

For an estimated 11% of Americans over age 65 who have dementia and the over 11 million unpaid caregivers supporting them, there is no instruction manual for navigating life after diagnosis. A team of College of Nursing researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina is working to fill that gap.

12 Mar 2026

Blood marker linked to Alzheimer’s also found in systemic amyloidosis

A certain blood protein regarded as an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease also appears to play a role in other disorders.

11 Mar 2026

Study links p-tau217 levels to long-term dementia risk in women

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have found that a novel blood-based biomarker can predict a woman's risk of developing dementia as many as 25 years before symptoms appear.

10 Mar 2026