Frontotemporal Dementia News and Research

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Research uncovers why certain brain cells are more resilient to tau protein buildup

New research by UCLA Health and UC San Francisco has uncovered why certain brain cells are more resilient than others to the buildup of a toxic protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, potentially leading to new targets for therapies or treatments.

30 Jan 2026

New evidence shows Parkinson’s spreads via immune cells from the gut

New research reveals how Parkinson's spreads from the gut to the brain, with the help of immune cells – offering a new potential therapeutic strategy – in a study in mice led by scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL (University College London).

29 Jan 2026

New atlas of brain lysosomes sheds light on neurodegenerative disorders

Functioning brain cells need a functioning system for picking up the trash and sorting the recycling. But when the cellular sanitation machines responsible for those tasks, called lysosomes, break down or get overwhelmed, it can increase the risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurological disorders.

27 Jan 2026

MIT researchers map dynamic fuzzy coat surrounding tau protein fibrils

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the clumping of proteins called Tau, which form tangled fibrils in the brain. The more severe the clumping, the more advanced the disease is.

14 Jan 2026

Two isoforms of a cellular energy sensor play distinct, opposing roles in Alzheimer's disease

A comprehensive mini-review published today after peer review in Brain Medicine by Dr. Tao Ma and colleagues at Wake Forest University School of Medicine synthesizes emerging evidence that two isoforms of a critical cellular energy sensor play distinct, and sometimes opposing, roles in Alzheimer's disease.

6 Jan 2026

Tau biology expands beyond microtubules to neurodegeneration, metabolism and mental illness

An Thought Leaders Invited Review published today in Genomic Psychiatry by Dr. Peng Lei and colleagues presents a sweeping synthesis of tau protein research that fundamentally reframes our understanding of this molecule's dual identity.

16 Dec 2025

FAU researchers create deep learning model that detects and evaluates Alzheimer's, FTD

Dementia is a group of disorders that gradually impair memory, thinking and daily functioning. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affects about 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older in 2025.

15 Dec 2025

New molecular ruler enables precise measurement of toxic Tau fibrils in fluid samples

Researchers have developed a new tool, FibrilPaint combined with the FibrilRuler test, that allows scientists to directly measure the length of toxic Tau amyloid fibrils in tiny fluid samples, from the earliest aggregation stages to mature fibrils and even at very low concentrations.

11 Dec 2025

Protein tied to ALS and dementia plays a role in regulating DNA mismatch repair

New Houston Methodist research has revealed that a protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also plays a role in regulating DNA mismatch repair, a process essential for replicating genetic information and cell health.

2 Dec 2025

New AI models detect dementia with high accuracy using EEG signals

Researchers at örebro University have developed two new AI models that can analyze the brain's electrical activity and accurately distinguish between healthy individuals and patients with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

27 Nov 2025

New imaging method reveals nanodomains inside ALS-linked protein droplets

Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs-which carry out instructions from our DNA-that a living being needs.

26 Nov 2025

Scientists uncover how brain enzyme OTULIN controls tau expression

Scientists have uncovered a surprising mechanism by which a brain enzyme called OTULIN controls the expression of tau, the protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer's disease.

25 Nov 2025

Survival patterns differ across types of early-onset dementia

The survival rates of people with early onset dementia-diagnosed before the age of 65-vary considerably by clinical type, but sex, age, family history and co-existing conditions aren't specific risk factors, finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

4 Nov 2025

Free radicals generated at a specific site in astrocytes may promote dementia

Researchers have discovered that free radicals generated at a specific site in non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes, may promote dementia, according to a Weill Cornell Medicine study.

4 Nov 2025

Study reveals how TDP-43 causes neuronal overactivity in ALS and FTD

A new Northwestern University study using patient nervous tissue and lab-grown human neurons has uncovered how a key disease protein, TDP-43, drives overactive nerve cells in the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

31 Oct 2025

UCSF receives historic $100 million gift for Memory and Aging Center

UC San Francisco today announced a $100 million gift to its renowned Memory and Aging Center (MAC). It is the first gift to name a UCSF division, which will now be the Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center.

29 Oct 2025

Advanced MRI technique reveals early markers of hereditary frontotemporal dementia

An international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden demonstrates that it is possible to detect subtle changes in the brain and identify early signs of hereditary frontotemporal dementia using advanced brain imaging techniques.

16 Oct 2025

Research uncovers ASPL's critical role in stress granule life cycle

Stress granules are droplet-like protein hubs that temporarily shield fragile RNA from cellular stresses such as toxins. VCP is a protein essential for breaking up stress granules and has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

9 Oct 2025

New research explores pre-diagnostic indicators of dementia

A new study from Finland shows that low labor market participation for non-retirement related reasons may be an early indicator of dementia already years before the first evident symptoms occur. The study also identified other social markers that may be indicative of dementia up to ten years before a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia or vascular dementia.

24 Sep 2025

Addressing diagnostic delays in dementia for better patient outcomes

People with dementia are diagnosed an average of 3.5 years after symptoms are first noticed, or even longer (4.1 years) for those with early-onset dementia, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

28 Jul 2025