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.

HIV drugs found to significantly reduce Alzheimer's risk in new study

UVA Health scientists are calling for clinical trials testing the potential of HIV drugs called NRTIs to prevent Alzheimer's disease after discovering that patients taking the drugs are substantially less likely to develop the memory-robbing condition.

8 May 2025

Study links sleep apnea to damage in brain areas critical for memory

Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes lower oxygen levels during sleep, is linked to degeneration of brain regions associated with memory through damage to the brain's small blood vessels, according to a study published May 7, 2025, online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 May 2025

Motivation for healthy habits declines after learning Alzheimer’s risk

Learning about one's risk for Alzheimer's disease may not lead to emotional distress, but motivation to maintain healthy lifestyle changes tends to fade over time, even in people at high risk, according to a study involving a Rutgers Health researcher.

7 May 2025

Trump policies at odds with ‘make America healthy again’ push

In his March address to Congress, President Donald Trump honored a Texas boy diagnosed with brain cancer. Amid bipartisan applause, he vowed to drive down childhood cancer rates through his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.

7 May 2025

Emotional and ethical factors influence a person's decision to know Alzheimer’s risk

As researchers make progress in understanding how Alzheimer's disease develops, there are growing opportunities for healthy research participants to learn their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease dementia in the future.

6 May 2025

ADIS project to focus on early detection and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

How can Alzheimer's disease be detected earlier? What prevention strategies are currently available, and where is research heading? These questions will take center stage at the final symposium of the ADIS project, which will take place on June 25 and 26 at Fraunhofer SCAI in Schloss Birlinghoven.

6 May 2025

Boosting glucose metabolism in glial cells reduces neurodegeneration in fruit flies

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that impaired glucose metabolism in glial cells, a type of cell in our nervous system, plays a key role in the degeneration caused by Alzheimer's disease.

5 May 2025

Researchers unravel the genetic contributions to familial Alzheimer's disease development

A group of researchers in the lab of Prof. Lucía Chávez Gutiérrez (VIB-KU Leuven) have unraveled the genetic contributions to familial Alzheimer's Disease development and revealed how specific mutations act as a clock to predict the disease age of onset.

5 May 2025

Spatial working memory remains stable in older adults with autistic traits

There is no difference over time in the spatial working memory of older people who have autistic traits and those who are neurotypical, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

1 May 2025

Early detection of primary progressive aphasia through speech and hearing tests

Difficulty finding words or the habit of substituting them with others that are similar semantically – such as knife and cutter – or phonologically – such as knife and wife – are usually the first symptoms of a type of dementia known as primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

30 Apr 2025

New protein target offers hope for treating high blood pressure and aortic aneurysms

Oxidative stress can occur when our cells are exposed to harmful molecules called "reactive oxygen species" over time. These reactive oxygen species can damage cells and are found in important disease states, such as high blood pressure and aortic aneurysms.

30 Apr 2025

Rare TYROBP gene variant found in Finns linked to increased Alzheimer's risk

Found in the Finnish population, a rare variant of the TYROBP gene significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, a new study led by the University of Eastern Finland shows.

30 Apr 2025

Synthetic tau protein reveals key insights into protein misfolding and fibril formation

Scientists at Northwestern University and University of California, Santa Barbara have created the first synthetic fragment of tau protein that acts like a prion.

29 Apr 2025

As a diversity grant dies, young scientists fear it will haunt their careers

Adelaide Tovar, a University of Michigan scientist who researches genes related to diabetes, used to feel like an impostor in a laboratory. Tovar, 32, grew up poor and was the first in her family to graduate from high school. During her first year in college, she realized she didn't know how to study.

29 Apr 2025