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.

Study highlights potential of fetal gene therapy to prevent lethal neurodegenerative disease

A fatal neurodegenerative condition known as Gaucher disease can be prevented in mice following fetal gene therapy, finds a new study led by UCL, the KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Health System in Singapore.

16 Jul 2018

Researchers discover how proteins involved in neurodegeneration enter cells

Researchers have discovered how nerve cells recruit corrupted proteins that then corrupt other normal proteins within the cell, leading to Alzheimer's.

16 Jul 2018

Scientists discover ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists have discovered a "Big Bang" of Alzheimer's disease - the precise point at which a healthy protein becomes toxic but has not yet formed deadly tangles in the brain.

11 Jul 2018

New theory on Huntington's disease shows promise to open new avenues of drug development

McMaster University researchers have developed a new theory on Huntington's disease which is being welcomed for showing promise to open new avenues of drug development for the condition.

10 Jul 2018

Increase in marker of inflammation from mid to late life linked with dementia

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have added to evidence that rising and chronic inflammation as measured by a biomarker in the blood in middle and late age are linked to visible structural changes in the brains of people with poor cognition and dementia.

2 Jul 2018

Scientists focus on critical regulatory protein to find clues on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

James McNew's and Michael Stern's biochemical hunt for the root cause of a rare, paralyzing genetic disorder is a 10-year quest that's taken an unexpected turn toward everyday killers such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer and aging.

30 Jun 2018

Tiny snippets of genetic material may help with early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Indiana University have found early evidence that tiny snippets of genetic material called microRNA may help with early detection of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

29 Jun 2018

Scientists identify immune cells that remove degenerating neurons after brain injury

Researchers have identified the immune cells that are responsible for clearing dead and dying nerve cells following a brain injury.

25 Jun 2018

Study reveals how mTORC1-driven changes in crowding could influence major diseases

Among the most studied protein machines in history, mTORC1 has long been known to sense whether a cell has enough energy to build the proteins it needs to multiply as part of growth.

22 Jun 2018

'Antifreeze' molecules may hold key to better treatments for brain injuries

The key to better treatments for brain injuries and disease may lie in the molecules charged with preventing the clumping of specific proteins associated with cognitive decline and other neurological problems, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report in a new study published in Neurobiology of Disease.

22 Jun 2018

New therapeutic approach may delay neurodegeneration in rare genetic disease

A new therapeutic approach may one day delay neurodegeneration typical of a disease called mucopolysaccharidoses IIIB. Neurodegeneration in this condition results from the abnormal accumulation of essential cellular molecules called mucopolysaccharides.

21 Jun 2018

Coconut oil diet increases vitality, lifespan of fruit flies with peroxisomal disorder

"Lorenzo's Oil" was to help a seriously ill boy suffering from a peroxisomal disorder (adrenoleukodystrophy/ALD). The true story was turned into a film which made the rare disease well known. Scientists from the University of Bonn, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the German Cancer Research Center investigated such peroxisomal diseases on fruit flies.

20 Jun 2018