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.

Adult-onset degenerative disease mechanism begins much earlier than previously thought

The disease mechanism for adult-onset progressive degenerative diseases begins much earlier than previously thought, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

30 Mar 2018

Researchers reveal molecular structure of 'anti-aging' protein

Researchers from UT Southwestern's Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research and Internal Medicine's Division of Nephrology recently published work in Nature that reveals the molecular structure of the so-called "anti-aging" protein alpha Klotho (a-Klotho) and how it transmits a hormonal signal that controls a variety of biologic processes.

29 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover cause of rare childhood neurodegenerative disease

Neurology researchers investigating a rare but devastating neurological regression in infants have discovered the cause: gene mutations that severely disrupt crucial functions in mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells.

23 Mar 2018

Research offers new understanding about cause of Parkinson's disease

Until very recently, Parkinson's had been thought a disease that starts in the brain, destroying motion centers and resulting in tremors and loss of movement.

21 Mar 2018

NIH researchers explore genetic clocks to understand role of aging in neurodegeneration

To understand the link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, NIH scientists compared the genetic clocks that tick during the lives of normal and mutant flies.

14 Mar 2018

Early microstructural changes can help predict long-term recovery from spinal cord injury

A trauma to the spinal cord, quickly leads to a progressive loss of nerve tissue. This not only affects the injured area, but over time affects also other parts of the spinal cord and even the brain.

9 Mar 2018

Boosting the brain's immune cells may prevent or reduce severity of Alzheimer's disease

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute researchers have published two new studies in Neuron that describe how TREM2, a receptor found on immune cells in the brain, interacts with toxic amyloid beta proteins to restore neurological function.

8 Mar 2018

Individual damaged nerve cells cause neurodegenerative diseases

If the sense of smell disappears, this can indicate a disease such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. However, unlike previously assumed, general degenerations in the nervous system do not play a leading role in the loss of the sense of smell with increasing age, but individual nerve cells or classes of nerves are decisive.

7 Mar 2018

UAB scientists explore gene therapy for frontotemporal dementia

Gene therapy has shown promise for treating a neurodegenerative disease known as frontotemporal dementia and a related condition called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, according to new findings presented in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

1 Mar 2018

Traumatic brain injuries may increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease earlier in life

Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease earlier in life, according to a study from UT Southwestern's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

1 Mar 2018

Researchers describe important step toward gene therapy for patients with Sandhoff disease

Babies with the rare, deadly genetic disorder Sandhoff disease begin to miss developmental milestones just months after birth. Lacking muscle tone, they never learn to sit up, develop heads too large to lift and eventually suffer uncontrollable seizures. There is no cure.

22 Feb 2018

Study sheds light on biological mechanisms that drive rare pediatric neurogenetic disorders

Researchers studying a rare genetic disorder that causes severe, progressive neurological problems in childhood have discovered insights into biological mechanisms that drive the disease, along with early clues that an amino acid supplement might offer a targeted therapy.

22 Feb 2018

Liquefied brain tissue after stroke may harm surviving brain, UA study finds

Scientists have known for years that the brain liquefies after a stroke. If cut off from blood and oxygen for a long enough period, a portion of the brain will die, slowly morphing from a hard, rubbery substance into liquid goop.

21 Feb 2018

Low protein levels linked to posture and gait problems in Parkinson’s, finds study

A new study has linked low levels of alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson’s to postural instability and gait difficulty.

21 Feb 2018

AbbVie and Voyager Therapeutics collaborate to develop new treatments for tauopathies

AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, and Voyager Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company, today announced that they have entered into an exclusive strategic collaboration and option agreement to develop and commercialize vectorized antibodies directed against tau for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

20 Feb 2018

Study describes new protection mechanisms to fight neurodegeneration in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

A new research study reveals RAC1 protein could be a new therapeutic target to study the molecular mechanisms related to the neurodegenerative processes in Parkinson's disease.

20 Feb 2018

Novel motion capture-like technology for tracking how proteins fold into certain shape

In many modern animated movies, the trick to achieving realistic movements for individual characters and objects lies in motion-capture technology.

13 Feb 2018

HDAC6 inhibition could be promising therapeutic approach for peripheral neuropathies

Inhibiting HDAC6 improves the structural stability of cells and protects against neuronal damage. Leuven research uncovered that targeting this mechanism could be a promising therapeutic approach for peripheral neuropathies, whether due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) or as a side effect of chemotherapy.

8 Feb 2018

Discovery may advance stem cell therapies, gene-targeting treatments for neurological diseases

New research from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is among the first to describe how an mRNA modification impacts the life of neural stem cells.

24 Jan 2018

Researchers describe atom-by-atom changes in ALS-linked protein

For the first time, researchers have described atom-by-atom changes in a family of proteins linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a group of brain disorders known as frontotemporal dementia and degenerative diseases of muscle and bone.

19 Jan 2018