Frontotemporal Dementia News and Research

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UC San Diego receives $1.3 million grant to understand the role of misfolded tau proteins in dementia

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have received a $1.3 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation for a project that could help scientists better understand the role misfolded tau proteins play in causing neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, which may lead to more effective drug therapies.

16 Aug 2022

The Alzheimer’s Association recognizes seven researchers for contributions to the field of dementia science

The Alzheimer’s Association will present seven awards at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2022, recognizing researchers for their varied expertise, noteworthy achievements and innovative contributions to the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia science.

1 Aug 2022

Experts release appropriate use recommendations for Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers

Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers (BBMs) may revolutionize the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in the future, but are not yet ready for widespread use, according to a newly-published article by leading international clinicians and researchers convened by the Alzheimer’s Association.

31 Jul 2022

New center aims to accelerate research into biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases

A new center established at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis aims to accelerate research into biomarkers of neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and the so-called tauopathies, a group that includes Alzheimer's disease along with rarer diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy.

13 Jul 2022

DZNE and Intravacc receive € 2.5 million EU funding to develop a prototype ALS vaccine

DZNE and Intravacc B.V., a world leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) of preventive and therapeutic vaccines, have been awarded a funding of € 2.5 million from the European Union (EIC Transition Grant) to further develop a prototype ALS vaccine, including process development, scale-up, and toxicology study.

6 Jul 2022

MRI-based machine learning approach can accurately predict Alzheimer’s disease

The research uses machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimer's.

20 Jun 2022

Studies find breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections are more likely in cancer and Alzheimer's patients

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases resulting in infections, hospitalizations and deaths are significantly more likely in cancer and Alzheimer's patients, according to two new studies from researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

23 May 2022

Antibiotic rifampicin attenuates C9orf72-linked dementia in genetically modified mice

What did Stephen Hawking and Mao Zedong have in common? They both suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a cure for which remains elusive. Scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University took an important step toward prevention of ALS and another brain disorder called Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with their research on the effects of the antibiotic rifampicin on genetically modified mice.

23 May 2022

People with young-onset Alzheimer’s experience faster symptom progression than older counterparts

People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at a younger age will experience faster symptom progression than their older counterparts, a new study has found, potentially causing their support systems to fall behind.

16 May 2022

Study finds promising new treatment for patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia

A Monash University led study has found a promising new treatment for patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of dementia in the under 60s – resulting in a stabilising of what would normally be escalating behavioural issues, and a slowing of brain shrinkage due to the disease.

6 May 2022

Brain folds formed during fetal development could affect age at onset in frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia begins relatively early compared to other forms of dementia. We still know relatively little about what causes the disease, however, new research from Lund University in Sweden shows that the folds in the brain that are formed in the latter stages of pregnancy could have an impact on the age at which the disease takes hold.

3 May 2022

Single-cell genome sequencing provides a new way to think about Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is marked by a loss of functional neurons in the brain. But what causes this loss? Through single-cell genome sequencing, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Broad Institute show that people with Alzheimer's have an abundance of newly acquired mutations in their neurons - more than people of the same age without Alzheimer's, and enough to disable genes important to brain function.

20 Apr 2022

Inhibiting key signaling pathway in immune cells may slow down Alzheimer's disease

Inhibiting an important signaling pathway in brain-resident immune cells may calm brain inflammation and thereby slow the disease process in Alzheimer's and some other neurodegenerative diseases, suggests a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

14 Apr 2022

Researchers discover over 40 new genetic markers for Alzheimer’s disease

A new Nature Genetics study describes over 70 gene markers that appear to be significantly associated with AD risk using translational genomics.

6 Apr 2022

Researchers identify motor neuron toxin associated with ALS

An international team of investigators has discovered that an inorganic polyphosphate released by nerve cells known as astrocytes in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) contributes to the motor neuron death that is the signature of these diseases.

10 Mar 2022

Evaluating the Seven Components of Wisdom

In this interview, we speak to Professor Dilip Jeste about what 'wisdom' actually is, how it can be assessed, and what this can mean for our health.

10 Mar 2022

Damage to general intelligence brain networks makes it difficult for dementia patients to cope with change

People with dementia struggle to adapt to changes in their environment because of damage to areas of the brain known as 'multiple demand networks', highly-evolved areas of the brain that support general intelligence, say scientists at the University of Cambridge.

9 Mar 2022

Patients divided over Alzheimer’s drug: Is it a ‘risk I’m willing to take’ or just a ‘magic pill’?

If you listen to the nation's largest Alzheimer's disease advocacy organizations, you might think everyone living with Alzheimer's wants unfettered access to Aduhelm, a controversial new treatment.

7 Mar 2022

Novel molecular pathway shared by two neurodegenerative disorders discovered

Scientists from two independent research teams have discovered how the mislocalization of a protein, known as TDP-43, alters the genetic instructions for UNC13A, providing a possible therapeutic target that could also have implications in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other forms of dementia.

28 Feb 2022

Research reveals why a common genetic variant worsens outcomes for people with ALS and FTD

A pioneering new study led by UCL and National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists has revealed, for the first time, why a common genetic variant worsens disease outcomes for people with the devastating adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

24 Feb 2022