Frontotemporal Dementia News and Research

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UCL researchers create first massive open online course on four less-common forms of dementia

Researchers at University College London have created the first massive open online course on four of the less-common forms of dementia. Developed by Timothy Shakespeare, with Sebastian Crutch and Nick Fox, "The Many Faces of Dementia" will kick off on March 14.

22 Feb 2016

Scientists discover role of nucleocytoplasmic transport in specific forms of ALS and FTD

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are two devastating adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders.

15 Feb 2016

Fasudil improves memory in rats, promotes degradation of toxic tau in the eyes of fruit flies

Could a kinase inhibitor some doctors prescribe to keep blood flowing after brain surgery be used to treat neurodegeneration? New research suggests it might be worth exploring the question.

10 Feb 2016

Anemia associated with increased risk of mild cognitive impairment

In a large population-based study of randomly selected participants in Germany, researchers found that participants with anemia, defined as haemoglobin <13 g/dl in men and <12 g/dl in women, showed lower performances in verbal memory and executive functions.

17 Dec 2015

Zecotek Photonics receives order for patented LFS scintillation crystals

Zecotek Photonics Inc., a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for industrial, healthcare and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that it has received an order for its patented Lutetium Fine Silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals from a specialized medical imaging device manufacturer based in the United States.

10 Dec 2015

Scientists identify new jelly-like properties of essential proteins that lead to serious diseases

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a new property of essential proteins which, when it malfunctions, can cause the build up, or 'aggregation', of misshaped proteins and lead to serious diseases.

31 Oct 2015

Routine clinical features may aid BVFTD diagnostic accuracy

Researchers have identified clinical features that can help determine which patients assessed for behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia are most likely to actually have the condition.

30 Oct 2015

Findings could lead to new treatment for ALS, dementia

University of Toronto (U of T) researchers are proposing a new way of understanding Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the devastating and incurable neurological disease. Their findings, published today in the journal Neuron, could be a major milestone on the path to a treatment for both ALS and dementia.

30 Oct 2015

U of T study provides hope for treating ALS and FTD

It's the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but until now scientists weren't sure how a specific gene caused these devastating diseases. Now researchers from the University of Toronto are one step closer to solving this incredibly complex puzzle, offering hope for treatment.

6 Oct 2015

Research highlights potential new treatment strategy for degenerative diseases

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered evidence of a mechanism at the heart of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related degenerative diseases. The research appears in today's edition of the journal Cell and highlights a possible new treatment strategy for the devastating disorders.

25 Sep 2015

Salsalate drug offers new hope for treating Alzheimer's disease and FTD

Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that salsalate, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, effectively reversed tau-related dysfunction in an animal model of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Salsalate prevented the accumulation of tau in the brain and protected against cognitive impairments resembling impairments seen in Alzheimer's disease and FTD.

21 Sep 2015

Common gene mutation may cause brain damage associated with ALS and FTD

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered some of the first steps in how a very common gene mutation causes the brain damage associated with both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

27 Aug 2015

Scientists reveal how a common gene mutation in ALS and FTD disrupts normal cell function

Researchers have determined how the most common gene mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) disrupts normal cell function, providing insight likely to advance efforts to develop targeted therapies for these brain diseases.

27 Aug 2015

Others consider our moral traits, not memory, to be core component of our identity

We may view our memory as being essential to who we are, but new findings suggest that others consider our moral traits to be the core component of our identity. Data collected from family members of patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease showed that it was changes in moral behavior, not memory loss, that caused loved ones to say that the patient wasn't "the same person" anymore.

18 Aug 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers discover role of TDP-43 protein in autopsy brain cells of patients with ALS

Autopsies of nearly every patient with the lethal neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and many with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), show pathologists telltale clumps of a protein called TDP-43. Now, working with mouse and human cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have discovered the normal role of TDP-43 in cells and why its abnormal accumulation may cause disease.

7 Aug 2015

Alzheimer's Association recognizes four scientists with Lifetime Achievement Awards at AAIC 2015

The Alzheimer's Association recognizes four leading scientists for their contributions to advancing Alzheimer's disease and dementia research. The awards were presented during the opening session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2015 in Washington, D.C.

21 Jul 2015

U of T researchers discover new details about key gene involved in ALS

A University of Toronto research team has discovered new details about a key gene involved in ALS, perhaps humanity's most puzzling, intractable disease.

16 Jul 2015

Early neuronal lysosomal dysfunction could help predict AD

Blood levels of altered lysosomal proteins may help detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.

12 Jun 2015

Specialized brain proteins may be detected in the blood samples of individuals with Alzheimer's disease

Specialized brain proteins that are involved in the removal of damaged nerve cell materials may be detected in the blood of people who were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

11 Jun 2015

People with cognitive impairment have altered responses to pain

People with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment (CI) have altered responses to pain, with many conditions associated with increased pain sensitivity, concludes a research review in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

29 May 2015