Lewy Bodies News and Research

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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

α-synuclein conformation may underlie neurodegenerative variability

Varying structural conformations of α-synuclein may explain how one protein can give rise to distinct forms of neurodegeneration, say researchers.

12 Jun 2015

Studies refine amyloid imaging role in dementia

Two meta-analyses published in JAMA help to define the role of amyloid imaging in dementia.

21 May 2015

β-amyloid deposition highly variable in synucleinopathy

A meta-analysis suggests large variability in the prevalence of β-amyloid deposition in patients with synucleinopathies.

8 May 2015

Researchers discover key mechanism in neural death that causes Parkinson's disease

In studying the molecular biology of brain development, a team of researchers led by Ludwig Stockholm director Thomas Perlmann has discovered how disruption of a developmental mechanism alters the very nerve cells that are most affected in Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2015

UC San Diego Health System's Movement Disorder Center joins NPF Center of Excellence network

The Movement Disorder Center at UC San Diego Health System has been designated the 41st Center of Excellence in the National Parkinson Foundation's global network. This designation is the highest recognition offered by NPF to a Parkinson's specialty clinic. It represents the consensus of leaders in the field that the UC San Diego program is among the world's leading centers for Parkinson's research, outreach and care.

27 Feb 2015

Three leading research funders join forces to support brain disease research

Three leading research funders from the UK and North America have joined forces to launch a new global initiative called MEND or, MEchanisms of cellular death in NeuroDegeneration, with a fund of $1.25 million USD (£820,000/$1.56CDN) for targeted research into brain diseases that cause dementia, such as Alzheimer's.

11 Feb 2015

New study finds that poor sleep may lead to dementia

People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a new study published in the December 10, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2014

Researchers receive grant to examine role of proteins in dementia diseases

Researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry have received funding from Alzheimer's charity BRACE for a pilot study to investigate the role of proteins in the development of dementia diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

4 Dec 2014

Lewy body dementia: 10 things people need to know

The recent news that the brain of actor/comedian Robin Williams showed signs of diffuse Lewy body disease has created more interest and coverage in this widely under-diagnosed condition than ever before.

25 Nov 2014

Protein that plays key role in neurological diseases regulates neuronal communication by self-association

The protein alpha-synuclein is a well-known player in Parkinson's disease and other related neurological conditions, such as dementia with Lewy bodies. Its normal functions, however, have long remained unknown.

30 Sep 2014

Researchers demonstrate how Parkinson's disease spreads in the human brain

An international, interdisciplinary group of researchers led by Gabor G. Kovacs from the Clinical Institute of Neurology at the MedUni Vienna has demonstrated, through the use of a new antibody, how Parkinson's disease spreads from cell to cell in the human brain.

23 Sep 2014

Nigral neuronal loss and α-synuclein pathology scrutinised in PD

The severity of neurodegeneration and local burden of α-synuclein are closely coupled during disease progression in Parkinson’s disease, a post-mortem study has found.

11 Aug 2014

In vivo dopaminergic imaging strongly correlates with brain pathology

Striatal dopamine transporter binding, assessed using single-photon emission computed tomography, is strongly correlated with substantia nigra cell counts assessed at postmortem, say the authors of a study.

11 Aug 2014

Signs and symptoms of Lewy body dementia

"I watched my husband experience a decline in cognition followed by a period of what seemed like improved function only to plunge again into confusion with more frequent hallucinations," says one caregiver newly acquainted with Lewy body dementia (LBD).

22 Jul 2014

REM sleep disorder: A sign of impending neurodegenerative disease

How many millions of people suffer from sleep disturbance? One sleep disorder in particular, called REM behavior disorder, could be a sign of impending neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson's and dementia, say scientists presenting their research at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2014 Annual Meeting.

10 Jun 2014

NeuroPhage engineers series of molecules with potential to treat most neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers from NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have engineered a series of molecules with the potential to treat most neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by misfolded proteins, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

23 Apr 2014

New discovery opens door to development of new treatments that stop progression of Parkinson's disease

A research led by the Research Institute Vall d'Hebron (VHIR), in which the University of Valencia participated, has shown that pathological forms of the α-synuclein protein present in deceased patients with Parkinson's disease are able to initiate and spread in mice and primates the neurodegenerative process that typifies this disease.

10 Apr 2014

Researchers examine role of alpha-synuclein in neuronal cells

Alpha-synuclein is a principal component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, which are pathologic hall-marks of Parkinson's disease. Alpha-synuclein is generally considered to play a role in synaptic activity, although its function remains largely unknown.

13 Mar 2014

Parkinson disease patients with higher CSF experience faster cognitive decline

Counterintuitive Findings Offer New Insights into Parkinson Disease Pathology, According to New Research Published in The American Journal of Pathology

12 Mar 2014