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.

ASU-TGen researchers find source of altered ANK1 gene expression linked to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers led by Arizona State University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer's disease, in specific cells in the brain.

14 Jul 2017

Researchers discover new role of enzyme in promoting self-destruction of axons

Scientists in the Vollum Institute at OHSU have identified an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the degeneration of axons, the threadlike portions of a nerve cell that transmit signals within the nervous system.

14 Jul 2017

Scientists shed new light on how tau protein transitions from liquid state to solid tangles

While much about Alzheimer's disease remains a mystery, scientists do know that part of the disease's progression involves a normal protein called tau, aggregating to form ropelike inclusions within brain cells that eventually strangle the neurons.

6 Jul 2017

Scientists provide detailed view of tau protein structures found in Alzheimer's disease

New research by scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the United Kingdom and Indiana University School of Medicine gives the most detailed view yet of tau protein structures found in Alzheimer's disease.

6 Jul 2017

Dysfunctional microglia cells contribute to loss of synapses in Alzheimer's disease

Similar to other neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer's is a disease in which the cognitive abilities of afflicted persons continuously worsen.

30 Jun 2017

Study examines how sex alters time-course of inflammation in the brain after TBI

Male mice have much greater brain distress in the week following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than female mice, including skyrocketing inflammation and nerve cell death, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.

13 Jun 2017

Studies offer hope for developing new biomarker and drug for neurodegenerative diseases

Two new studies of progressive, neurodegenerative diseases linked to defects in cells' mitochondria offer hope for developing a new biomarker for research and diagnostics, and a drug for treating such diseases, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

6 Jun 2017

Study underlines significance of microglia for homeostasis in the brain

The role of microglial cells in neurodegenerative disease is not fully understood. But new results from researchers in Munich and Basel suggest that stimulation of this arm of the immune system might well delay the onset of such disorders.

2 Jun 2017

Cognitive tests can detect early Alzheimer's in people without symptoms, study suggests

Long before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease become apparent to patients and their families, biological changes are occurring within the brain. Amyloid plaques, which are clusters of protein fragments, along with tangles of protein known as tau, form in the brain and grow in number, eventually getting in the way of the brain's ability to function.

31 May 2017

Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Recent research in mice indicates that destructive activity of cells in the brain is increased after sleep deprivation and may increase the risk of developing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2017

Researchers discover how tau disrupts functioning of nerve cells even before forming tangles

Tau proteins are involved in more than twenty neurodegenerative diseases, including various forms of dementia.

19 May 2017

New understanding about brain proteins could lead to effective therapies for dementia

A research team from the University of Plymouth, University of Southampton and the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center, Vari, Greece, have studied two structurally-similar proteins in the adult brain and have found that they play distinct roles in the development of dementia.

19 May 2017

New research could be first step toward drug to treat Zika infections

New research led by Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), and Alex Strongin, Ph.D., professor at SBP, could be a first step toward a drug to treat Zika infections. Publishing in Antiviral Research, the scientific team discovered a compound that prevents the virus from spreading.

16 May 2017

Physical activity can help prevent, manage Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

The evidence is clear. Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, says a panel of researchers and not-for-profit leaders, led by UBC's Okanagan campus.

16 May 2017

Demyelination may not be good indicator of MS progression, study finds

A study by researchers from Queen Mary University of London establishes for the first time the extent of neuronal loss in the brain of a person with MS over their life and finds that demyelination may not be as good an indicator of disease progression as previously thought.

10 May 2017

Study findings suggest how progranulin deficiency causes frontotemporal dementia

In a recent study in Human Molecular Genetics, researchers from VIB and KU Leuven led by prof. Philip Van Damme, reveal a novel function for progranulin in lysosomes: it acts as chaperone of the lysosomal protease cathepsin D. The results were obtained in collaboration with Prof. Paul Saftig from the University of Kiel.

8 May 2017

Study shows how influenza A hijacks human cellular machinery to replicate

Much is known about flu viruses, but little is understood about how they reproduce inside human host cells, spreading infection. Now, a research team headed by investigators from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first to identify a mechanism by which influenza A, a family of pathogens that includes the most deadly strains of flu worldwide, hijacks cellular machinery to replicate.

5 May 2017

Neurodegeneration News and Research

Further Reading

ASU-TGen researchers find source of altered ANK1 gene expression linked to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers discover new role of enzyme in promoting self-destruction of axons

Scientists shed new light on how tau protein transitions from liquid state to solid tangles

Scientists provide detailed view of tau protein structures found in Alzheimer's disease

Dysfunctional microglia cells contribute to loss of synapses in Alzheimer's disease

Study examines how sex alters time-course of inflammation in the brain after TBI

Studies offer hope for developing new biomarker and drug for neurodegenerative diseases

Study underlines significance of microglia for homeostasis in the brain

Cognitive tests can detect early Alzheimer's in people without symptoms, study suggests

Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Researchers discover how tau disrupts functioning of nerve cells even before forming tangles

New understanding about brain proteins could lead to effective therapies for dementia

New research could be first step toward drug to treat Zika infections

Physical activity can help prevent, manage Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

Demyelination may not be good indicator of MS progression, study finds

Study findings suggest how progranulin deficiency causes frontotemporal dementia

Study shows how influenza A hijacks human cellular machinery to replicate

New research uncovers role of mysterious molecule in skin cancer

Study provides new insights on molecular mechanisms that impair muscle stem cells during aging

Gladstone scientists discover common mechanism that links neurodegeneration in young and old

Aneuro: A Year of Neuroscience in Review eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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