Neurodegenerative Disorder News and Research

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Study shows link between impaired mitochondria, energy failure, and neuronal dysfunction

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows for the first time that impairments in mitochondria--the brain's cellular power plants--can deplete cellular energy levels and cause neuronal dysfunction in a model of neurodegenerative disease.

15 Sep 2015

Study reveals why long-term use of L-DOPA leads to dyskinesia

Researchers have discovered why long-term use of L-DOPA (levodopa), the most effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, commonly leads to a movement problem called dyskinesia, a side effect that can be as debilitating as Parkinson's disease itself.

11 Sep 2015

University of Basel scientists identify genes that play central role in development of Alzheimer's disease

Genes are not only important for regular memory performance, but also for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the University of Basel now identified a specific group of genes that plays a central role in both processes. This group of molecules controls the concentration of calcium ions inside the cell.

3 Sep 2015

Newly discovered prion causes Multiple System Atrophy

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson's disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, akin to the misfolded proteins involved in incurable progressive brain diseases such Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to two new research papers led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

1 Sep 2015

Brain cells in Parkinson's disease die prematurely, burning out like an overheating motor

The death of brain cells in Parkinson's disease may be caused by a form of cellular energy crisis in neurons that require unusually high quantities of energy to carry out their job of regulating movement, researchers at the University of Montreal reported today.

28 Aug 2015

Experimental gene therapy may prevent neuronal degeneration in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Degenerating neurons in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) measurably responded to an experimental gene therapy in which nerve growth factor (NGF) was injected into their brains, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the current issue of JAMA Neurology.

28 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

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

New study estimates link between coffee consumption habits and incidence of mild cognitive impairment

A new study by researchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy, Geriatric Unit & Laboratory of Gerontology and Geriatrics, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy, and Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy, estimates the association between change or constant habits in coffee consumption and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), evaluating 1,445 individuals recruited from 5,632 subjects, aged 65-84 year old, from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA), a population-based sample from eight Italian municipalities with a 3.5-year median follow-up.

29 Jul 2015

C2N-8E12 (ABBV-8E12) gets orphan drug designation from FDA for PSP treatment

C2N Diagnostics and AbbVie today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted their investigational recombinant humanized anti-tau antibody, C2N-8E12 (ABBV-8E12), an orphan drug designation for the treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

17 Jul 2015

Scientists discover protein that plays significant role in development of fragile X syndrome

Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have discovered that the protein APP plays a significant role in the development of fragile X syndrome (FXS) at young stages. They identified an unexpected biological pathway as a promising target to ameliorate deficits associated with FXS and autism. The results have recently been published in Neuron, one of the most influential journals in the field of neuroscience.

16 Jul 2015

Pharma Two B reports positive results from P2B001 Phase IIb study for treatment of early stage PD

Pharma Two B Ltd., a privately held company developing innovative therapeutics based on previously approved drugs, announced today the successful results of the company's Phase IIb pivotal study of P2B001 for the treatment of early stage Parkinson's Disease (PD).

30 Jun 2015

Different neurobiological pathways lead to expression of Alzheimer's disease

The amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) posits that sticky aggregations or plaques of amyloid-beta peptides accumulate over time in the brain, triggering a series of events that ultimately result in the full-blown neurodegenerative disorder. The hypothesis has been a major driver of AD research for more than 20 years.

26 Jun 2015

Potential new class of drugs lessen neurodegeneration in rat model of Parkinson's disease

The first test in a mammalian model of a potential new class of drugs to treat Parkinson's disease shows abatement of neurodegeneration in the brains of test rats and no significant toxicities, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Pfizer Inc. researchers report online in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

26 Jun 2015

Discovery may accelerate development of new drugs to treat Huntington's disease

By identifying in spinal fluid how the characteristic mutant proteins of Huntington's disease spread from cell to cell, UC Irvine scientists and colleagues have created a new method to quickly and accurately track the presence and proliferation of these neuron-damaging compounds -- a discovery that may accelerate the development of new drugs to treat this incurable disease.

24 Jun 2015

New noninvasive brain stimulator may help tamp down Parkinson's symptoms at home

Parkinson's disease patients whose symptoms such as tremor, muscle stiffness and slowed movement make it tough to hold an eating utensil steady have few options for relief outside of a hospital or clinic. Medication can help, but over time it tends to become less effective.

12 Jun 2015

Research progress with promising Alzheimer's drug Xanamem

Actinogen Limited (Actinogen Medical, ASX: ACW), an Australian biotechnology company focused on the development of novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other major age-related neurodegenerative disorders, is pleased to announce that it has received ethics approval to initiate the third and final stage of the second Phase I trial of its lead Alzheimer’s drug candidate, Xanamem™.

11 Jun 2015

UC Davis funds BRAIN-STIM program to uncover potential treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

In 2013, President Obama announced the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, unveiling plans to make a bold investment to understand the human mind with the intent to uncover ways to prevent, treat and cure brain disorders like Alzheimer's, autism, and epilepsy.

9 Jun 2015

Scientists identify molecular 'lock' that enables Ebola virus to gain entry to cells

An international team including scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has identified the molecular "lock" that the deadly Ebola virus must pick to gain entry to cells.

27 May 2015

Available research does not support link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy and sports

Available research does not support the contention that athletes are uniquely at risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or other neurodegenerative disorders, according to a review in the June issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

21 May 2015