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Study finds no damaging role for microglia during retinal prion disease in mice

National Institutes of Health scientists studying the progression of inherited and infectious eye diseases that can cause blindness have found that microglia, a type of nervous system cell suspected to cause retinal damage, surprisingly had no damaging role during prion disease in mice.

28 Mar 2019

Chronic Wasting Disease may soon spread to humans, warns CDC

Experts are warning that the consumption of deer meat infected with CWD may lead to the disease spreading to humans within the next few years.

20 Feb 2019

"Zombie Deer" disease scare

Chronic wasting disease of the deer or CWD has been nicknamed “Zombie deer disease”. It has been affecting deer across Pennsylvania and has also been noted in Lancaster County.

11 Feb 2019

Experts explore involvement of the gut in Parkinson's disease

There is growing evidence that at least in some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the disease may begin in the gut. Writing in a special supplement to the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, experts explore the last two decades of research about the gut-brain axis in PD and look ahead at the possible development and impact of these research areas in the next two decades.

8 Feb 2019

Skin samples hold early signs of prion disease, research suggests

Prions can infect both humans and animals, causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, mad cow disease in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in elk and deer. The infectious, misfolded protein particles often go undetected as they destroy brain tissue, causing memory loss, mobility issues, and ultimately death.

23 Jan 2019

Ultrasensitive test detects corrupted protein associated with Alzheimer's and CTE

An ultrasensitive test has been developed that detects a corrupted protein associated with Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma.

20 Dec 2018

Alzheimer's could possibly be spread via contaminated neurosurgery

Researchers have found that surgical instruments used for neurosurgery could get contaminated by the altered brain proteins that are seen in Alzheimer’s disease. These instruments are capable of spreading the condition if not treated or decontaminated properly before reuse. The study results were published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

14 Dec 2018

Study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying role of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease

A UCL-led study has confirmed that some vials of a hormone used in discontinued medical treatments contained seeds of a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and are able to seed amyloid pathology in mice.s

14 Dec 2018

Single tau molecule holds clues to help diagnose neurodegeneration in its earliest stages

Scientists who recently identified the molecular start of Alzheimer's disease have used that finding to determine that it should be possible to forecast which type of dementia will develop over time - a form of personalized medicine for neurodegenerative diseases.

11 Dec 2018

Major soil organic matter compound battles chronic wasting disease

A major compound in soil organic matter degrades chronic wasting disease prions and decreases infectivity in mice, according to a study published November 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Judd Aiken of the University of Alberta, and colleagues.

3 Dec 2018

Study provides new insights into how prions enter the brain

The spread of prions to the brain does not occur by direct transmission across the blood-brain barrier, according to a study published November 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Annika Keller and Adriano Aguzzi of the University Hospital Zürich, and colleagues.

3 Dec 2018

Antibiotic could protect against age-related brain diseases

An antibiotic, minocycline, can increase the lifespan of roundworms by preventing the build-up of proteins during aging, a study in the open-access journal eLife reports.

28 Nov 2018

Eyes may be portal for prions to enter the body finds study

A recent study has found that prion proteins that cause a deadly brain disease may enter the body via the eyes.

23 Nov 2018

Scientists find evidence of prions in the eyes of CJD patients

National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues have found evidence of the infectious agent of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in the eyes of deceased CJD patients.

21 Nov 2018

Researchers produce artificial antibody capable of blocking prions in the laboratory

Prion diseases affect the brain, causing neurodegenerative problems that always lead to death. They attracted attention in the late 1990s due to the "Mad Cow" scare.

22 Oct 2018

Prion strain diversity may be greater than previously thought

The first example of prion strains that replicate independently in vitro and in vivo suggests that strain diversity may be greater than previously thought, according to a study published October 18 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Jason Bartz of Creighton University, and colleagues.

19 Oct 2018

Study sheds light on molecular mechanisms underlying progression of prion diseases

A new study has shed light on the mechanisms underlying the progression of prion diseases and identified a potential target for treatment.

21 Sep 2018

Discovering Prion-like Proteins in Eukaryotic Viruses

Dr. George Tetz discusses the discovery of prion-like domains in eukaryotic viruses, and the implications of this study on gene therapies and common neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease.

6 Sep 2018

Researchers discover prion-like viral proteins that open new targets for antiviral drugs

Researchers at the Human Microbiology Institute and Tetz Laboratories have discovered thousands of prion-like domains in human viruses, prompting research that opens new ways of viral pathogenicity, suggests new targets for development of new antiviral drugs and links viruses to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

12 Jul 2018

Scientists discover ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists have discovered a "Big Bang" of Alzheimer's disease - the precise point at which a healthy protein becomes toxic but has not yet formed deadly tangles in the brain.

11 Jul 2018