Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Microglia-targeting nanotherapeutics for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

Inspired by the need for new and better therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, Rutgers University researchers are exploring the link between uncontrolled inflammation within the brain and the brain's immune cells, known as microglia.

8 Sep 2020

New insights into how the brain can induce diabetes remission in rodents

In rodents with type 2 diabetes, a single surgical injection of a protein called fibroblast growth factor 1 can restore blood sugar levels to normal for weeks or months. Yet how this growth factor acts in the brain to generate this lasting benefit has been poorly understood.

7 Sep 2020

A potential new way of treating Alzheimer’s Disease

In this interview, Dr. Brad. L. Heckman speaks to News-Medical about a new pathway that could potentially treat Alzheimers disease.

7 Sep 2020

MIS-C linked to COVID-19 damages children's hearts

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), believed to be linked to COVID-19, damages the heart to such an extent that some children will need lifelong monitoring and interventions, said the senior author of a medical literature review published Sept. 4 in EClinicalMedicine, a journal of The Lancet.

5 Sep 2020

Common class of drugs may be associated with increased risk of cognitive decline

A team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, report that a class of drugs used for a broad array of conditions, from allergies and colds to hypertension and urinary incontinence, may be associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, particularly in older adults at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease.

5 Sep 2020

Army-funded study explores the effects of sleep deprivation in soldiers

New Army-funded study looks at effects of sleep deprivation, which can greatly affect Soldiers on the battlefield.

3 Sep 2020

Sleep may serve as a marker of Alzheimer’s disease risk and progression

What would you do if you knew how long you had until Alzheimer's disease set in? Don't despair. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests one defense against this virulent form of dementia -- for which no treatment currently exists -- is deep, restorative sleep, and plenty of it.

3 Sep 2020

Study examines the side effects of Alzheimer's disease dementia drugs

In a first of its kind study, a University of Houston researcher is examining two common drugs used for dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease to determine the extent to which they don't mix well together and cause a cascading event of side effects, prompting the need for even more medications.

3 Sep 2020

Caring for newly diagnosed dementia patients associated with increase in depressive symptoms

Caring for a partner or spouse with a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's or related dementia is associated with a 30% increase in depressive symptoms, compared to older adults who don't have a spouse with dementia--and these symptoms are sustained over time, a new University of Michigan study found.

2 Sep 2020

Trinity College researchers to participate in gene-based clinical trial for motor neuron disease

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin are to participate in an early phase gene-based clinical trial for motor neuron disease (MND). The research team represents one of only four centres in Europe to take part in such an exciting clinical trial for this devastating disease.

2 Sep 2020

Dogs' aging mechanism and memory performance linked to gut microbiome composition

Our gut microbiota can crucially influence our behavior and neurodevelopment. New research of the Ethology Department at the Faculty of Science at Eötvös Loránd University indicates that dogs' aging mechanism and memory performance are also linked to their gut microbiome composition.

2 Sep 2020

Study finds greater Alzheimer's burden in rural Appalachia

Alzheimer's disease is more common in rural Appalachian Ohio communities than in other rural areas in the state - raising concerns about access to early, specialized care in a region where many residents face struggles getting the medical care they need, a new study has found.

2 Sep 2020

Study provides direct link between inflammation and Alzheimer’s plaque development

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that is characterized by the buildup of clumps of beta-amyloid protein in the brain.

2 Sep 2020

Study offers a possible explanation for prevalence of autism spectrum disorder

Recent estimates indicate a prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States of 1 in 59 children with a well-established 4:1 male predominance.

2 Sep 2020

Circadian rhythms help in brain's unique process of waste removal

New research details how the complex set of molecular and fluid dynamics that comprise the glymphatic system - the brain's unique process of waste removal - are synchronized with the master internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

2 Sep 2020

Study suggests role for estrogen replacement to protect women against Alzheimer's

Biological sex influences the effect of amyloid beta on alterations to tau protein characteristic to Alzheimer's disease, suggesting a role for estradiol in preventing the disease in women, report scientists in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

1 Sep 2020

New theory explains how hearing loss may cause dementia

Scientists have developed a new theory as to how hearing loss may cause dementia and believe that tackling this sensory impairment early may help to prevent the disease.

1 Sep 2020

Majority of U.S. COVID-19 fatalities had underlying medical conditions

Early on in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was little data on the virus and how it affects the body. As the virus spread across the globe, data showed that some people were at a higher risk of developing severe disease and dying from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

31 Aug 2020

People with genetic risk for Alzheimer's have spatial navigation problems

An international research team headed by Anne Bierbrauer, Dr. Lukas Kunz, Dr. Carlos Gomez and Professor Nikolai Axmacher from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Universitätsklinikum Freiburg now reports that problems in spatial navigation can also be detected in people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's.

31 Aug 2020

Brain protein associated with seizures and abnormal social behaviors

A team led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside has found a new mechanism responsible for the abnormal development of neuronal connections in the mouse brain that leads to seizures and abnormal social behaviors.

31 Aug 2020