Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Air pollution may be lowering global IQ and widening inequality, researchers warn

Researchers argue that exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) may affect cognitive function and intelligence, potentially causing large population-level losses in global IQ. Using modelling based on published exposure–response data, the authors estimate that pollution could be associated with tens of billions of IQ points lost worldwide, with the largest impacts in lower-income regions.

10 Mar 2026

How social and environmental exposures across life influence mental health risk

Researchers outline how the exposome framework, which captures the totality of environmental exposures across the lifespan, can help explain how non-genetic factors shape mental health risk and resilience. The perspective highlights how integrating environmental, biological, and social data could improve prevention strategies, research models, and personalized mental health care.

10 Mar 2026

Immune cells found to actively promote plaque formation in Alzheimer’s disease

A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that immune cells called microglia can actively promote the formation of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, challenging the long-standing view that these cells serve only as defenders against plaque buildup.

10 Mar 2026

Researchers develop DNA aptamer to detect Alzheimer's biomarkers

With aging populations on the rise, the need for better tools to diagnose and monitor Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, has never been more urgent.

10 Mar 2026

Banks are becoming bulwarks against scams for vulnerable seniors

The first call came just before Thanksgiving last year. She didn't recognize the phone number, but she answered anyway.

10 Mar 2026

Spiritual care should be routine for patients with neurological diseases

People living with neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, dementia and epilepsy face not only physical decline, but also profound questions about identity, purpose, and meaning.

9 Mar 2026

Unmasking the hyperactive circuitry of early Alzheimer’s

Neuroscientists at King's College London have pinpointed a mechanism behind the increased neural connectivity observed in the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

9 Mar 2026

Redefining the "aging brain" through diverse data

Age is more than just one number. While neuroscientists used to think of cognitive aging as a single trendline, they now realize that vast individual differences require a more predictive and personalized approach. As they uncover more factors that affect cognition over time, they are realizing that modeling the aging brain requires more diverse data than traditionally captured.

9 Mar 2026

Modified psilocybin compounds may treat brain disorders with fewer hallucinations

Psilocybin - the psychoactive compound in "magic mushrooms" - is gaining scientific attention for its potential in treating neuropsychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders and certain neurodegenerative diseases.

6 Mar 2026

Tubulin prevents toxic protein clumps linked to neurodegeneration

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a potential new strategy to fight back against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, conditions that are linked to the toxic accumulation of Tau and alpha synuclein protein clumps in the brain.

6 Mar 2026

Brain cells amplify important signals to guide focus and navigation

Nerve cells in the brain are constantly bombarded with information from different senses simultaneously. How can the brain prioritize what is most important?

6 Mar 2026

Single dose of CAR-astrocyte therapy halves amyloid levels in mice brains

The new generation of Alzheimer's disease drugs - the first proven to change the course of the disease - typically extend independent living for patients by 10 months.

6 Mar 2026

New report shows primary care readiness for digital cognitive assessment tools

A new Gerontological Society of America (GSA) report summarizes survey findings on the readiness of the primary care workforce to adopt digital cognitive assessments (DCAs) for use in the diagnostic process for cognitive impairment and dementia.

6 Mar 2026

New study shows the brain reactivates memories without reaching conscious thought

Researchers have used brain imaging to show how memories can be reactivated in the brain without them reaching conscious awareness, showing that these memories persist even when we think they have been forgotten.

6 Mar 2026

Seniors defy stereotypes of decline through positive mindsets

Aging in later life is often portrayed as a steady slide toward physical and cognitive decline. But a new study by scientists at Yale University suggests an alternate narrative - that older individuals can and do improve over time and their mindset toward aging plays a major part in their success.

6 Mar 2026

Drug combination shows greater weight loss while preserving muscle mass

A recent research study found that a combination of the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide and bimagrumab, an antibody that blocks activin signaling pathways, results in greater weight loss while also preserving lean mass, such as skeletal muscle and connective tissue.

5 Mar 2026

Machine learning detects early brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have used a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze anatomical changes in the brain and predict Alzheimer's disease with nearly 93% accuracy.

5 Mar 2026

New microscope captures 3D blood flow and oxygenation at single-cell resolution

The brain relies on real-time delivery of oxygen and nutrients through its microvasculature, which threads through neural tissue like electrical wires.

5 Mar 2026

Study reveals a disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration

Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper publishing March 5 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism that appears to enable the build-up of tau.

5 Mar 2026