American Society of Anesthesiologists Welcomes Medtronic as Industry Supporter for Seventh Year

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), a global leader in medical technology, as an ASA Industry Supporter for the seventh year, supporting the work of the Society and physician anesthesiologists to improve patient safety and brain health during and following surgical procedures.

New UNLV Program Training Next Generation of Occupational Therapists

UNLV’s new intensive and innovative three-year doctoral program in occupational therapy, housed in the School of Integrated Health Sciences, is training students to meet the needs of Nevada patients — from babies in the NICU to those recovering from accidents and strokes — reclaim their lives.

Memory Biomarkers Confirm Aerobic Exercise Helps Cognitive Function in Older Adults

Until now, systemic biomarkers to measure exercise effects on brain function and that link to relevant metabolic responses were lacking. A study shows a memory biomarker, myokine Cathepsin B (CTSB), increased in older adults following a 26-week structured aerobic exercise training. The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the substantial modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function and brain health in asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s.

Henry Ford Cancer Institute is First in the World to Activate Two New Treatments in GBM AGILE Trial for Glioblastoma

Henry Ford Cancer Institute is the first site in the world to activate two new treatments for glioblastoma (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer, as part of a patient-centered adaptive platform trial known as GBM AGILE (Glioblastoma Adaptive Global Innovative Learning Environment).

Study Finds Little Progress in Addressing Racial Disparities for Dementia Risk

While rates of dementia for the U.S. population have been relatively stable or in decline since 2000, rates for Black Americans remain disproportionately high, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. Melinda C. Power, ScD, director of the…

NIH Awards $13.8 Million for Studies on the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Joe Verghese, M.B.B.S., M.S., an international leader in aging and cognition research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, has received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $13.8 million to conduct studies on pre-dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Not all is lost for alcohol relapsers: Low risk drinking and abstinence have similar effects on brain health measures after treatment for alcohol use disorder

A study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research provides support for treatment goals based on reducing drinking, and not necessarily stopping completely, for people recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD is linked to damaging reductions in the gray and white matter of certain brain regions. This tissue loss, particularly in the frontal brain lobes, can contribute to cognitive deficits and may increase the risk of relapse following treatment. In people with AUD who quit alcohol completely, brain tissue volumes can increase quite dramatically during abstinence, in parallel to cognitive improvements. Complete abstinence is also associated with improvements in general health and quality of life – therefore abstinence is the usual goal of treatment for AUD.

FAU Medicine Ushers in New Research Phase to Prevent Dementia

FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine and The Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation have joined forces again to usher in a new phase of research to prevent dementia. The extension of a three-year, $3 million grant from the foundation will launch the new FAU Center for Brain Health. The grant supports precision medicine approaches to prevent dementia, which will be further strengthened by leveraging multiple patient-centered platforms through state-of-the-art transdisciplinary approaches.

Gene variants may increase susceptibility to accumulate Alzheimer’s protein tau, study shows

The toxic protein tau is a key biological feature in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Yet the factors that make people susceptible or resistant to tau accumulation are not well-understood. A preliminary Mayo Clinic study shows that inherited DNA variants may be associated with developing tau deposits in older adults. The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 25–May 1.

Activating immune cells could revitalize the aging brain, study suggests

Researchers at Albany Medical College in New York have discovered that a specific type of immune cell accumulates in older brains, and that activating these cells improves the memory of aged mice. The study, which will be published February 5 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that targeting these cells might reduce age-related cognitive decline and combat aging-associated neurodegenerative disease in humans.

Expert Alert: Keep exercising: New study finds it’s good for your brain’s gray matter

A study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases provides new evidence of an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health, particularly in gray matter and total brain volume — regions of the brain involved with cognitive decline and aging.