Research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals how brain inflammation triggers extreme muscle weakness across several diseases, including viral infection, bacterial infection and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, in fruit flies and mice, also identified ways to block this process, which could have implications for treating or preventing the muscle wasting sometimes associated with inflammatory diseases, including bacterial infections, Alzheimer’s disease and long COVID.
Tag: Brain Inflammation
Making Long-Term Memories Requires Nerve-Cell Damage
Just as you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that you can’t make long-term memories without DNA damage and brain inflammation. Their surprising findings were published online today in the journal Nature.
Researchers Identify the Role of an Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Gene in the Brain
Inflammatory response linked to amyloid plaque buildup
‘A Silent Killer’ – COVID-19 Shown to Trigger Inflammation in the Brain
Research led by The University of Queensland has found COVID-19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson’s disease.
Trauma history and alcohol’s effects on the brain combine to make women more vulnerable to alcohol use disorders
Prior research has demonstrated greater addiction vulnerability in women; for example, women advance from casual substance use to addiction at a faster rate, experience more severe withdrawal symptoms, exhibit higher rates of relapse, and have less treatment success than men. A new study shows that biobehavioral interactions in alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among women are cyclical in nature: women’s greater risk of personal histories of trauma coupled with a greater vulnerability to alcohol-related brain deficits can lead to more severe AUD effects.
New Research Finds Air Pollution Reduces Sperm Counts through Brain Inflammation
Researchers have long known that air pollution can increase the risk of certain health conditions, but they did not know the exact mechanism. Now, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have shown how air pollution reduces sperm count in mice by causing brain inflammation.
Brain’s Immune Cells Promising Cellular Target for Therapeutics
Inspired by the need for new and better therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, Rutgers University researchers are exploring the link between uncontrolled inflammation within the brain and the brain’s immune cells, known as microglia, which are emerging as a promising cellular target because of the prominent role they play in brain inflammation. In APL Bioengineering, the group highlights the design considerations and benefits of creating therapeutic nanoparticles for carrying pharmacological factors directly to the sites of the microglia.