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UrduA new UCLA Health study found certain genetic variants could help explain how long-term pesticide exposure could increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Tag: Neurodegenative Disease
Scientists identify cell vulnerability ‘fingerprint’ related to Parkinson’s, Lewy body dementia
A new study offers a first look into the complex molecular changes that occur in brain cells with Lewy bodies, which are key pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease and some dementias.
Neurons help flush waste out of brain during sleep
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that brain cell activity during sleep is responsible for propelling fluid into, through and out of the brain, cleaning it of debris.
Protein Accumulation on Fat Droplets Implicated in Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
In an effort five years in the making, UNC School of Medicine cell biologist Sarah Cohen, PhD, and Rockefeller University’s Ian Windham, PhD, describe the interplay between fats and proteins in brain cells and how their dysfunction contributes to the development of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Collaboration Propels Research on Untreatable Neurodegenerative Disease
It started with a hunt for lab space and ended with a collaboration born out of what the researchers call a “cosmic coincidence.”
Screening and treatment bring hope for children with spinal muscular atrophy
Before available treatments existed, children with the most common form of spinal muscular atrophy would would need a ventilator to breathe or die by the age of two. Now, several advancements have made SMA a treatable condition. While many states screen for it at birth, physicians and advocates say even more can be done to improve outcomes for SMA.
Study identifies new dementia risk genes through novel testing approach
A new UCLA-led study has identified multiple new risk genes for Alzheimer’s disease and a rare, related brain disorder by using a combination of new testing methods allowing for mass screening of genetic variants in a single experiment.
Researchers link neurodegenerative disease protein to defective cholesterol metabolism
Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43. The study, which will be published August 4 in the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), suggests that restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases associated with TDP-43, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.
Will reduction in tau protein protect against Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementias?
A study suggests that reducing tau protein in brain neurons will not protect against Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementias. If borne out, this result differs from Alzheimer’s disease, where reducing endogenous tau levels in brain neurons is protective for multiple models of the disease.
New mouse model provides first platform to study late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
University of California, Irvine biologists have developed a new genetically engineered mouse model that, unlike its predecessors, is based on the most common form of Alzheimer’s disease. The advance holds promise for making new strides against the neurodegenerative disease as cases continue to soar.
Case Western Reserve researchers uncover biochemical rules between RNA-protein interactions and expression of thousands of genes
A team of Case Western Reserve University researchers has found a way to measure key characteristics of proteins that bind to RNA in cells—a discovery that could improve our understanding of how gene function is disturbed in cancer, neurodegenerative disorders or infections.
New pathway in development of Alzheimer’s disease discovered, providing earlier target for potential therapeutics
A novel Alzheimer’s disease marker—coming early in progression of the condition—could open significant new fronts of research into possible therapies
New Case Western Reserve University study identifies novel mechanisms that cause protein clumping in Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain diseases
A team of researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has taken a major step toward understanding the mechanisms involved in the formation of large clumps of tau protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and several other neurodegenerative disorders.
World’s first: Drug guides stem cells to desired location, improving their ability to heal
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy—a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could improve current stem cell therapies designed to treat such neurological disorders as spinal cord injury, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders; and expand their use to new conditions, such as heart disease or arthritis.
$5.5 million NIH grant supports new tests to diagnose dementias earlier and easier
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine seek to optimize emerging methods of diagnosing two common neurodegenerative diseases—dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia—which affect 1.4 million in the United States
University of Minnesota, Van Andel Institute earn $6M to study aging’s role in Parkinson’s
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Sept. 21, 2020) — A collaborative team between the University of Minnesota Medical School and Van Andel Institute (VAI) will soon begin a $6.2 million study that seeks to define the molecular linkages between aging and Parkinson’s disease — an approach for new treatment targets not yet explored by many researchers. The group recently earned a three-year grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative, an international collaborative research effort partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to implement its funding.
Researchers make significant step toward blood test for Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a technique to detect minute amounts of a protein fragment linked to Alzheimer’s disease in the blood. The study, which will be published July 28 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that levels of p-tau-217 are elevated during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and could lead to a simple blood test capable of diagnosing the neurodegenerative disorder years before any symptoms begin to appear.
Novel pathology could improve diagnosis and treatment of Huntington’s and other diseases
Bristol scientists have discovered a novel pathology that occurs in several human neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease.
The article, published in Brain Pathology, describes how SAFB1 expression occurs in both spinocerebellar ataxias and Huntington’s disease and may be a common marker of these conditions, which have a similar genetic background.
It’s not just Alzheimer’s disease: Sanders-Brown research highlights form of severe dementia
The long-running study on aging and brain health at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Center has once again resulted in important new findings – highlighting a complex and under-recognized form of dementia.
URI engineering professor helping ALS patients use their brains to communicate
KINGSTON, R.I. – June 25, 2020 – Doug Sawyer was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, 11 years ago. His only muscles that still function are those that control eye movement.Despite his disability, Sawyer still works as an engineer from his home, designing electronics for Hayward Industries.
Protein Shapes Matter in Alzheimer’s Research
Even small changes may have big, long-term consequences. For amyloid beta peptides, a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, a common chemical modification at a particular location on the molecule has a butterfly effect that leads to protein misfolding, aggregation and cellular toxicity.
Reducing Early Brain Inflammation Could Slow Alzheimer’s Progression
In a new animal study examining Alzheimer’s disease, researchers found that disease progression could be slowed by decreasing neuroinflammation in the brain before memory problems and cognitive impairment were apparent.
Scientists Create Tool to Detect Genes Associated with Psychiatric, Brain Diseases
Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and colleagues created a new computational tool called H-MAGMA to study the genetic underpinnings of nine brain disorders, including the identification of new genes associated with each disorder.
Scientists Discover New Clue Behind Age-Related Diseases and Food Spoilage
Berkeley Lab scientists have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as we get older, and how our food decomposes over time.
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.
AI-analyzed blood test can predict the progression of neurodegenerative disease
Evaluating the effectiveness of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is often difficult because each patient’s progression is different. A new study shows artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of blood samples can predict and explain disease progression, which could one day help doctors choose more appropriate and effective treatments for patients.
Severe pregnancy-related depression may be rooted in inflammation
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Nov. 20, 2019) — A runaway, inflammatory immune response may be responsible for triggering severe depression during and after pregnancy, according to a new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.