by Katherine Fenz, Rockefeller University All neurodegenerative diseases have a common thread: the appearance of protein clumps in the brain such as amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s disease and alpha synuclein aggregates in Parkinson’s. The root cause of this buildup has been hard to pinpoint, but Rockefeller scientists have identified a likely culprit that opens up...
Tag: <span>Alzheimer’s disease</span>
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Step aside, biomarkers. Look to the bank account for early signs of dementia
By ERIC CHESS One crucial missing piece to the devastating puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia is how to detect them early. Many researchers are hard at work evaluating biomarkers like levels of proteins known as beta-amyloid and tau in cerebrospinal fluid or imaging-detected changes in the brain. There might be another,...
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NASA, industry partner for space-based study of potential Alzheimer’s key
by Jennifer Harbaugh, NASA An innovative experiment underway on the International Space Station could help researchers make new progress in the fight against aggressive neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The Ring-Sheared Drop experiment, developed and led by Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville, Alabama, will be housed in the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox to...
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A game-changing test for Prion, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases is on the horizon
Synthetic molecules made at Berkeley Lab can be used to diagnose numerous devastating illnesses DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY There are currently no effective treatments for prion diseases, a family of fatal neurodegenerative conditions caused by accumulations of misfolded copies of a naturally occurring protein. But now, there is finally an effective way to test for them. As reported in...
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Research shows that early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline among the elderly, according to research conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Plamen Nikolov, assistant professor of economics, and Alan Adelman, a doctoral student in economics, examined China’s New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) and the Chinese Health and Retirement...
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How Deep Sleep May Help The Brain Clear Alzheimer’s Toxins
Heard on All Things ConsideredJON HAMILTON The brain waves generated during deep sleep appear to trigger a cleaning system in the brain that protects it against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Electrical signals known as slow waves appear just before a pulse of fluid washes through the brain, presumably removing toxins associated with Alzheimer’s, researchers...
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Groundbreaking study improves understanding of brain function
Posted Yesterday Dr. Corrado Calì, a research scientist specializing in brain imaging at KAUST, and Swiss scientists from the Blue Brain Project (BBP) have shown how lactate is necessary for memory formation and learning, which could lead to improved learning and memory function. The project falls under the umbrella of the ambitious European Human Brain...
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Phoenix-based company believes it has discovered major breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment
By Linda Williams | Published 8 hours ago | Special Reports | FOX 10 Phoenix PHOENIX – Alzheimer’s disease robs millions of people of their memory and their lives, and even after years of research, there’s still no cure. A Phoenix-based company thinks it may have discovered a treatment that stops, even reverses the process....
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In Alzheimer’s research, scientists reveal brain rhythm role
by Massachusetts Institute of Technology In the years since her lab discovered that exposing Alzheimer’s disease model mice to light flickering at the frequency of a key brain rhythm could stem the disorder’s pathology, MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai and her team at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have been working to understand what...
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Otago scientists’ discovery leads to greater understanding of Alzheimer’s disease
UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO Otago scientists have made an important discovery in understanding the role a particular protein plays to impair memory in Alzheimer’s disease, which could lead to more effective treatment in future. Professor Cliff Abraham and Dr Anurag Singh from the Department of Psychology have identified that a protein in the brain – tumor...