by Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory A substance known as amyloid beta protein gets a lot of attention from scientists. Beta amyloid, as it’s also called, is a normal brain protein found in everyone, but for an unknown reason it gunks up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, forming deposits that are the classic hallmark...
Tag: <span>Alzheimers</span>
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Virtual reality can spot navigation problems in early Alzheimer’s disease
by University of Cambridge Virtual reality (VR) can identify early Alzheimer’s disease more accurately than ‘gold standard’ cognitive tests currently in use, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The study highlights the potential of new technologies to help diagnose and monitor conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, which affects more than 525,000 people in the UK. In 2014, Professor John O’Keefe of UCL was jointly...
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Biomarker study detects onset of Alzheimer’s up to 30 years before symptoms appear
New research from Johns Hopkins University has identified a variety of biomarkers that can be used to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear. The study presents nine measures, produced from several decades of data, that can signal the onset of the disease up to 30 years before cognitive decline becomes apparent....
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Clinical trial explores opening blood-brain barrier in fight against Alzheimer’s
by Ohio State University Medical Center A new clinical trial at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and two other sites is testing an innovative procedure that may provide hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The non-invasive procedure uses low-intensity focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, a protective layer that protects the brain from infections or pathogens in the blood. However, this barrier also makes it nearly impossible to...
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When is Alzheimer’s not Alzheimer’s? Researchers characterize a different form of dementia
by NIH/National Institute on Aging A recently recognized brain disorder that mimics clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease has for the first time been defined with recommended diagnostic criteria and other guidelines for advancing and catalyzing future research. Scientists from several National Institutes of Health-funded institutions, in collaboration with international peers, described the newly-named pathway to dementia, Limbic-predominant Age-related...
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Do microglia hold the key to stop Alzheimer’s disease?
by VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) A Leuven research team led by Prof. Bart De Strooper (VIB-KU Leuven, UK DRI) studied how specialized brain cells called microglia respond to the accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, a feature typical of Alzheimer’s. The three major disease risk factors for Alzheimer’s—age, sex and genetics—all affect microglia response, raising the possibility that drugs that modulate...
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The mobile game that can detect Alzheimer’s risk
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA A specially designed mobile phone game can detect people at risk of Alzheimer’s – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. Researchers studied gaming data from an app called Sea Hero Quest, which has been downloaded and played by more than 4.3 million people worldwide. The game, created by Deutsche Telekom in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, University College London (UCL),...
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More evidence that blood tests can detect the risk of Alzheimer’s
by Lund University A new study confirms that a simple blood test can reveal whether there is accelerating nerve cell damage in the brain. The researchers analysed neurofilament light protein (NFL) in blood samples from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Recently published in JAMA Neurology, the study suggests that the NFL concentration in the blood could be able to indicate if a drug actually affects the loss of...
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Blocking protein’s activity restores cognition in old mice, study shows
by Stanford University Medical Center By blocking a protein’s activity with antibodies, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators were able to improve cognitive behavior in aging mice. A paper describing the finding will be published online April 3 in Nature. Tony Wyss-Coray, Ph.D., professor of neurology and neurological sciences, is the senior author. The lead author...
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Diabetes treatment may keep dementia, Alzheimer’s at bay
Study finds progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s signature tangles are much faster in people with untreated diabetes UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Patients on medication for type 2 diabetes may be keeping Alzheimer’s disease away. USC Dornsife psychologists have found that those patients with untreated diabetes developed signs of Alzheimer’s disease 1.6 times faster than people...