by Utrecht University, Utrecht University Faculty of Science Neurons pass on information to one another via synapses. The vast majority of these synapses are excitatory, which increase the activity of the receiving neuron. Around 10 to 20 percent of synapses have the opposite effect, and are called inhibitory. Researchers at Utrecht University have discovered that the growth of inhibitory synapses is specifically stimulated in the...
Category: <span>Alzheimer’s</span>
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Researchers block protein that plays a key role in Alzheimer’s disease
by Lund University In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to researchers that the protein galectin-3 is involved in inflammatory diseases in the brain. A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden now shows the de facto key role played by the protein in Alzheimer’s disease. When the researchers shut off the gene that produces this protein in mice, the amount of Alzheimer’s plaque and the inflammatory load both decreased. Researchers at Lund...
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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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Patent issued to device with potential to detect early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment
by Renee Kelly, University of Maine The University of Maine was recently issued a patent, US 10,244,977, for a device that detects brain injury by measuring sleep movement patterns. This technology will be licensed by Activas Diagnostics, a UMaine spin-off company. The invention is a fitted mattress sheet equipped with more than a dozen sensors that will allow it to gather...
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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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Thiazide diuretics reduced the risk of fractures in people with Alzheimer’s disease
UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND The use of thiazide diuretics was associated with a decreased risk of low energy fractures in people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The association was found in long-term use exceeding three years; however, shorter term use did not reduce the risk of fractures. Thiazides are typically prescribed to treat hypertension. The results were published in Osteoporosis International. Hip...
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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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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...
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Does eating two teaspoons of nuts really boost your brain function by 60%?
by Sandra-Ilona Sunram-Lea, The Conversation Dementia is a cruel disease that robs people of their memory, their judgement and their identity. Unfortunately, there is no cure, and in the past few years a number of clinical trials for new dementia drugs have failed – the latest being Biogen’s drug aducanumab. Without any effective treatments on the...
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Sleep problems, Alzheimer’s disease are linked, but which comes first?
Rockville, Md. (March 22, 2019)–A new article explores the pathophysiological factors that link sleep disturbances and Alzheimer’s disease. Better understanding of this connection may lead to potential diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. The article is published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology (JNP). Alzheimer’s research has largely focused on the presence...