News Feature Channel: Alzheimer's and Dementia

Enhancing Neural Signal Fidelity: Controlling Ultramicroelectrode Tip Exposure for Single-Cell Recording

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:50:01 EST

Long-term and precise intracellular signal detection is critical for advancing our understanding of brain diseases and developing effective diagnostic tools. A breakthrough method has been introduced to enhance the stability and fidelity of recording signals at the single-cell level using ultrafine electrodes (UME). By controlling the tip exposure of UMEs, researchers have demonstrated a significant improvement in their ability to resist environmental interference, thus improving signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity, and the collection area has been precisely controlled. This method promises to enhance the performance of implantable neural interfaces for real-time monitoring of intracellular signals.

The Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Center at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:55:08 EST

While Alzheimer's Disease is traditionally associated with the buildup of plaques, emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may play a role in the onset and progression of this devastating neurodegenerative disorder.

Uncovering Dementia's Environmental Triggers

University of Georgia — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:40:12 EST

A new study from the University of Georgia College of Public Health focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia risk.

Neurostimulation Shows Promise as Potential Alzheimer's Treatment

UT Southwestern Medical Center — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:30:58 EST

Repeated sessions of electrical stimulation to brain networks associated with memory improved verbal learning in some Alzheimer's disease patients for up to eight weeks in a preliminary trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

Repurposed ALS Drug Becomes Imaging Probe to Help Diagnose Neurodegeneration

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 20:05:12 EST

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital used positron emission tomography (PET) with edaravone, a drug used to treat ALS, to detect oxidative stress, which leads to brain damage, offering a clear path to detecting neurological conditions.

Neurosurgery Urges Collaboration on NIH Indirect Cost Policy

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 18:40:18 EST

The AANS, CNS, and over 40 other leading medical organizations sent a joint letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), expressing concerns over the agency's new policy imposing a 15% cap on indirect cost rates for all NIH grants.

Scientists Identify Critical "Midlife Window" for Preventing Age-Related Brain Decline

Stony Brook University — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 10:40:16 EST

A landmark study published in PNAS has unveiled that brain aging follows a distinct yet nonlinear trajectory with critical transition points. The research offers new insights into when interventions to prevent cognitive decline might be most effective.

Mapping the Genetic Landscape of Alzheimer's Brain Regions

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 06:10:46 EST

A new study uncovers crucial insights into the gene interactions linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD), revealing how amyloid-beta accumulation affects gene dynamics across different brain regions and age groups. Using spatial transcriptomics (ST), researchers show how specific genes like Ttr and Trem2 behave differently depending on disease progression and age. These findings offer a new lens for understanding AD at the molecular level, with the potential to inform targeted therapies and interventions aimed at slowing or halting the disease's progression.

Research Tip Sheet: Proteins in Eye's Nerve Cells Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

Cedars-Sinai — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 04:05:55 EST

An abnormal form of the tau protein found to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients also accumulates in the eyes of patients with the condition, according to new findings from Cedars-Sinai investigators.

Physical Activity Linked to Lower Risk of Dementia, Sleep Disorders, Other Diseases

American Academy of Neurology (AAN) — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:00:00 EST

People who get moderate to vigorous physical activity may be less likely to develop dementia, stroke, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, according to a preliminary study released today, February 27, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5-9, 2025, in San Diego and online.

Electrochemical Field Key to How Dementia Precursors 'Break Bad'

Washington University in St. Louis — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:15:04 EST

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a critical role for the physical interfaces of amyloid beta peptides in determining the chemical dynamics of their assemblies.

Researchers Identify Potential Link Between Retinal Changes, Alzheimer's Disease

Indiana University — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:55:58 EST

A team of scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine has identified that an eye condition affecting the retina, the light-sensing tissue in the back of the eye, may serve as an early indicator for Alzheimer's disease.

How Parenthood May Help Keep Your Brain Young

Rutgers University-New Brunswick — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 09:05:35 EST

Researchers from Rutgers and Yale find that parents show patterns of brain connectivity that oppose age-related changes.

Texas Tech Health El Paso Researcher Receives $55,000 Marsh Foundation Grant to Advance Alzheimer's Research

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 11:00:57 EST

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia, affecting approximately 6.7 million people in the United States over the age of 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control. El Paso County, where 83% of the population identifies as Hispanic, ranks 10th among U.S. counties with populations over 10,000 for Alzheimer's prevalence, according to recent Alzheimer's Association research. Despite these alarming statistics, there is currently no noninvasive, early detection method for Alzheimer's disease.

New Study Raises Alarm Over Alzheimer's Blood Tests

Rutgers University-New Brunswick — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 09:40:44 EST

Rutgers Health researchers find that the diagnostic tools can be unreliable, particularly for Black patients.

Herpesviruses May Contribute to Alzheimer's Disease via Transposable Elements

Cleveland Clinic — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 19:10:59 EST

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Genome Center outlined the pathway human herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV1) can use to contribute to Alzheimer's disease in aging brains. In a report published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, investigators also share two FDA-approved, commercially available drugs that reverse this pathway in a laboratory setting. The findings are the first concrete evidence to support the previously controversial link between human herpesviruses (HHVs) and Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers Make Molecular Connection Between Blindness, Dementia

UT Southwestern Medical Center — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:15:38 EST

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have linked blindness in animal models to a brain-wide cellular stress response that's a common risk factor for dementia. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could help explain the connection between vision or hearing loss and dementia.

Tech Can Help People Living with Dementia to Help Themselves, NJIT Expert Says

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:20:57 EST

People with mild dementia might live more independently if assistive technology could evolve in parallel with their progressing conditions, according to new research from Alisha Pradhan, assistant professor of informatics at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Small Amounts of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity Are Associated with Big Reductions in Dementia Risk

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:00:40 EST

A little movement could help prevent dementia, even for frail older adults, suggests a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

How Neurodegenerative Diseases Disrupt Brain Fat Processing

Biophysical Society — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 06:00:00 EST

ROCKVILLE, MD - Tau protein tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer's, but new research reveals that tau has a critical role in regulating fat metabolism in the brain; when tau become dysfunctional it may promote the buildup of toxic fats, contributing to disrupted fat metabolism and neurodegeneration."Historically, neurodegeneration has been studied from the protein side.