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Alzheimer’s disease

·July 1, 2025·6 min read

Brain Stimulation Reverses Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer’s

New research shows that low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can restore key synaptic structures in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that axonal boutons—sites where neurons form connections—had reduced turnover in Alzheimer’s mice, indicating impaired brain plasticity. After a single rTMS session, the turnover of one bouton type significantly increased, matching levels seen in healthy mice.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 30, 2025·6 min read

Mimicking Exercise in the Brain Could Slow Cognitive Decline

While physical activity is known to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, many patients are unable to exercise due to frailty or advanced symptoms. A new study identifies a specific gene, ATPPIF1, that is reactivated through exercise and supports neuroplasticity in the brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 30, 2025·6 min read

Alzheimer’s May Disrupt Nerve Insulation Without Reducing Myelin

New research reveals that Alzheimer's disease may impair nerve function not by reducing myelin, but by altering the proteins at the critical interface between axons and their myelin sheath. Scientists found structural abnormalities in the paranode region, where myelin attaches to axons, including clogged nutrient channels and protein buildup that could block signal transmission.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 29, 2025·8 min read

Brain Criticality May Hold Key to Learning, Memory, and Alzheimer’s

New research proposes a unified theory of brain function based on criticality—a state where the brain teeters between order and chaos, allowing it to learn, adapt, and process information optimally. When the brain strays from this delicate balance, cognitive performance weakens, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s may begin to take hold.

This shows an older person walking in a street and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 26, 2025·3 min read

Neighborhood Disadvantage Linked to Alzheimer’s Biomarkers and Inflammation

Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by elevating biomarkers associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration. A long-term study of 334 older adults found higher levels of tau and YKL-40, biomarkers linked to Alzheimer’s and brain inflammation, in people from less advantaged areas.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 25, 2025·5 min read

Newborns and Alzheimer’s Patients Share a Brain Protein Spike

A new study has revealed that newborn babies and Alzheimer’s patients both have elevated levels of the same protein, p-tau217, in their blood. While this protein is a key marker of brain degeneration in Alzheimer’s, in newborns it appears to support healthy brain growth and development.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 24, 2025·5 min read

Rare Mutation Shields Brain from Alzheimer’s by Silencing Inflammation

A rare genetic mutation known as APOE3-R136S, or the “Christchurch mutation,” appears to protect against Alzheimer’s disease by suppressing inflammatory signaling in the brain’s immune cells. Researchers found that this mutation dampens the cGAS-STING pathway, a key innate immune mechanism that is abnormally activated in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 18, 2025·3 min read

Alzheimer’s Risk Linked to Increased Social Activity, Not Isolation

Contrary to popular belief, a new study suggests that people with a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s may become more socially engaged—not less. Researchers analyzed data from over 500,000 individuals and found that higher-risk participants reported lower social isolation and more positive family interactions.

This shows a person on a treadmill and neurons.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 13, 2025·5 min read

Exercise Rewires Alzheimer’s-Affected Brain Cells

Using cutting-edge RNA sequencing, researchers mapped how exercise affects specific brain cell types in a model of Alzheimer’s disease. They found that physical activity alters gene activity in microglia and a newly identified type of astrocyte linked to blood vessels, which may protect memory.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 11, 2025·7 min read

New Map Reveals First Steps of Protein Clumping in Alzheimer’s

Scientists have mapped how over 140,000 mutations affect the formation of amyloid beta fibrils, offering an unprecedented look at early events in Alzheimer’s disease. By combining DNA synthesis, genetically engineered yeast, and machine learning, they built a detailed energy landscape of the protein’s transition state—an elusive moment before plaque formation begins.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·June 10, 2025·5 min read

Late-Life Mood Disorders May Foreshadow Alzheimer’s

Late-life depression and bipolar disorder may be more than psychiatric conditions—they could be early warning signs of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Using advanced brain imaging and postmortem tissue analysis, researchers found that half of the participants with late-onset mood disorders showed signs of tau accumulation, a key hallmark of neurodegeneration.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 5, 2025·7 min read

HIV Drugs Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Risk

FDA-approved HIV drugs targeting reverse transcriptase (RT) may reduce Alzheimer’s risk by blocking similar enzymatic activity in the aging brain. Scientists discovered unexpected RT activity in neurons of healthy and Alzheimer’s brains, tracing it to truncated LINE1 elements—ancient genetic sequences capable of copying themselves via RT.