FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·January 30, 2025·6 min readBlood Test May Predict Postpartum Depression Through Hormone LevelsWomen who develop postpartum depression (PPD) may have distinct neuroactive steroid levels during the third trimester of pregnancy. A study found that those with PPD had lower levels of pregnanolone, which reduces stress, and higher levels of isoallopregnanolone, which increases stress.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·November 2, 2024·8 min readNew Blood Test Shows Promise for Early Parkinson’s DetectionResearchers have developed a method to analyze extracellular vesicles (EVs) in blood for early detection of Parkinson’s disease (PD). By isolating EVs and assessing their contents, the team identified a protein called phosphorylated α-synuclein that appears in elevated levels in PD patients.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·July 29, 2024·5 min readUmbilical Cord Blood Test Could Predict Autism RiskA recent study suggests that measuring specific fatty acid metabolites in newborn blood could predict autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. Researchers found that higher levels of certain metabolites were linked to increased ASD symptoms in children at six years old.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·March 11, 2024·5 min readBlood Test Detects 24-Hour of Sleep DeprivationResearchers developed a blood test capable of detecting 24-hour sleep deprivation with high accuracy, offering promising applications for enhancing safety in various contexts. The test, which combines specific markers in the blood, was shown to identify individuals who had been awake for more than 24 hours with up to 99.2% accuracy under laboratory conditions.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·September 2, 2023·3 min readBlood Clues to Long-COVID Brain Fog DiscoveredResearchers have discovered two blood biomarkers that could predict cognitive deficits, including "brain fog," up to a year after a COVID-19 diagnosis. The study analyzed data from over 1,800 hospitalized patients and identified high levels of fibrinogen and d-dimer, proteins linked to blood coagulation, as being highly correlated with cognitive issues.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·August 31, 2023·6 min readTwo-Step Blood Test Sharpens Alzheimer’s DiagnosisResearchers have developed a two-step workflow using a new blood-based p-tau217 biomarker to improve the accuracy of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) diagnosis. The first step uses a diagnostic model that combines plasma p-tau217 with age and the APOE e4 gene to identify high-risk patients.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 13, 2023·4 min readEpilepsy Could Become Easier to Pinpoint With Blood TestHigher levels of immune proteins are present in the blood both before and after an epileptic seizure. Researchers say the biomarkers can be identified via a simple blood test.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·January 10, 2023·4 min readBlood-Based Markers May Reveal Alzheimer’s Disease Ten Years Before Symptoms ShowA new blood test can detect the GFAP protein at elevated levels in blood samples up to ten years before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are first noticeable in those with an inherited form of the neurodegenerative disorder.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·December 5, 2022·4 min readNew Blood Test Can Detect ‘Toxic’ Protein Years Before Alzheimer’s Symptoms EmergeA new blood test can detect toxic amyloid beta oligomers associated with Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms appear.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·June 23, 2022·7 min readA Mother’s Blood May Carry the Secret to One Type of AutismMaternal autoantibody–related autism spectrum disorder (MAR ASD) is marked by specific maternal antibodies that react to certain proteins in the fetal brain. Examining the plasma of expecting mothers, researchers found mothers with reactivity to one of the nine MAR ASD patterns were eight times as likely to have a child diagnosed with autism.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·May 7, 2022·4 min readPromising Alzheimer’s Marker in Blood Prompts Warning About Brain-Boosting SupplementsElevated levels of PHGDH in the blood could signal the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers caution older adults against using "brain-boosting" supplements that contain serine due to its link to PHGDH. As PHGDH is a key enzyme in serine production, elevated PHGDH levels results in increased serine levels in the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·May 1, 2022·4 min readNew Blood Biomarker for Predicting Dementia Before Symptoms DevelopMeasuring blood levels of P-tau181 may allow doctors to diagnose Alzheimer's before the onset of symptoms. Elevated levels of P-tau181 in the blood were associated with greater amyloid beta accumulation in the brain and outperformed two other biomarkers in predicting signs of amyloid beta in brain scans.Read More
