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neurodegenerative diseases

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 28, 2019·3 min read

Looking at the way we walk can help predict cognitive decline

Gait disorders and slowed walking speeds may be useful indicators of future cognitive decline.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 28, 2019·2 min read

How Alzheimer’s disease spreads through the brain

Tau buildup associated with Alzheimer's disease is not, in itself, harmful, but the cellular process it disrupts kills neurons.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 22, 2019·3 min read

Exposure to environmental PCBs impairs brain function in mice

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals commonly used during the 20th century as flame retardants and in industrial products, disrupt the performance of astrocytes, leading to impaired function. Environmental exposure to PCBs could contribute to a range of neurodegenerative diseases.

This is a cartoon of a heart and a brain

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 21, 2019·3 min read

What’s good for the heart is good for the brain

Twin study reveals higher cardiovascular health is associated with better cognitive health.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 16, 2019·4 min read

Frontotemporal dementia is associated with alterations in immune system function

Researchers discovered increased inflammatory activity in a subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia. The increased inflammation was indicated by elevated levels of cytokines known to increase inflammatory response and decreased levels of IL-10, which reduces inflammation. The inflammation was associated with Parkinsonism's symptoms and rapid cognitive and functional decline. The study also revealed patients with FTD are less likely to develop cancer.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 14, 2019·6 min read

Dementia spreads via connected brain networks

A new brain mapping study allows for individual predictions of the progression of frontotemporal dementia.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 11, 2019·5 min read

Rare sleep disorder common among veterans with PTSD

21% of veterans who experience PTSD or traumatic brain injury suffer from a rare sleep condition that affects less than 1% of the general population. The condition, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), is characterized by an impairment of sleep-related muscle paralysis, causing people to act out dreams during REM sleep. The uncontrolled actions often cause harm to the sufferer of their partners.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 10, 2019·2 min read

Linguists track impact of cognitive decline across three decades of one writer’s diaries

Reviewing over thirty years of diaries from a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, linguists discover how writing style changes as dementia progresses.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 4, 2019·6 min read

Study pinpoints Alzheimer’s plaque emergence early and deep in the brain

Researchers use SWITCH technology to label amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease so they could be imaged in fine detail at different ages. They were consistently able to see the plaques first emerged in deep brain structures and tracked circuits, such as the Papez memory circuit, to spread throughout the brain as the animal aged.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 3, 2019·5 min read

Parkinson’s disease is also present in the blood

Parkinson's disease involves monocytic alterations in the blood. The cells have reduced viability and are unresponsive to specific stimuli, which could have relevant consequences for the progression of Parkinson's. Immune modulation medications may be a new treatment option to inhibit neurodegeneration associated with PD.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 1, 2019·3 min read

A brain protein that could put the brakes on Alzheimer’s

Reducing the expression of the protein TOM1 in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease increased the pathology, exacerbated cognitive problems, and raised levels of inflammation in the brain. Restoring TOM1 reversed the effects. Findings suggest a new therapeutic target for treating dementia.