Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most common cause of dementia in people under 65, may be triggered by a defect in immune cells called microglia that causes them to consume the brain’s synaptic connections, according to new research led by scientists at University of California, San Francisco. The new study adds to growing evidence that…
Category: Neurology
Can Testing Mental Maps Find Alzheimer’s Sooner?
Increasing difficulties with building cognitive maps of new surroundings could herald the eventual clinical onset of Alzheimer’s long before a clinical diagnosis is possible. Denise Head, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and senior author of the new study, says: “These findings suggest that navigational tasks designed to…
IL-33 Protein Clears Alzheimer’s Disease-like Symptoms
A potential breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has been made in new research. The study, led by scientists at the University of Glasgow and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has discovered that a protein called IL-33 can reverse Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology and cognitive decline in mice. Alzheimer’s disease is…
Dysfunctional Endosomes Are Early Neurodegeneration Sign
Abnormalities in a protein that helps transport and sort materials inside cells are linked to axonal dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS), researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say. Said Chengbiao Wu, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neurosciences at UC San Diego…
Facial Perception Impairment In Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s not only steals people’s memories but also their ability to recognize faces, which widens the chasm between people with this disease and their loved ones. A recent study has demonstrated that, beyond causing memory problems, Alzheimer’s disease also impairs visual face perception. The finding may help families better understand their loved one’s inevitable difficulties…
Peripheral Neuropathy Underlying Mechanism Identified
Recent research identifying the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, has raised the prospect that drug therapies can be developed for the treatment of this condition, which causes pain, numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet. The work, by Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory, was published March 28 in…
Creative Reasoning Enhanced By Electrical Brain Stimulation
Safe levels of electrical stimulation can enhance your capacity to think more creatively, according to a new study by Georgetown researchers. Georgetown psychology professor Adam Green and Dr. Peter Turkeltaub of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, and a team of colleagues published the study in Cerebral Cortex. The team used…
Aging Curtails Post Spinal Cord Injury Axon Regeneration
Older Americans are increasingly active, and this lifestyle shift has contributed to the rise in average age of a person experiencing a spinal cord injury. The changing demographic calls for a clearer picture of how aging impacts recovery and repair after a spinal cord injury. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine…
Right Hemisphere May Predict Post-stroke Aphasia Recovery
Observing structures in the right side of the brain may help predict who will better recover from language difficulties following a stroke, new research suggests. The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the right and the left. The left side is dominant in language and speech-motor functions in most people, so when it is damaged…