Bassoon Gene Mutation Linked To New Neurological Disorder

Mutations have been identified in the bassoon (BSN) gene, which is involved with the central nervous system, in patients with symptoms similar to, but different from, a rare brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). PSP, a form of Parkinson’s disease, is often difficult to diagnose because it can affect people in different ways. Serious…

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Tau Production Rate Positively Correlates With Amyloid Plaque Burden

Tau production and secretion from nerve cells appears to be an active process in the natural course of Alzheimer’s disease, new research indicates. This may explain why experimental treatments targeting tau have had disappointing results, as the current focus of these drugs assumes that the protein is primarily released from dying nerve cells. “This study…

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Why Do Some People Experience Synaesthesia-like Silent Flashes?

As many as one in five people may demonstrate signs of a synaesthesia-like phenomenon in which they hear silent flashes or movement, a new study from City, University of London indicates. Although the effect is barely known to science, the researchers found that this ‘visually-evoked auditory response’ (vEAR) is far more common than other types…

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Can The Healthy Brain Offer Clues To Curing Alzheimer’s?

“Have you cured Alzheimer’s disease yet?” This is a common question people ask when they discover that I do brain and memory research. And I can understand why. Many of us have witnessed elderly people spending their final years unable to recognize loved ones or to take care of themselves due to Alzheimer’s. It’s terrifying…

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Parkinson’s Plaques Linked To Faulty Cellular Membrane Mix

A much sought-after connection has been uncovered between one of the most common genetic mutations in Parkinson’s disease and the formation of fatty plaques in the brain thought to contribute to the destruction of motor neurons that characterize the disease. Working with lab-grown human brain cells, Johns Hopkins researchers found the mutation occurs in a…

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Daytime Drowsiness Could Be Warning Sign Of Alzheimer's

Excessive sleepiness in the daytime could be an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, research from the Mayo Clinic indicates. The study found that daytime drowsiness is associated with amyloid beta plaque buildup. Accumulation of this protein in the brain is a classic sign of Alzheimer’s. The study was a longitudinal cohort analysis of 283 elderly participants…

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Blood Brain Barrier May Have Its Own Molecular Clock

The permeability of the fruit fly version of the blood brain barrier is higher at night versus during the day, new research indicates. The study, led by Amita Sehgal, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, also found that this daily rhythm is governed by a…

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Autism: Exploring The Social Brain

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (autism) process social cues atypically during the first year of life, and this sets them on a trajectory of increasingly impaired social ability. Understanding why this impairment emerges could help early intervention by identifying new intervention targets and the timing of intervention. Inherited genetic predispositions and epigenetic changes are…

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How Close Are We To A Cure For Huntington’s?

“It came completely out of the blue,” says James*. They had thought it was his father’s knees that were the problem – he was never comfortable and was constantly shifting them. “He went to the doctor, and he said, ‘You have got osteoarthritis.’ So that was put to bed for a few months.” But that…

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