Alzheimer’s disease has a complex and faceted set of disease mechanisms. Although it is typically defined as a disease which affects the neurons of the brain, it has become increasingly apparent that the disease also affects the vasculature of the brain in Alzheimer’s progression. The ‘dual hit’ hypothesis suggests that damage to the brains vasculature…
Category: Neurology
Senescent Astrocytes May Contribute to Development of Parkinson’s
Systemic clearing of senescent astrocytes prevents Parkinson’s neuropathology and associated symptoms in a mouse model of sporadic disease, the type implicated in 95% of human cases, researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging report. The findings provide a potential therapeutic avenue for the incurable, progressive neurological disorder that affects up to one million…
Spinal Motor Neuron Differentiation Regulatory Dynamics Uncovered
The inner workings of a gene network that regulates the development of spinal motor neurons in the growing chicken and mouse embryo has been discovered by researchers from University of California, Los Angeles. The research also answers a long-standing question about why motor neurons, the nerve cells of the spinal cord that control muscle movement,…
Interleukin 33 Plays A Crucial Role In Neural Development
An immune signal named interleukin 33 (IL-33) plays a crucial role in allowing the brain to maintain the optimal number of synapses during the development of the central nervous system (CNS), indicates a study from University of California, San Francisco. Between the ages of two and four, the human brain has an estimated one quadrillion…
Sensory Deprivation Speeds Post-stroke Brain Remapping
Temporarily shutting off neuronal signals to a healthy part of the brain may aid stroke recovery, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Mice that had experienced strokes were more likely to recover the ability to use a front paw if their whiskers were clipped following a stroke. Trimming…
Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease Linked with Body Clock Disruptions
Circadian rhythm disruptions also occur much earlier in people whose memories are intact but whose brain scans show early, preclinical evidence of Alzheimer’s, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates. The findings potentially could help doctors identify people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease earlier than currently is possible. That’s important…
Increasing Anti-aging Klotho With CRISPR Gene-Editing
Gene-editing technologies have brought about a wealth of opportunities for medical research and treatment of diseases. The CRISPR-dCas9 (CRISPR) technique has been extremely popular in recent times, owing to the specificity, simplicity and cost-effectiveness of gene-editing enabled by the technique. This has been utilised in animal models and cell lines to produce tools for researching…
Albuminuria Increases Alzheimer’s Disease & Vascular Dementia Risk
Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia both are, respectively, the first and second most common neurodegenerative diseases. Although dementia is a massive global issue, the actual mechanisms causing these diseases are relatively unknown with multiple diseases increasing the risk of developing a dementia. A recent study has established a link between albuminuria and both Alzheimer’s disease…
Grasp Brain Organization Is Restored After Hand Transplantation
A new study shows that higher-level regions of the brain may compensate for persistent reorganizational changes in brain areas responsible for hand sensation and movement following a hand transplant. When a person loses a hand, nerves that control sensation and movement are severed. This trauma deprives sensory and movement areas of the brain of stimulation,…