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Infographic showing how neurodegenerative diseases have long been associated with aggregations of apparently toxic proteins
Infographic: Secret Lives of Neurodegeneration-Linked Proteins
Maligned peptides such as the Alzheimer’s-associated amyloid precursor protein may have critical roles in the healthy brain.
Infographic: Secret Lives of Neurodegeneration-Linked Proteins
Infographic: Secret Lives of Neurodegeneration-Linked Proteins

Maligned peptides such as the Alzheimer’s-associated amyloid precursor protein may have critical roles in the healthy brain.

Maligned peptides such as the Alzheimer’s-associated amyloid precursor protein may have critical roles in the healthy brain.

amyloid beta plaques

Amyloid plaques on axons of neurons
The Misunderstood Proteins of Neurodegeneration
Catherine Offord | Aug 1, 2022 | 10+ min read
The normal functions of peptides that aggregate in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s have been largely overlooked by scientists, but some argue that they are critical for understanding the development of disease.
Ramified cells in a lilac background
Could Vitamin Supplementation Help Alzheimer’s Patients?
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Apr 11, 2022 | 8 min read
Niacin, a form of vitamin B3 used to treat cardiovascular disease, helps immune cells in the brain fight neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s in mice models, according to recent studies. Researchers hope that human clinical trials will swiftly follow.
Bespectacled man wearing black shirt with arms folded looks at camera in front of lab cabinet
Neuropathologist John Trojanowski Dies at 75
Lisa Winter | Mar 18, 2022 | 2 min read
His work was pivotal to understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
An APP-knockout neuron (right) shows extended axonal and reduced dendritic growth compared with a normal mouse neuron (left). Scale bar 50 µm.
Amyloid Precursor Protein Linked to Brain Development Mechanisms
Catherine Offord | Dec 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Researchers provide evidence that the Alzheimer’s-associated protein calibrates a signaling pathway that is conserved across the animal kingdom.
Illustration of neurons in white with myelin in blue
Repurposed Drug Reverses Signs of Alzheimer’s in Mice, Human Cells
Jef Akst | Oct 12, 2021 | 2 min read
Researchers say they hope to launch a clinical trial to test bumetanide, a diuretic approved in 2002, but how it might improve neural functioning is unclear.
Colored artistic rendition of neurons and plaque buildup
Alzheimer’s Risk Gene Paradoxically Protects Against Memory Loss
Chloe Tenn | Oct 8, 2021 | 2 min read
A new study links a variant of the apolipoprotein E gene called APOE ε4 to better memory in older age, even in the presence of amyloid plaques—a possible explanation for the variant’s persistence despite its association with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain cells with electrical firing. 3D rendering.
Microglia as Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Pharmaceutical companies ramp up efforts to get the brain’s immune cells to help treat Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, but not everyone agrees the approach will be effective.
Updated
blue and white sign for the entrance to the FDA that says U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration
Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug Gets FDA Approval, Mixed Reviews
Kerry Grens | Jun 7, 2021 | 2 min read
A lackluster performance in clinical trials of the monoclonal antibody aducanumab has left some experts unconvinced of its benefit.
A microscopy image of a mouse brain that shows the lymphatic system in bright purple and pink
Brain’s Lymphatic System Tied to Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice
Amanda Heidt | May 4, 2021 | 5 min read
A dysfunctional lymphatic system, described as a clogging of the brain’s sink, may explain why immunotherapies fail in some Alzheimer’s patients.
a patient getting blood drawn for testing
First Alzheimer’s Blood Test Rolled Out for Clinical Use in US
Shawna Williams | Nov 2, 2020 | 4 min read
The test will be a cheaper and more accessible alternative to currently available diagnostic tools, researchers say.
amyloid-beta amyloid plaque alzheimer's disease coarse-grained neurodegeneration ab40 ab42
Newly Found Alzheimer’s Plaque Type Linked to Early-Onset Disease
Ian Le Guillou | Sep 28, 2020 | 4 min read
These “coarse-grained” plaques resemble those that clog up the brain’s blood vessels in a different disease, pointing to links between the vascular system and the neurodegenerative disease.
Poor Sleep Linked with Future Amyloid-β Build Up
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 11, 2020 | 3 min read
Accumulation of the protein was more likely to be found in the brains of people who slept less well years earlier, according to a new study.
tau p-tau217 amyloid amyloid-beta alzheimer's disease blood test
Experimental Blood Test Could Flag Alzheimer’s
Kerry Grens | Jul 29, 2020 | 2 min read
New studies show that elevated levels of a form of tau called p-tau217 can accurately distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from other forms of dementia, and perhaps even predict it.
Biogen, Eisai End Two Late-Stage Trials for Alzheimer’s Treatment
Emily Makowski | Sep 16, 2019 | 1 min read
The widely expected move comes months after the companies scrapped trials of another Alzheimer’s drug.
Rapidly Flashing Lights and Sounds Reduces Alzheimer’s in Mice
Jef Akst | Mar 15, 2019 | 2 min read
Exposing mice to an hour of 40-hertz stimuli every day for a week reduced levels of amyloid-β plaques and tau protein, and improved cognition.
Amyloid plaques (stained for amyloid-? peptide) detected in a post-mortem brain sample of a patient with Alzheimer's disease. Purple purple dots in the background are the nuclei of neurons and glia.
Herpes Viruses Implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease
Anna Azvolinsky | Jun 21, 2018 | 5 min read

A new study shows that the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients have a greater viral load, while another study in mice shows infection leads to amyloid-β build up.

Researchers Develop Potential Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease
Catherine Offord | Feb 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The test uses levels of plasma amyloid-β to estimate the buildup of protein plaques in the brain.
Do Microbes Trigger Alzheimer’s Disease?
Jill U. Adams | Sep 1, 2017 | 10 min read
The once fringe idea is gaining traction among the scientific community.
Infographic: Brain Infection and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology
Jill U. Adams | Aug 31, 2017 | 1 min read
Emerging evidence links bacterial or viral infection with the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease.
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