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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.

disease & medicine, neuroscience

thin, rubbery-looking band with squiggly black channels running through it
Tiny Nerve-Cooling Implant Relieves Pain in Rats
Shafaq Zia | Jul 1, 2022 | 3 min read
The device can chill nerves as small as a few millimeters across, but more testing and modifications are necessary before it could relieve pain in humans.
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.
How Infectious Diseases Affect the Brain
The Scientist | 1 min read
From a loss of taste to dementia, infectious agents cause an array of neurological symptoms.
micrograph showing red aggregating protein in mouse neurons
Citing Safety, French Institutions Temporarily Halt Prion Research
Annie Melchor | Jul 28, 2021 | 3 min read
The three-month moratorium comes after a former prion researcher was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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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.
Breaking Down Barriers
The Scientist | 1 min read
Looking at the future of neurodegeneration research!
Contributors
The Scientist | Jun 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the June 2021 issue of The Scientist.
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.
illustration of different cells types in retina
Cones Derived from Human Stem Cells Help Mice See: Study
Marcus A. Banks | Apr 23, 2021 | 3 min read
Researchers insert functioning cone photoreceptors into the retinas of mice with advanced eye disease, improving their vision.
ethics, bioethics, brain organoid, chimera, cell transplant, Q&A, report, NIH, NAS, neuroscience, Techniques, disease & medicine, immunology, psychiatric conditions
New Report Dissects Ethics of Emerging Human Brain Cell Models
Amanda Heidt | Apr 12, 2021 | 5 min read
The National Academies’ report touches on ethical issues raised by new technologies such as brain organoids and human-animal chimeras, and suggests that current regulatory oversight is sufficient.
Anesthesia Impairs Memory in Mice
Abby Olena, PhD | Apr 1, 2021 | 3 min read
A study that compared several anesthetic regimens in rodents showed that only one—inhaled isoflurane—wasn’t detrimental to the activity of neurons in the hippocampus.
GWAS, psychotic disorder, mood disorder, Q&A, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, sex differences
Genetic Variants Tied to Sex Differences in Psychiatric Disorders
Amanda Heidt | Mar 31, 2021 | 5 min read
The largest study of its kind identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms with disparate effects on men’s and women’s susceptibility to conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Mary Jeanne Kreek, heroin, addiction, methadone, drug addiction, The Rockefeller University,
Mary Jeanne Kreek, Methadone Developer, Dies at 84
Asher Jones | Mar 31, 2021 | 2 min read
A physician and neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University who specialized in addiction research, Kreek was best known for her work on developing the treatment for heroin addiction.
rugby, concussion, brain injury, concussion, trauma, saliva, spit, test, noninvasive, diagnostic, microRNA, small noncoding RNA, PCR, RNA
Simple Spit Test Could Diagnose Concussions
Asher Jones | Mar 24, 2021 | 2 min read
A noninvasive saliva test accurately identified concussions in a study of hundreds of rugby players.
early-life stress, histone, chromatin, epigenetics, epigenetic modification, methylation, DNA, protein, stress, adversity, mice, genetics, genomics
Early-Life Stress Exerts Long-Lasting Effects Via Epigenome
Asher Jones | Mar 18, 2021 | 5 min read
In mice, epigenetic marks made on histones during infancy influence depression-like behavior during adulthood. A drug that reverses the genomic tags appears to undo the damage.
Eli Lilly Claims New Drug Can Slow Alzheimer’s-Related Decline
Lisa Winter | Mar 16, 2021 | 2 min read
Patients who received the drug fared better cognitively and functionally than those taking placebo, but still experienced losses in performance.
Reduced Adult Neurogenesis Linked with Alzheimer’s Disease
Abby Olena, PhD | Feb 1, 2021 | 6 min read
Manipulating the production of new neurons can improve cognition in animal models of the disease, raising the possibility that figuring out a way for humans to make more neurons could make a difference for people with dementia.
Mystery Illness Cluster in India May Be Due to Neurotoxin
Lisa Winter | Dec 9, 2020 | 2 min read
Health officials are searching for possible exposures to heavy metals, but no sources of contamination have been identified.
bace1 alzheimer's disease gga3 axon neuron
Alzheimer’s-Linked Mutation Causes Blockages in Neurons
Ian Le Guillou | Nov 20, 2020 | 3 min read
The variant causes a buildup of BACE1 protein in axons in cultured neurons and mice. Researchers say it might be time to rethink failed trials that inhibit BACE1 to treat the neurodegenerative disease.
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