After six months, patients with fast-progressing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who had received the experimental treatment had less loss of function than those who received a placebo.

The Salk professor developed the institute’s first neurobiology lab and used it to develop cell lines, describe amyloid β toxicity, and screen for compounds that protect against neurodegeneration.

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.

The authors propose that the shots might keep the immune system primed to battle diseases that would otherwise contribute to cognitive decline.

The cell conversion strategy restores neurons and motor functions lost as a result of an induced Parkinson’s-like illness in the animals.

Experts will explore how RNAi mechanisms can modulate gene expression for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and how new methods for their use are being developed. 

While the findings contradict previous studies that have linked human herpesvirus 6 to the neurodegenerative disease, they do not eliminate the possibility of a relationship.

This year’s most beautiful illustrations covered topics including the molecular underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease and strategies for tracking marine organisms around the world’s oceans.