Tag: dementia

Macrophages’ pathway to nurture PTEN-deficient glioblastoma

A common genetic deficiency empowers glioblastoma to broadcast a molecular message to the wrong type of immune cell, summoning macrophages that protect and nurture the brain tumor instead of attacking it, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in Cancer Cell. The team’s work in mouse models of glioblastoma that lack

Advancing dementia and its effect on care home relationships

As dementia advances, in most cases it can change the behaviour displayed by those with the condition. Such changes in behaviour can bring strain to a wide-ranging network of relationships—from those between people with dementia and their professional carers, between those with dementia and their families, and to relationships between residents in residential care homes—which

Antibiotics that dentists prescribe are unnecessary 81% of the time

Antibiotics prescribed by dentists as a preemptive strike against infection are unnecessary 81% of the time, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open. The findings are important because dentists are responsible for 10% of all antibiotic prescriptions written in the United States. Antibiotics prescribed when not warranted expose patients to the risk

Broken brain cells repaired in dementia mouse model: If translated to humans, results suggest new directions for combating cognitive decline in elderly

Dysfunctional neurons in the hippocampus of adult female mice modeling dementia can be repaired and reconnected to distant parts of the brain, reports a new study published in JNeurosci. The similarity between the mouse model and the human condition underscores the therapeutic potential of targeting these cells in dementia patients. The hippocampus generates new brain

Older adults expect to lose brain power, but most don’t ask doctors how to prevent dementia: Many in their 50s and early 60s buy supplements or do puzzles in hopes of protecting brain health, but may miss out on effective strategies

Many Americans in their 50s and early 60s are worried about declining brain health, especially if they have loved ones with memory loss and dementia, a new national poll finds. But while the majority of those polled say they take supplements or do puzzles in an effort to stave off brain decline, very few of

Artificial intelligence tool vastly scales up Alzheimer’s research: Machine learning tool automates pathologists’ work to identify disease markers

Researchers at UC Davis and UC San Francisco have found a way to teach a computer to precisely detect one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue, delivering a proof of concept for a machine-learning approach to distinguishing critical markers of the disease. Amyloid plaques are clumps of protein fragments in the

Researchers define Alzheimer’s-like brain disorder: LATE symptoms resembles Alzheimer’s disease but has different cause

A brain disorder that mimics symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease has been defined with recommended diagnostic criteria and guidelines for advancing future research on the condition. Researchers at Rush University Medical Center and scientists from several National Institutes of Health-funded institutions, in collaboration with international peers, described the newly-named pathway to dementia, Limbic-predominant Age-related TDP-43 Encephalopathy,

What makes memories stronger? Researchers shed new light on how the brain solidifies important memories

A team of scientists at NeuroElectronics Research Flanders (NERF- empowered by imec, KU Leuven and VIB) found that highly demanding and rewarding experiences result in stronger memories. By studying navigation in rats, the researchers traced back the mechanism behind this selective memory enhancement to so-called replay processes in the hippocampus, the memory-processing center of the

Scientists propose new theory on Alzheimer’s, amyloid connection

Worldwide, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops this disease, which causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It has been more than 100 years since Alois Alzheimer, M.D., a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, first reported the

Cognitive functioning does not predict weight-loss outcome for adolescents: Adolescents with cognitive impairments and intellectual disabilities have similar weight-loss trajectories to peers after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Young people with cognitive impairments and developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome, have similar weight-loss trajectories to those with typical cognitive function after bariatric surgery, according to a new study in Pediatrics authored by psychologists at Children’s National Health System. The study is the first to look at post-surgical outcomes for this subgroup of adolescent bariatric

Research reveals how the most common ALS mutation dooms cells: Scientists offer insight into the toxicity at the heart of devastating neurological disorders

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have cracked the mystery surrounding the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The research suggests possible new approaches to diagnosis and treatment of the lethal disorder. The findings appear online today in the journal Molecular Cell. About 35 percent of ALS cases