Joana Fernandes, PhD,  —

Researchers have linked a specific set of neurons with short-term memory, in a finding that may help develop novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses characterized by memory decline. Their study, “Persistently Active Neurons in Human Medial Frontal and Medial Temporal Lobe Support Working Memory,” appeared in the journal…

Treatments targeting clusters of a toxic form of the tau protein may become valuable therapeutic approaches for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases, a new study suggests. The study, “Tau Reduction Prevents Neuronal Loss And Reverses Pathological Tau Deposition And Seeding In Mice With Tauopathy,” was published in…

Epileptic activity appear to be more frequent in patients with Alzheimer’s disease than in healthy individuals and may be linked to disease progression, according to a recent study. These findings, previously seen in animals, suggest that increased neuronal excitability, a feature of epilepsy, may also contribute to the onset and progression of…

High levels of air pollution particles may increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older women, according to results of a new study. These particles, found in emissions from power plants and cars, increase the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, by as much as 92%, especially in women…

Low glucose levels in the brain are known to lead memory problems and cognitive decline, and new research suggests they do so by triggering a series of molecular reactions that ultimately kill neurons. These findings provide fresh insight into changes that set the stage for Alzheimer’s disease. The research also identified a protein that appears…

Cognitive decline can be triggered by the ApoE4 gene variant, but that trigger depends on environmental factors, a new study reports. This finding supports the idea that certain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, are influenced by the interaction between a person’s genes and environment. The study, “Apolipoprotein E4 Is Associated…

A Mediterranean diet may protect against the loss of brain volume associated with aging, researchers report. But eating more fish and less meat was not seen to be related to such beneficial changes, which suggests that other components of the Mediterranean diet — or the sum of all its parts — may be…

An enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) may become a biomarker for the diagnosis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. The study, “Close Correlation Of Monoamine Oxidase Activity With Progress Of Alzheimer’s Disease In Mice, Observed By In Vivo Two-Photon Imaging,” was published in the journal…

Treatment with the antibiotic Rocephin (ceftriaxone) may restore brain function in areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. The study, “Mapping Synaptic Glutamate Transporter Dysfunction In Vivo To Regions Surrounding Aβ Plaques By Iglusnfr Two-Photon Imaging,” was published in the journal Nature Communications. The hallmark of…

Researchers working in a mice reported that an experimental drug, NTRX-07, may treat Alzheimer’s by targeting a potential cause — it was seen to ease brain inflammation in the animals by restoring the brain’s ability to remove clumps of the beta-amyloid protein that is a hallmark of the disease. The excessive…