Jonathan Grinstein,  —

A study has identified the gene that explains why excitatory neurons — brain cells that excite their targets — are more vulnerable to accumulations of abnormal tau protein aggregates, which are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. The research article, “A tau homeostasis signature is linked with the cellular and…

A new test using patients’ saliva may be helpful in distinguishing between Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment, and normal brain function, new research reports. The study, “Alzheimer’s Biomarkers From Multiple Modalities Selectively Discriminate Clinical Status: Relative Importance of Salivary Metabolomics Panels, Genetic, Lifestyle, Cognitive, Functional Health and…

A newly identified “tracer” molecule that binds to and “lights up” aggregates of tau — a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias – showed promise as a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s and measure the effectiveness of treatment in patients, researchers reported. The study, “First in‐human PET study of…

  A new treatment using focused ultrasound to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease was successfully administered to a patient. The treatment, which involves incisionless surgery and no pharmaceuticals, is part of a worldwide Phase 2 trial. The trial (NCT03671889) is underway and recruiting up to 10 participants — men or…

Use of an active DNA vaccine in mice with hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease significantly lowered the toxic accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau without triggering severe brain swelling — a damaging complication seen in earlier antibody treatments. These results may pave the way to test this DNA vaccine in clinical…

A new approach for delivering antibody-based therapeutics to the brain by exploiting the fluid surrounding the brain’s blood vessels was proposed in a recent preclinical study. This improved brain immunotherapy delivery strategy has implications for treating diseases of the brain and spinal cord, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…