Manipulating astrocytes — a type of cell in the brain — to deliver a protein that favors the survival of neurons can rescue cognitive function, including memory, in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Conditional BDNF delivery from astrocytes rescues memory deficits, spine density…
Abnormal levels of amyloid-beta and tau protein — two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease — were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of older individuals without dementia who were hospitalized for hip fractures, a study shows. These findings suggest that alterations that can cause diminished balance in older people may underly both increased…
Hispanic-American patients with Alzheimer’s disease tend to live significantly longer after disease onset and with milder cognitive decline than African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites, a study reports. The study, “Ethnoracial differences in Alzheimer’s disease from the FLorida Autopsied Multi-Ethnic (FLAME) cohort,” was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
A Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers for investigational therapy AZP2006 — an oral medicine that is meant to clear accumulations of toxic proteins in Alzheimer’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy — has shown positive results, says the therapy’s developer, AlzProtect. Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare, progressive disease…
Boosting mitophagy — a natural process that clears neurons from damaged mitochondria (cells’ energy powerhouses) — decreased amyloid plaque formation and reversed cognitive deficits, namely memory impairments, across different animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “When the cleaning system does not work properly, there will be an accumulation of defective…
Use of anti-epileptic therapy is not linked to an increased risk of dementia, according to the results of a real-world study with more than 100,000 patients followed in general and neuropsychiatrist practices in Germany. However, generic forms of the anti-epileptic medicine levetiracetam may potentially have a deleterious effect on cognition.
HIV therapies that block an enzyme that is essential for viruses to replicate, called reverse transcriptase, may offer a new way of treating age-related disorders like Alzheimer’s, a study suggests. The study, “L1 drives IFN in senescent cells and promotes age-associated inflammation,” was published in the journal Nature.
Upon hibernation, the brains of Syrian hamsters undergo metabolic changes that involve the phosphorylation of tau protein — a hallmark of Alzheimers’ disease. However, this process is rapidly reversed upon waking and understanding it could lead to the development of new therapies for Alzheimer’s, a study suggests. The study, “…
The Alzheimer’s Association has funded a two-year extension of the SPRINT-MIND study — SPRINT MIND 2.0 — to further explore the role of intensive treatment to lower blood pressure and the risk of dementia. The funding, which totals more than $800,000, will allow researchers to follow the participants of the original trial for…
Two Phase 3 trials — CREAD 1 and CREAD 2 — evaluating crenezumab as a therapy for early Alzheimer’s disease have been discontinued, Genentech announced. The decision was based on an interim analysis by an independent data monitoring committee that ruled that crenezumab was unlikely to meet its primary…
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