Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

In neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, the loss of memory is often a defining symptom. In a study entitled “FASTKD2 is associated with memory and hippocampal structure in older adults” the authors report to have found a new genetic variant in the FASTKD2 gene that is associated with…

In a recent study entitled “Longitudinal PET-MRI reveals β-amyloid deposition and rCBF dynamics and connects vascular amyloidosis to quantitative loss of perfusion” the authors developed a new imaging protocol that allows detection and examination of Alzheimer’s Disease typical beta-amyloid plaques. The study was published in the online issue of…

In a recent study entitled “Anxiety symptoms in amnestic mild cognitive impairment are associated with medial temporal atrophy and predict conversion to Alzheimer’s disease” the authors report on how people with mild cognitive impairment have higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, especially if they suffer from anxiety.

A study entitled “A Chaperome Subnetwork Safeguards Proteostasis in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease” recently published in the journal Cell Reports, identifies a subset of chaperones that protect protein-correct folding in aging brains and neurogenererative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. In this study, a team of scientists at Proteostasis Therapeutics,…

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. will initiate a Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with their compounds – ANAVEX 2-73 and ANAVEX PLUS – after receiving regulatory approval by the Ethics Committee in Australia. ANAVEX 2-73, an orally available drug candidate, is under investigation to treat…

In a study published in the online issue of Molecular Neurodegeneration journal, a team of researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), in collaboration with researchers at the Capital Medical University in Beijing, China and funded by Merck Research Laboratories, shows that Tau protein is the key triggering event to…

In a recent study published in the online version of Journal of Biological Chemistry scientists reported to have found a new target molecule that will help the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The study is entitled, “The Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (syk) Regulates Alzheimer’s Aβ Production and Tau…

Caption: Amyloid plaques are found in the brains of people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.Credit: Juan Gartner A study entitled “SortingNexin 27 Regulates Aβ Production through Modulatingγ-Secretase Activity” published in the online issue of Cell Reports reveals common molecular mechanisms between…

A new study entitled “HSF-1–mediated cytoskeletal integrity determines thermotolerance and life span” published in Science unravels the role of heat shock transcription factor–1 (HSF-1) in aging and associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a group of proteins induced by heat…

A new review article entitled “Why industry propaganda and political interference cannot disguise the inevitable role played by human exposure to aluminum in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease,” published in Frontiers in Neurology, argues the role of aluminum in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The study author,…