News

  A mutation in a gene linked to familial Alzheimer’s disease promotes the disease by reducing the points of contact between nerve cells and impairing neuronal communication, a study has found. A chemical compound, called EVP4593, partially rescued the mutation’s negative effects, suggesting it may hold a potential therapeutic…

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) will receive an expected $47 million in a federal grant that will add advanced brain imaging to a pivotal study to determine whether lifestyle modifications can protect memory in those at risk of developing dementia. With the five-year grant from the…

Biopharmaceutical company Longeveron will use a $3 million Alzheimer’s Association grant to advance innovative research that uses adult stem cells to target neuroinflammation in people with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Funding is through the organization’s Part the Cloud global research grant program, designed to find promising targets…

Alzheimer’s disease patients carrying a gene found only in humans, called CHRFAM7A, are less responsive to cholinesterase inhibitors, a new study reports. These findings may explain why some therapeutic benefits seen in animal studies have failed to translate to patients. Kinga Szigeti, MD, PhD,  director of the University…

Following the approval of its investigational new drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Samus Therapeutics is launching a Phase 1 trial in the United States to evaluate the safety of its investigational therapy PU-AD, an epichaperome inhibitor, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s…

The small molecule inhibitor SM07883, being developed by Samumed, can effectively prevent tau protein toxic accumulation, and tau-mediated neuroinflammation in mice, data from preclinical studies show. As tau-associated mechanisms are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, these findings suggest that SM07883 may represent a new strategy for the…

Having close relatives with Alzheimer’s disease is linked to poorer memory, a new study has found. The study, titled “Family history of Alzheimer’s disease alters cognition and is modified by medical and genetic factors,” was published in eLIFE. Having a family history of Alzheimer’s disease and…

Healthy lifestyle choices — maintaining an active mind, a nutritious diet, and regular exercise — may help protect against cognitive decline and dementia, new research shows. Moreover, cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse seem to be associated with cognitive impairment and increased dementia risk. These are the main findings of five…

Inhibition of a protein called LIMK1 may help prevent the loss of dendritic spines — the connections between neurons in the brain — triggered by the build-up of beta-amyloid in early stage Alzheimer’s disease, a study has found. “This is the first study to showcase that inhibiting LIMK1 could…

Differences in how proteins move in the brain at older ages may explain why the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases with age, according to a new study in mice. The study, “Experimental evidence for the age dependence of tau protein spread in the brain,” was published…