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Researchers have found a connection between an infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The study, “Toxoplasma Modulates Signature Pathways of Human Epilepsy, Neurodegeneration & Cancer,” was published in the journal Nature. One of the major challenges in medicine today is finding a cure for non-contagious diseases…

White women whose genes put them at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease are more likely than white men with similar risk genes to be diagnosed between the ages of 65 and 75, a study drawing on patient data in North America and Europe reports. Overall, between the ages of 55 and 85, Caucasian…

Research on Alzheimer’s treatments could benefit from the adaptive clinical trial approach used in breast cancer research, three Georgetown University scientists argue in a commentary. An adaptive approach involves modifying a trial as results come in to find the best way to treat the disease the trial is examining. The…

Researchers developed antibodies targeting a group of proteins called granulins, and discovered for the first time that they’re important to the well-being of lysosomes, which are vital organelles linked to neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This discovery, by a research team at Emory University School of…

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) have found that the presence of two additional amino acids in the amyloid beta (Aβ) protein sequence forms the basis of amyloid plaque formation and Alzheimer’s disease development. Their study, “Few Ramachandran Angle Changes Provide Interaction Strength Increase in Aβ42 versus Aβ40 Amyloid Fibrils,” appeared…

University of Maryland students have developed a device to diagnose Alzheimer’s before its symptoms are evident. It uses sounds to detect changes in the brainwaves of people with the disease. The achievement earned the seven team members — all sophomores at the A. James Clark School of Engineering — the top prize at…

More 100 neurologists, other scientists and disease advocates are supporting the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough team in its goal of getting “launched” at next month’s XPRIZE summit. Their effort centers on crowdsourcing, attracting a worldwide spectrum of experts and innovators to develop new technologies focused on brain health. These technologies encompass artificial intelligence, biotechnology, precision pharmaceuticals, physics…

A new type of analysis allowed researchers to use a blood test to help to identify patients with Alzheimer’s in a group of people with neurodegenerative diseases, a study published in the journal PNAS reports. The test showed far better accuracy than earlier attempts at sampling blood to detect…

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Anavex Life Sciences a patent covering nerve protection treatments that combine Anavex 2-73 and donepezil. The patent is titled “ANAVEX 2-73 and certain anticholinesterase inhibitors composition and method for neuroprotection.” It offers Anavex exclusive rights to the approach through 2033, the…

Canadian researchers are working on the creation of a virtual assistant that could help people with Alzheimer’s disease do a better job of managing their daily lives. A key feature of the assistant, which scientists call ACT@Home, will be its ability to align its directions with a person’s emotional condition.