News

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago will investigate risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease among Latinos, a study it hopes will shed light on how Hispanics age. The decision to do the research comes at time when scientists are predicting a nine-fold increase in Alzheimer’s cases among those of Latin American descent…

A report supported by the World Health Organization lists 59 research priorities the authors believe would reduce the burden of dementia in the coming decade. A commentary in the same issue of The Lancet Neurology ripped the report’s positions, however, touching off a back-and-forth between the sides. The report, “Research priorities…

Merck is calling off its Phase 2 and 3 EPOCH trial of verubecestat as a treatment for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease because preliminary results indicate it is not effective. The decision was made after an external review board known as the Data Monitoring Committee (eDMC) reported there was “virtually no chance of finding…

A brain imaging technique called single photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, can help clinicians differentiate between depression and a cognitive disorder such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. The study, “ Classification of Depression, Cognitive Disorders, and Co-Morbid Depression and Cognitive Disorders with Perfusion SPECT Neuroimaging,” was published in…

Researchers have linked a specific set of neurons with short-term memory, in a finding that may help develop novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses characterized by memory decline. Their study, “Persistently Active Neurons in Human Medial Frontal and Medial Temporal Lobe Support Working Memory,” appeared in the journal…

Concussions can accelerate brain deterioration and cognitive decline in people genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s, leading to earlier onset of the disease, according to a study. The findings could shed light on concussions’ impact on neurodegeneration and on Alzheimer’s incidence and development, researchers said. The study, “Mild traumatic brain injury…

A decade-long study evaluating the impact of a brain training exercise on dementia, often associated with Alzheimer’s disease, was selected to be part of Time magazine’s 100 New Scientific Discoveries of 2016. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded ACTIVE study led to the development of an exercise that was…

New insights into how nerve cells communicate to control learning and memory are likely to affect how researchers view, and treat, neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. British researchers at universities in Bristol and Central Lancashire have discovered they can control a process known as long-term potentiation (LTP) — strengthening the…

Treatments targeting clusters of a toxic form of the tau protein may become valuable therapeutic approaches for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases, a new study suggests. The study, “Tau Reduction Prevents Neuronal Loss And Reverses Pathological Tau Deposition And Seeding In Mice With Tauopathy,” was published in…

Speaking more than one language appears to help the brain resist the effects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to a study by Italy’s Vita-Salute San Rafffaele University in Milan. The study, “The impact of bilingualism on brain reserve and metabolic connectivity in Alzheimer’s dementia,” appeared in the journal Proceedings of the…