Increased expression of Scara1 protein might impede progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Identification of a protein that appears to play an important role in the immune system’s removal of amyloid beta (A-beta) protein from the brain could lead to a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer’s disease. The report from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) hasContinue reading “Lack of immune cell receptor impairs clearance of amyloid beta protein from the brain”
Category Archives: brain
It’s not just amyloid: white matter hyperintensities and Alzheimer’s
New findings by Columbia researchers suggest that along with amyloid deposits, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) may be a second necessary factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Most current approaches to Alzheimer’s disease focus on the accumulation of amyloid plaque in the brain. The researchers at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease andContinue reading “It’s not just amyloid: white matter hyperintensities and Alzheimer’s”
The Evolution of Amyloid Toxicity in Alzheimer’s
Researchers uncover structural markers to differentiate between smaller and larger forms of “Jekyll and Hyde” amyloid beta molecular bundles–providing a basis for understanding why smaller bundles of the protein are more toxic than larger bundles. A tiny protein known as an “amyloid beta” acts like Jekyll and Hyde in mysterious ways within the human body.Continue reading “The Evolution of Amyloid Toxicity in Alzheimer’s”
Could Alzheimer’s Associated Amyloid Plaques Fight Bacterial Infections?
Summary: According to researchers, the expression of human amyloid beta protected against potentially lethal infections in mice, roundworms and cultured human brain cells. Source: Mass General. Human amyloid-beta acts as natural antibiotic in the brains of animal models. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators provides additional evidence that amyloid-beta protein – whichContinue reading “Could Alzheimer’s Associated Amyloid Plaques Fight Bacterial Infections?”
How LSD Affects Language
Summary: A new study looks at how LSD affects the ability to correctly put a name to an object. Source: Technische Universität Kaiserslautern. The consumption of LSD, short for lysergic acid diethylamide, can produce altered states of consciousness. This can lead to a loss of boundaries between the self and the environment, as might occurContinue reading “How LSD Affects Language”
Your Blood Type May Help Protect You From Cognitive Decline
A pioneering study conducted by leading researchers at the University of Sheffield has revealed blood types play a role in the development of the nervous system and may cause a higher risk of developing cognitive decline. The research, carried out in collaboration with the IRCCS San Camillo Hospital Foundation in Venice, shows that people withContinue reading “Your Blood Type May Help Protect You From Cognitive Decline”
Imaging the Birth of New Brain Cells
Summary: Researchers have developed an enhanced imaging technique that can detect small fluctuations in the rate at which neurons are generated in the brain. Source: RIKEN. PET imaging of new neurons in the brain promises to advance our understanding and treatment of depression. The adult brain was long regarded as being unable to grow newContinue reading “Imaging the Birth of New Brain Cells”
Neurotoxicity predicted by organoids derived from stem cells
A new system developed by scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research and the University of Wisconsin-Madison may provide a faster, cheaper and more biologically relevant way to screen drugs and chemicals that could harm the developing brain. Reporting in the Sept. 21, 2015 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),Continue reading “Neurotoxicity predicted by organoids derived from stem cells”
A Single Neuron May Carry Up To 1000 Genetic Mutations
A single neuron in a normal adult brain likely has more than a thousand genetic mutations that are not present in the cells that surround it, according to new research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists. The majority of these mutations appear to arise while genes are in active use, after brain development isContinue reading “A Single Neuron May Carry Up To 1000 Genetic Mutations”
Gene Suppression Helps Long Term Memories Form
A new study has identified a number of genes that are repressed at various time points after memory formation, providing important clues as to how long-term memories are formed. Storing a persistent memory in the brain involves dynamic gene regulation. However, scientists’ knowledge of the target genes controlled during memory formation is limited. To gainContinue reading “Gene Suppression Helps Long Term Memories Form”
Mapping Genes That Increase Lifespan
Comprehensive study finds 238 genes that affect aging in yeast cells. Following an exhaustive, ten-year effort, scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of Washington have identified 238 genes that, when removed, increase the replicative lifespan of S. cerevisiae yeast cells. This is the first time 189 of these genesContinue reading “Mapping Genes That Increase Lifespan”
Causal Link Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Telomere Shortening
In a newly published study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that the shortening of the telomeres – the caps at each end of the chromosomes in our cells – can be linked statistically to the active mechanism responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the effect is small and telomere length cannot yet be used to assessContinue reading “Causal Link Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Telomere Shortening”
What foods and supplements are proven to repair DNA?
Do you lose nerve cells when stressed?
Chronic stress has the ability to flip a switch in stem cells that turns them into a type of cell that inhibits connections to the prefrontal cortex, which would improve learning and memory, but lays down durable scaffolding linked to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kaufer concludes that moderate or ‘good stress’—such as studyingContinue reading “Do you lose nerve cells when stressed?”