March 22, 2023
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In 1906, a German psychiatrist and neuroanatomist performed an autopsy on the brain of a patient who displayed abnormal symptoms while alive. Over the course of several years, this woman’s behavior, as well as her speech and language, became erratic. She forgot who people were, became paranoid, and, as her condition worsened, suffered total memory loss. When her doctor dissected her brain, he found unusual plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in her cerebral cortex. He quickly alerted his colleagues of this “peculiar severe disease.” The doctor was Alois Alzheimer. More than a century later, the medical community is still trying to understand Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative brain disorder. But early studies have demonstrated that we may be able to mitigate some of the damage created by AD simply by exposing people to certain waves of sound and light.
Li-Huei Tsai, a neuroscientist and the director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has spent the past three decades working to understand and treat neurodegenerative diseases, in particular AD.
“It has not turned out to be a disease attributable to just one runaway protein or just one gene,” Li- Huei explained in a 2021 op-ed in The Boston Globe. “In fact, although Alzheimer’s is referred to as a single name, we in the Alzheimer’s research community don’t yet know how many different types of Alzheimer’s there may be, and, therefore, how many different treatments might ultimately prove necessary across the population.”
AD researchers have traditionally pursued small-molecule pharmaceuticals and immunotherapies that target a single errant protein, the amyloid. But Li-Huei believes Alzheimer’s to be a broader systemic breakdown, and she has thought about more encompassing, and hopefully effective, treatments. For several years now, her lab has pursued novel approaches using the aesthetic interventions of light and sound. We know the influence that light and sound have on the human body. People suffering from seasonal affective disorder benefit from light therapy. Blue light before bed stimulates our brain and disrupts sleep. Sound vibrations change our physiology. But how might this work on a brain experiencing AD?
Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
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Tags: AD, Alzheimer's, amyloid, cerebral cortex, light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, neurodegenerative diseases, neurofibrillary tangles, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, plaques, protein, sound, waves of sound
March 15, 2023
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A new blood test may be able to detect Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology up to 10 years before symptoms appear, according to a press release from Durin Technologies.
“Our test correctly identified nearly 97% of participants who were diagnosed as cognitively normal at the time their samples were taken, but who progressed, within an average of 48 months, to either the mild cognitive impairment stage or more advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Cassandra DeMarshall, PhD, Durin Technologies director, said in a press release. “To our knowledge, this is the first blood test to accurately detect Alzheimer’s-related pathology several years before either clinical symptoms or more expensive and invasive tests can identify the disease.”
The minimally invasive test was developed through a collaboration between researchers at Durin Technologies, a biotechnology company, and Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) in Stratford, New Jersey. Researchers evaluated 328 blood samples, with 106 samples from participants without dementia for comparison. Samples were analyzed for eight autoantibody biomarkers, according to the release.
“An accurate, noninvasive blood test for early detection and monitoring of AD could bend the curve of clinical outcomes through earlier participation in clinical trials and monitoring of AD progression of patients under treatment,” Robert Nagele, PhD, Durin’s founder and chief scientific officer and professor of geriatrics and gerontology at Rowan-Virtua SOM, said in the release.
Source: https://www.durintechnologies.com/
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https://www.healio.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, autoantibody biomarkers, blood test, Durin Technologies, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, SOM, symptoms
March 10, 2023
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Nearly two dozen experimental therapies targeting the immune system are in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, a reflection of the growing recognition that immune processes play a key role in driving the brain damage that leads to confusion, memory loss and other debilitating symptoms.
Many of the immunity-focused Alzheimer’s drugs under development are aimed at microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, which can injure brain tissue if they’re activated at the wrong time or in the wrong way. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that microglia partner with another type of immune cell — T cells — to cause neurodegeneration. Studying mice with Alzheimer’s-like damage in their brains due to the protein tau, the researchers discovered that microglia attract powerful cell-killing T cells into the brain, and that most of the neurodegeneration could be avoided by blocking the T cells’ entry or activation. The findings, published March 8 in the journal Nature, suggest that targeting T cells is an alternative route to preventing neurodegeneration and treating Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases involving tau, collectively known as tauopathies.
“This could really change the way we think about developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions,” said senior author David M. Holtzman, MD, Professor of Neurology. “Before this study, we knew that T cells were increased in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies, but we didn’t know for sure that they caused neurodegeneration. These findings open up exciting new therapeutic approaches. Some widely used drugs target T cells. Fingolomid, for example, is commonly used to treat multiple sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord. It’s likely that some drugs that act on T cells could be moved into clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies if these drugs are protective in animal models.”
Source: https://medicine.wustl.edu
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, confusion, immune cells, immune system, memory loss, microglia, neurodegeneration, protein Tau, tauopathies, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
February 23, 2023
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Israeli scientists gave an artificial molecule they invented to 30 mice suffering from Alzheimer’s — and found that all of them recovered, regaining full cognitive abilities. They stress that this was a small sample of mice and that human testing is far off, but believe the result indicates that within a decade, their synthetic molecule could be developed into a drug for treating the degenerative disease. The peer-reviewed research, led by neuroscientists from Ben-Gurion University, was recently published in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration.
“We are taking a very different approach than efforts at Alzheimer’s medicines that we have seen so far,” Prof. Varda Shoshan-Barmatz, the lead author, told The Times of Israel. “Most are trying to address plaque that forms in the brain, but we are addressing dysfunction elsewhere. And we’re optimistic. Mice who had Alzheimer’s and received our molecule and then underwent tests had the same cognitive abilities as mice who’d never had Alzheimer’s.”
Interestingly, the molecule appears to have been effective without significantly reducing the amount of plaque, which she thinks indicates that scientists may have been overly fixated on the plaque. There is scientific literature on the dysfunction of mitochondria among people with Alzheimer’s. Mitochondria are organelles — tiny miniature organs within cells — that provide the cell with power. Scientists believe that when they malfunction and fail to produce the normal quantities of energy, it can lead to cell death, inflammation and reduced immune response.
Despite Alzheimer’s being linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, no drug candidates are currently focused on mitochondria. Drug research is mostly concerned with combatting the buildup of protein fragments between nerve cells in the brain, which are thought to be linked to Alzheimer’s. The Ben-Gurion University team set out to normalize mitochondrial activity by countering the harmful effects that occur when a protein called VDAC1 is over-produced. The protein plays a crucial role in regulating the metabolic and energetic functions of mitochondria when produced in normal quantities. But the scientists found that it is produced in huge levels in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s, and interferes with mitochondrial activity.
“In our research, we have shifted the focus of Alzheimer’s treatments from the plaque to this protein, which is produced in the nerve cells around the plaque instead,” said Shoshan-Barmatz. “We prevent this protein from causing cell death, as the molecule interferes with its harmful effect.”
Source: https://in.bgu.ac.il/
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, artificial molecule, Ben-Gurion University, brain, cell, cognitive abilities, degenerative disease, drug, immune response, inflammation, mitochondria, nerve cells, organelles, plaque, protein, Translational Neurodegeneration, VDAC1
February 17, 2023
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Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have discovered the active compound from an edible mushroom that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory. Professor Frederic Meunier from the Queensland Brain Institute said the team had identified new active compounds from the mushroom, Hericium erinaceus.
“Extracts from these so-called ‘lion’s mane’ mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells,” Professor Meunier said. “Pre-clinical testing found the lion’s mane mushroom had a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory. “Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons. “Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones, which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain.”
Co-author, UQ’s Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol said the discovery had applications that could treat and protect against neurodegenerative cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. “Our idea was to identify bioactive compounds from natural sources that could reach the brain and regulate the growth of neurons, resulting in improved memory formation,” Dr Martinez-Marmol said.
Dr Dae Hee Lee from CNGBio Co, which has supported and collaborated on the research project, said the properties of lion’s mane mushrooms had been used to treat ailments and maintain health in traditional Chinese medicine since antiquity. “This important research is unravelling the molecular mechanism of lion’s mane mushroom compounds and their effects on brain function, particularly memory,” Dr Lee said.
The study was published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.
Source: https://www.uq.edu.au/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, brain, brain cells, CNGBio Co, edible mushroom, Hericium erinaceus, lion's mane mushroom, memory, mushroom, nerve, neurodegenerative cognitive disorders, neuron projections, neurotrophic effects, Queensland Brain Institute, traditional Chinese medicine, University of Queensland, UQ
January 19, 2023
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A new blood test that tracks the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. It is an innovation that is now being presented by researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, together with colleagues in Italy, Great Britain and the United States.
In recent years, great progress has been made in the development of blood tests, so-called biomarkers, for screening and monitoring various disease processes in Alzheimer's disease. Partly, it has involved identifying amyloid plaques in the brain (formed by the protein beta-amyloid) via blood samples, and in later research also the formation of neurofibrils, small thread-like protein structures that consist of a modified (phosphorylated) form of the nerve cell protein tau.
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| Tags: Alzheimer's, amyloid plaques, BD-tau, beta-amyloid, biomarkers, blood test, brain, brain-derived tau, nerve cell, nerve cells, neurofibrils, protein, protein Tau, spinal fluid, University of Gothenburg
December 13, 2022
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New data from an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial has revealed an experimental immunotherapy led to successful response rates in 73% of patients suffering from multiple myeloma, a deadly form of blood cancer. Based on this promising data, an application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been filed to bring the drug to market.
The technology has been in development for decades but it has only been in the last few years that bispecific antibodies have finally reached clinical uses. There are currently three FDA-approved bispecfiic antibody therapies on the market (primarily targeting cancers), and more than 100 prospective antibodies in clinical trials (aimed at everything from Alzheimer's to diabetes).
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| Tags: Alzheimer's, antigens, bispecific antibodies, blood cancer, cancerous plasma cells, cancers, CD3, diabetes, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, GPRC5D, immune T cell, immunotherapy, Johnson & Johnson, monoclonal antibodie, multiple myeloma, myeloma, receptor, talquetamab
November 29, 2022
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A large study led by Lund University in Sweden has shown that people with Alzheimer's disease can now be identified before they experience any symptoms. It is now also possible to predict who will deteriorate within the next few years. The study is published in Nature Medicine, and is very timely in light of the recent development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease.
It has long been known that there are two proteins linked to Alzheimer’s – beta-amyloid, which forms plaques in the brain, and tau, which at a later stage accumulates inside brain cells. Elevated levels of these proteins in combination with cognitive impairment have previously formed the basis for diagnosing Alzheimer's.
“Changes occur in the brain between ten and twenty years before the patient experiences any clear symptoms, and it is only when tau begins to spread that the nerve cells die and the person in question experiences the first cognitive problems. This is why Alzheimer's is so difficult to diagnose in its early stages”, explains Oskar Hansson, senior physician in neurology at Skåne University Hospital and professor at Lund University.
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| Tags: Alzheimer's, Amsterdam University Medical Center, brain, cells, lecanemab, Lund University, PET scans, plaques, proteins, Skåne University Hospital, tau
November 8, 2022
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Would you take a simple brain health test to learn about your risk of developing a brain disease if you could? According to the global brain health survey, 91% of those questioned would.
This question was asked to more than 27,500 people in the global brain health survey conducted by the Lifebrain project. The survey is led by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in collaboration with the University of Oslo.
The main findings were:
- 91% of respondents would definitely or probably take a simple test to learn about the risk of developing a brain disease.
- 86% would do so even if the disease could not be prevented or treated.
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Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, blood tests, brain disease, brain health test, brain scans, cognitive tests, gene tests, Huntington’s disease, Lifebrain, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, risk, test, University of Oslo
October 7, 2022
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New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) bolsters a hypothesis that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a decline in levels of a specific protein, contrary to a prevailing theory that has been recently called into question.
The prevailing narrative in the field has stated Alzheimer’s is caused by amyloid plaques in the brain, but Alberto Espay, MD, Andrea Sturchio, MD, and their colleagues hypothesized that plaques are simply a consequence of the levels of soluble amyloid-beta in the brain decreasing. These levels decrease because the normal protein, under situations of biological, metabolic or infectious stress, transform into the abnormal amyloid plaques.
In the current study, the team analyzed the levels of amyloid-beta in a subset of patients with mutations that predict an overexpression of amyloid plaques in the brain, which is thought to make them more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
“What we found was that individuals already accumulating plaques in their brains who are able to generate high levels of soluble amyloid-beta have a lower risk of evolving into dementia over a three-year span,” said Espay, professor of neurology in the UC College of Medicine.
Source: https://www.uc.edu/
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https://www.eurasiareview.com/
Categories: Uncategorized
| Tags: Alzheimer's, amyloid plaques, brain, dementia, mutations, overexpression, protein, University of Cincinnati
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