Dementia

A post-mortem brain tissue study is offering clues as to how exercise in old age can prevent cognitive decline. The research found late-life physical activity was linked to high levels of presynaptic proteins, known to support healthy brain functions.

Scientists are reporting successful preclinical tests of a nasal spray designed to prevent the neurodegeneration associated with dementia. The spray combines two cheap drugs and was found to improve cognitive function in several mouse models of dementia.

A new Stanford study has homed in on a single anti-inflammatory protein that seems to increase in the blood with exercise, and the findings could inspire new kinds of drugs that prevent neurodegeneration or cognitive decline.

Misfolding proteins are considered key players in the development of Parkinson's disease, and scientists at the University of Bath have now developed a promising new weapon against them in the form of finely engineered peptide.

A new study has identified a link between using Viagra and reduced instances of Alzheimer’s disease. This is not the first time a beneficial link between Viagra and Alzheimer’s has been proposed but clinical trials will be needed to explore causality.

A long-term study spanning 35 years has revealed men who participated in amateur boxing in their youth are almost three times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s-like cognitive impairment in their senior years compared to those who did not box.

A new study is reporting more than one in three patients trialing the recently approved Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab experienced brain swelling side effects. The data is the first from the drug’s Phase 3 trials to be peer-reviewed and published.

A new study has uncovered a previously unknown hairpin-like structure in a protein linked to Alzheimer's that proved to be critical to an antibody response seen in mice, laying the groundwork for a vaccine against the disease in humans.

New research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience is the first to demonstrate how the SARS-CoV-2 virus can directly damage cells in the brain, showing vascular cells that comprise the blood-brain barrier can be destroyed by the virus.

Building on a growing body of evidence linking viral infections with neurodegenerative disease, a study has shown how molecules on the surfaces of viruses can promote the aggregation of toxic proteins seen with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The interplay between high blood pressure and brain health is one scientists continue to shed new light on, with a new study finding even those with readings at the higher end of the normal recommended range can be at risk of premature brain aging.

Researchers on the hunt for a pre-approved medicine that can be repurposed to treat Alzheimer’s disease have found exposure to a common diuretic drug could significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing the disease.