New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Intriguing study suggests Alzheimer's-like brain damage can be "caught"

Rich Haridy December 13, 2018

A new study is adding weight to the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease is somewhat transmissible, providing experimental evidence that in the past amyloid beta plaques may have been seeded in a patient's brain through contaminated samples of human growth hormone.

A new study reveals old, human-derived growth hormone may have indirectly seeded Alzheimer's-like pathologies in the ...

Medical Audio available

A single molecule could forecast what type of dementia a person will develop

Rich Haridy December 11, 2018

Researchers at UT Southwestern are continuing their discoveries into the neurological origins of dementia, revealing a strategy that could potentially forecast what form of dementia a person may develop long before any symptoms of cognitive decline appear by studying a single molecule in the brain.

A new discovery could make it possible to diagnose dementia before it damages the brain, and ...

Science Audio available

How does our appendix play a role in the onset of Parkinson's disease?

Rich Haridy October 31, 2018

A large-scale study has suggested that people who have their appendix removed at an early point in their life may display a reduced risk in developing Parkinson’s disease. The research found the appendix can hold a major volume of the toxic proteins that contribute to the progression of the disease.

New research has revealed people who had their appendix removed at an early age were much ...

Science

Stress in middle age found to shrink your brain and impair memory

Rich Haridy October 24, 2018

A new study has found a strong association between increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and impaired memory in middle-aged adults. The research suggests that extended periods of stress while a person is in their 40s and 50s can result in reduced cognitive skills, and even brain shrinkage.

High levels of stress-induced cortisol have been associated with reduced brain volume and impaired memory

Medical

Spontaneous genetic mutations in the womb may drive the majority of dementia cases

Rich Haridy October 15, 2018

New research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, suggests spontaneous DNA mutations that occur when a baby's brain is growing in the womb may help explain why so many people develop dementia without having any prior family history with the disease.

New research suggests somatic DNA mutations that occur while the brain is developing in the womb ...

Science Audio available

Computer model simulates how Alzheimer’s disease spreads through the brain

Rich Haridy October 14, 2018

Researchers have developed the first computer model that effectively simulates how toxic proteins associated with several neurodegenerative diseases spread through the brain over a 30-year period. The model could serve as a diagnostic tool and help better identify the efficacy of new treatments.

The above model shows how toxic tau proteins spread throughout the brains of patients with Alzheimer's ...

Biology

Clearing out brain's "zombie cells" offers new approach against dementia

Rich Haridy September 19, 2018

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have identified a new target in the battle against dementia and age-related cognitive decline – zombie cells. The study reveals that many pathological signs of neurodegenerative disease can be eliminated by removing these cells from the brain.

Zombie cells, aka senescent cells, have been found to accumulate in the brain ahead of the ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

A simple eye scan promises to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease in earliest stages

Rich Haridy August 20, 2018

A small, but promising, new study suggests there is a link between a thinning of the retina and the onset of Parkinson’s disease, pointing toward a potential simple eye exam that may help diagnose the disease before major symptoms appear.

Researchers link retinal thinning with the early onset of Parkinson's disease

Science

Hundreds of autism genes found to be triggered by a single key protein

Rich Haridy August 16, 2018

A new study is offering an exciting new clue into the origins of autism spectrum disorder finding a single dysfunctional protein may be responsible for coordinating expression in all the genes that are known to result in autism susceptibility.

A single protein has been found to alter the expression of hundreds of genes associated with ...

Science

Discovery reveals why toxic Alzheimer's plaques don't always lead to dementia

Rich Haridy August 16, 2018

New research may have finally homed in on the reason why some people are found to have build-ups of toxic Alzheimer's proteins in their brains without subsequent cognitive decline, and the results could lead to a whole new way to battle this devastating disease.

The research uncovered a novel combination of proteins that seem to protect the brain from the ...