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Researchers have found a protein that seems to protect brain cells from Alzheimer's

Jon Hamilton

Alzheimer's resilience

A study of 48 post-mortem brains found a protein that appears to protect brain cells from Alzheimer's — even in people who had significant amounts of amyloid plaques in their brains.

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Alzheimer's News

Top headlines, latest headlines.

• Rett Syndrome in Females Is Different
• A New Era of Treating Neurological Diseases
• New Insights Into Neural Stem Cell Activation
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimer's
• Alzheimer's May Damage Brain in Two Phases
• First Sign of Alzheimer's Disease in Women
• Simulation Mimics How Brain Grows Neurons
• Brain's Waste-Clearance Pathways Revealed
• Phone 'Scavenger Hunt' Assesses Dementia Risk
• Clues About Dementia's Behavior Changes

Earlier Headlines

Thursday, october 10, 2024.

• Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation and Coronary Heart Disease Linked to Cognitive Impairment

Thursday, October 3, 2024

• Promising 'first' In Alzheimer's Drug Development

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

• Clinical Trial Shows Synthetic Cannabis Reduces Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease
• Dementia Diagnostic Markers Change With Time of Day

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

• Research in 4 Continents Links Outdoor Air Pollution to Differences in Children's Brains
• Neuroscientists Spark Shelter-Seeking Response by Reactivating Memory Circuit

Monday, September 30, 2024

• Alzheimer's Genetic Risk Factors Spark Inflammation in Females

Friday, September 27, 2024

• New Study Suggest Treatments That Maintain the Health of Synapses May Help Prevent, Mitigate the Symptoms of Prion Disease

Monday, September 23, 2024

• Study of Former NFL Players Finds 1 in 3 Believe They Have CTE

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

• Some Diabetes Drugs Tied to Lower Risk of Dementia, Parkinson's Disease
• Higher Levels of Leptin Indicate Brain Protection Against Late-Life Dementia
• Understanding Changes in Pre-Clinical Alzheimer's Disease
• New Alzheimer's Studies Reveal Disease Biology, Risk for Progression, and the Potential for a Novel Blood Test

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

• Genetic Risk-Factor Overlap Between Alzheimer's Disease, and All-Cause and Vascular Dementias

Monday, September 16, 2024

• Brain Vasculature Changes Important for Predicting Cognitive Impairment
• Improving Eye Tracking to Assess Brain Disorders
• New Therapy That Targets and Destroys Tau Tangles Is a Promising Future Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

Thursday, September 12, 2024

• Neurodegenerative Diseases: Advances in Diagnosis

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

• Light Pollution a New Alzheimer's Risk Factor
• Researchers Uncover Shared Cellular Mechanisms Across Three Major Dementias
• Boosting Brain Protein Levels May Slow Decline from Alzheimer's

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

• Games, Puzzles and Reading Can Slow Cognitive Decline in the Elderly -- Even in Those With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Friday, September 6, 2024

• Falling for Financial Scams? It May Signal Early Alzheimer's Disease

Thursday, September 5, 2024

• New Research on Anesthesia Unlocks Important Clues About the Nature of Consciousness
• Novel Biomarker Could Lead to Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Thursday, August 29, 2024

• Scientists Working to Understand Why Men With Prostate Cancer Are at Higher Risk of Alzheimer's
• Your Brain Ages at Different Paces According to Social and Physical Environments

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

• A Cellular Community in the Brain Drives Alzheimer's Disease
• Discovery of How Blood Clots Harm Brain and Body in COVID-19 Points to New Therapy
• A Healthy Lifestyle May Counteract Diabetes-Associated Brain Aging
• Epigenetics Blood Markers Can Help Explain Dementia Risk

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

• The Brain's Balancing System

Monday, August 26, 2024

• Increased Risk of Dementia After Acute Kidney Injury

Friday, August 23, 2024

• Multiple Sclerosis Appears to Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease
• Alzheimer's Drug May Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Dementia With Lewy Bodies

Thursday, August 22, 2024

• Cancer Drug Could Treat Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease, Study Shows
• Researchers Have Discovered the Brain Circuit That Controls Our Ability to Recall Information and Memories

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

• The Role of an Energy-Producing Enzyme in Treating Parkinson's Disease
• Discovery of 'item Memory' Brain Cells Offers New Alzheimer's Treatment Target

Monday, August 19, 2024

• Heart Data Unlocks Sleep Secrets
• Cognitive Impairment in Chronic Kidney Disease
• Research Study Examines Alzheimer's Disease Drug on Tissue Samples from People With Down Syndrome

Friday, August 16, 2024

• Same Person, Different Place: Twice the Odds of a Dementia Diagnosis

Thursday, August 15, 2024

• Sleep Resets Neurons for New Memories the Next Day
• Genetic Link Between Alzheimer's and Heart Disease Confirmed
• Cleaning Up the Aging Brain: Scientists Restore Brain's Trash Disposal System

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

• Do People With High Blood Pressure Have a Higher Risk of Alzheimer's Disease?
• Alzheimer's Cognitive Decline Predicted by Patient's Age, Sex, and Irregular Heart Rhythm
• Stopping and Reversing Alzheimer's at an Early Stage
• Shingles Increases Risk of Subsequent Cognitive Decline, Study Suggests

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

• A New Type of Degenerative Brain Disease Underlying Dementia Is Very Common Among the Oldest Old

Monday, August 12, 2024

• Alzheimer's Disease: It's Not Only Neurons
• Drug Protects Against Air Pollution-Related Alzheimer's Signs in Mice
• Possible Explanation for Link Between Diabetes and Alzheimer's
• In Breakthrough Alzheimer's Discovery, Research Team Finds New Targets and Biomarkers for Potential Novel Therapies

Friday, August 9, 2024

• Memory Problems in Old Age Linked to a Key Enzyme, Study in Mice Finds
• Study Reveals Ways in Which 40Hz Sensory Stimulation May Preserve Brain's 'white Matter'

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

• Memory Loss in Aging and Dementia: Dendritic Spine Head Diameter Predicts Memory in Old Age
• Molecule Restores Cognition, Memory in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

• Dopamine Treatment Alleviates Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease
• New Visual Technique Could Advance Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Monday, August 5, 2024

• Why Virus Causing Cold Sores Does Not Spread to Devastating Brain Infection

Friday, August 2, 2024

• Novel Sequencing Approaches Highlight Role of Brain Gene Activity in Alzheimer's Disease

Thursday, August 1, 2024

• Aging-Related Genomic Culprit Found in Alzheimer's Disease
• Study Examines Effect of Fish Oil in Older Adults' Brains

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

• Blood Proteins May Help to Track the Pathological Progression of Lewy's Body Disease
• AI Boosts the Power of EEGs, Enabling Neurologists to Quickly, Precisely Pinpoint Signs of Dementia
• Improving Alzheimer's Disease Imaging -- With Fluorescent Sensors
• This Protein Does 'The Twist'

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

• New High-Resolution 3D Maps Show How the Brain's Blood Vessels Changes With Age
• Research Shows the Spatial Pattern of Pathological Changes in the Brain Can Help Identify Dementia Vulnerability Decades Before It Occurs

Monday, July 29, 2024

• Advanced 'Parkinson's in a Dish' Model Accelerates Brain Disease Research

Friday, July 26, 2024

• Building Bridges Between Cells for Brain Health

Thursday, July 25, 2024

• Early Onset Dementia More Common Than Previously Reported -- The Incidence of Alzheimer's Disease Seems to Be on the Rise
• How Epigenetics Influence Memory Formation

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

• Does Your Body Composition Affect Your Risk of Dementia or Parkinson's?
• Researchers Are Closing in on a Mouse Model for Late-Onset Alzheimer's
• Targeted Alzheimer's Research and Drug Discovery
• Traffic-Related Ultrafine Particles Hinder Mitochondrial Functions in Olfactory Mucosa
• Study Across Multiple Brain Regions Discerns Alzheimer's Vulnerability and Resilience Factors
• Building a Molecular Brain Map to Understand Alzheimer's Disease

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

• Brain's Support Cells Contribute to Alzheimer's Disease by Producing Toxic Peptide
• Tumor Suppressor Protein Par-4 Triggers Unique Cell Death Pathway in Cancerous Cells
• Preclinical Model Offers New Insights Into Parkinson's Disease Process

Friday, July 19, 2024

• Shining Light on Amyloid Architecture

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

• Stress-Related Cell Damage Linked to Negative Mental and Physical Health Effects Among Caregivers
• Patients With Alzheimer's Disease Have Higher Frequency of Mental Health Symptoms Which Can Precede Memory Problems, Study Finds
• Scientists Define New Type of Memory Loss in Older Adults

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

• Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer Linked With Lower Dementia Risk

Monday, July 15, 2024

• Protein Droplets Likely Don't Cause Parkinson's

Saturday, July 13, 2024

• Artificial Intelligence Outperforms Clinical Tests at Predicting Progress of Alzheimer's Disease

Friday, July 12, 2024

• Groundbreaking Study Reveals Insights Into Alzheimer's Disease Mechanisms Through Novel Hydrogel Matrix
• Brain Inflammation Triggers Muscle Weakness After Infections

Thursday, July 11, 2024

• Seeing Inside Alzheimer's Disease Brain
• Metformin and Other Antidiabetic Drugs Can Help Reduce the Risk of Dementia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

• Can We Predict How Fast Cognitive Decline Will Occur With Early Alzheimer's?

Monday, July 8, 2024

• Brain Organ Plays Key Role in Adult Neurogenesis

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

• Poor Health, Stress in 20s Takes Toll in 40s With Lower Cognition
• Scientists May Have Found How to Diagnose Elusive Neuro Disorder
• Discovery of Cellular Mechanism to Maintain Brain's Energy Could Benefit Late-Life Brain Health
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• View all journals

Alzheimer's disease articles from across Nature Portfolio

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impairs memory and cognitive judgment and is often accompanied by mood swings, disorientation and eventually delirium. It is the most common cause of dementia.

The Clinical Dementia Rating scale is useful but caution is needed

The Clinical Dementia Rating scale has been used in clinical research for decades. The Vargas-Gonzales study raises concerns about the subjective nature of the instrument by indicating that sex, the relationship of the informant to the participant, and the ethnicity of the participant can influence ratings, which is particularly relevant in an era of increasing inclusivity.

• Ronald C. Petersen

Total physical activity matters for brain health

Many people struggle to be physically active during the week. Research now shows that accumulating the recommended amount of physical activity within a shorter time period, such as the weekend, has benefits for brain health equal to those of a regular physical activity pattern, and that this reduces risk of brain disorders, depression and anxiety.

• Kaarin J. Anstey

Latest Research and Reviews

Informant characteristics influence clinical dementia rating sum of boxes scores-based staging of alzheimer’s disease.

Vargas-Gonzalez et al. report an influence of informant characteristics on the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), a scale designed to stage patients with Alzheimer’s disease, which is commonly used as an outcome for clinical trials.

• Juan-Camilo Vargas-Gonzalez
• Antonella Santuccione Chadha
• Maria Carmela Tartaglia

Increased expression of the proapoptotic presenilin associated protein is involved in neuronal tangle formation in human brain

• Zhong-Ping Sun
• Qi-Lei Zhang

Phosphorylated tau in cerebrospinal fluid-derived extracellular vesicles in Alzheimer’s disease: a pilot study

• Roman Sattarov
• Megan Havers
• Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren

The unique role of anosognosia in the clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease: a disorder-network perspective

This article advances the view of anosognosia as a driver of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, due to early amyloid-β deposits in the posterior cingulate cortex, with error-monitoring failure and patients’ inability to counter their deficits.

• Katia Andrade
• Valentina Pacella

Integrated multimodal cell atlas of Alzheimer’s disease

The affected cellular populations during Alzheimer’s disease progression remain understudied. Here the authors use a cohort of 84 donors, quantitative neuropathology and multimodal datasets from the BRAIN Initiative. Their pseudoprogression analysis revealed two disease phases.

• Mariano I. Gabitto
• Kyle J. Travaglini

Low to moderate ethanol exposure reduces astrocyte-induced neuroinflammatory signaling and cognitive decline in presymptomatic APP/PS1 mice

• Shinwoo Kang
• Doo-Sup Choi

News and Comment

Reading the signs of dementia

Blood tests are leading to earlier diagnosis, and potentially treatments, for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

• Neil Savage

Lewy body pathology accelerates AD progression

• Heather Wood

SEA-AD is a multimodal cellular atlas and resource for Alzheimer’s disease

The Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) is a multifaceted open-data resource that is designed to identify cellular and molecular pathologies that underlie Alzheimer’s disease. Integrating neuropathology, single-cell and spatial genomics, and longitudinal clinical metadata, SEA-AD is a unique resource for studying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

• Michael Hawrylycz
• Eitan S. Kaplan

Francisco Lopera (1951–2024)

A trailblazing Latin American leader in Alzheimer’s disease research and a compassionate patient advocate

• Agustín Ibáñez
• Randall Bateman
• Hernando Santamaria-García

Life expectancy rise in rich countries slows down: why discovery took 30 years to prove

Improvements in public health and medicine have lengthened human survival, but science has yet to overcome ageing.

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