News by Subject Medicine & Health

Weakened electrical signals in the brain may be an early warning sign of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Accelerated cognitive decline in patients with and without existing dementia is one of the most disturbing outcomes of hospitalizations for older adults, affecting at least 2.6 million Americans every year. But the condition, known as delirium, is believed to be preventable in up to 40% of hospital-acquired cases, and researchers at UC San Franciso wanted to see if simple tweaks, like avoiding nighttime interruptions to promote sleep, nixing certain prescription drugs, and promoting exercise and social engagement, could decrease its incidence.

A new study from a CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative team has identified a molecule called ten-eleven-translocation 1 (TET1) as a necessary component in the repair of myelin, which protects nerves and facilitates accurate transmission of electrical signals. The discovery could have important implications in treating neurodegenerative diseases and for molecular rejuvenation of aging brains in healthy individuals.

A new study of over 3000 people led by King's College London in collaboration with Lund University, has shown for the first time that a single biomarker can accurately indicate the presence of underlying neurodegeneration in people with cognitive issues.

Patients with dementia and especially Alzheimer's run a threefold risk of dying as a result of infection by SARS-CoV-2. The risk is six times greater if they are over 80, according to a study by Brazilian researchers.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the immune cells that protect the brain and spinal cord come primarily from the skull. The finding opens up the possibility of developing therapies to target such cells as a way to prevent or treat brain conditions.

New research into Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that secondary infections and new inflammatory events amplify the brain's immune response and affect memory in mice and in humans -- even when these secondary events occur outside the brain.

Older people with type 1 diabetes who have been to the hospital at some point for both low and high blood sugar levels may be at six times greater risk for developing dementia years later. The research is published in the June 2, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.