Breakthrough image shows how “super-ager” brains resist cognitive decline

Super-agers are a small category of physically and cognitively healthy seniors over the age of 80

New research is illustrating the differences in toxic protein accumulations in the brains of older subjects suffering cognitive decline compared to older subjects with unexpectedly strong cognitive abilities. An image compiled from PET scans of these so-called “super-agers” has won Image of the Year from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

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Cambridge study finds apathy, not depression, is an early sign of dementia

New research argues apathy must be distinguished from depression, because it functions as a clearer preclinical sign of dementia

A new study, led by neuroscientists from the University of Cambridge, has identified apathy as an important early sign of dementia. The research finds apathy is distinct from depression, and offers a more accurate longitudinal association with the onset of dementia.

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Brain-boosting protein raises prospect of exercise benefits in a pill

An intriguing new study from UC San Francisco scientists has identified a protein produced by the liver after exercise that could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline. As well as helping explain the neuroprotective benefits of exercise,… Continue reading Brain-boosting protein raises prospect of exercise benefits in a pill

New light shed on link between Alzheimer’s and liver disease

Research shows how a protein, linked to fatty liver disease, can disrupt the blood-brain barrier and trigger neuroinflammation leading to neurodegenerative disease

New research from the University of South Carolina is uncovering exactly how non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) influences the neurological conditions associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The study describes how a certain protein produced in the liver can travel to the brain and trigger neuroinflammation.

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Study strengthens link between high brain iron levels and Alzheimer’s

The study, which followed some subjects for a year and a half, has revealed an association between rates of cognitive decline and increasing neural iron levels

New imaging research is offering detailed insights into the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and abnormal accumulations of iron in the brain. The study confirms a distinct correlation between higher iron deposits in particular brain regions and rates of cognitive decline.

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Continue reading Study strengthens link between high brain iron levels and Alzheimer’s

Study strengthens link between high brain iron levels and Alzheimer’s

The study, which followed some subjects for a year and a half, has revealed an association between rates of cognitive decline and increasing neural iron levels

New imaging research is offering detailed insights into the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and abnormal accumulations of iron in the brain. The study confirms a distinct correlation between higher iron deposits in particular brain regions and rates of cognitive decline.

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The brain clearing out dead neurons captured in video first

Yale researchers have captured on video how the brain clears out a dead neuron

In the average human body, tens of billions of cells die everyday. It’s a natural process, important for keeping the body healthy. Now, for the first time, researchers at Yale School of Medicine have directly imaged the death of neurons in mice, as well as how the body clears them out afterwards.

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Newly discovered type of dementia may account for 20 percent of cases

Quadruple misfolded proteins, or QMP, refers to the presence of four separate kinds of toxic protein accumulations

A new study from the University of Kentucky has described a novel form of dementia characterized by the toxic accumulation of four different proteins in the brain. The research suggests many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease may be suffering from this different, and more complex, neurodegenerative condition.

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IBD and obesity affirmed as serious dementia risk factors

Two new studies only confirm associations between IBD and obesity and dementia, and do not provide evidence to suggest a direct causal link

Two new studies are offering strong evidence that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and obesity are serious risk factors for developing dementia in later life. The studies are observational, and cannot determine casualty, but they both build on prior research reaching similar conclusions.

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Women develop Alzheimer’s more than men due to hormones, suggests study

New brain imaging research suggests a drop in estrogen levels following menopause may accelerate the progression of Alzheimer's in those already predisposed to the disease

A detailed new brain imaging study, examining a number of cognitively healthy middle-aged subjects, is suggesting lower levels of estrogen in women post-menopause could play a role in triggering brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The research hypothesizes this mechanism may be one of the reasons why women suffer from Alzheimer’s at greater rates than men.

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