Tag: Alzheimer’s Disease

New biomarker test detects early tau tangles in Alzheimer’s disease

Years before tau tangles show up in brain scans of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a biomarker test developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine can detect small amounts of the clumping-prone tau protein and its misfolded pathological forms that litter the brain, cerebrospinal fluid and potentially blood, new research published today in Nature… Continue reading New biomarker test detects early tau tangles in Alzheimer’s disease

TWiV 1190: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss changes in access to public health information and aid mechanisms such as the return of MMWR, the largest tuberculosis outbreak in the US ever, lack of USAID in fighting Marburg and Ebola outbreaks in Africa, discussing if avian influenza virus is airborne, how eggs… Continue reading TWiV 1190: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

Research unveils synergistic effects of tau and beta-amyloid in Alzheimer’s

A research team from the Institut de Neurociències of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) has discovered that the two key pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s-tau protein and beta-amyloid-affect brain circuits in distinct yet synergistic ways, particularly those linked to memory and emotions. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en… Continue reading Research unveils synergistic effects of tau and beta-amyloid in Alzheimer’s

A new way to detect inflammation

Nearly every disease has an inflammatory component, but blood tests can’t pinpoint inflammation in specific organs or tissues in the human body. Now researchers have developed a method to detect inflammation using antibodies, potentially leading to blood tests for disease-specific biomarkers such as for heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and various cancers. Their breakthrough also holds… Continue reading A new way to detect inflammation

Feasibility of F-18 Radiolabeled Brain-Penetrable Bi-specific Antibody Radioligands for in vivo PET Imaging of Tauopathy

PET imaging offers promise for earlier detection and prognostication of Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, antibody-based constructs that penetrate the CNS via the transferrin-receptor (TfR) have improved tau-selectivity, something that currently limits small molecule tau PET radiotracers. However, it remains unclear if the slow pharmacokinetics of these constructs (MW >50 kDa) limit target binding detection within the… Continue reading Feasibility of F-18 Radiolabeled Brain-Penetrable Bi-specific Antibody Radioligands for in vivo PET Imaging of Tauopathy

Precuneus Activity during Retrieval Is Positively Associated with Amyloid Burden in Cognitively Normal Older APOE4 Carriers

The precuneus is a site of early amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation. Previous cross-sectional studies reported increased precuneus fMRI activity in older adults with mild cognitive deficits or elevated Aβ. However, longitudinal studies in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are lacking and the relationship to the Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) genotype is unclear. Investigating the PREVENT-AD dataset, we assessed how… Continue reading Precuneus Activity during Retrieval Is Positively Associated with Amyloid Burden in Cognitively Normal Older APOE4 Carriers

NLRP3-mediated glutaminolysis controls microglial phagocytosis to promote Alzheimer’s disease progression

How NLRP3 impacts Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is unclear. McManus et al. find that NLRP3 is located at mitochondria where it regulates microglial metabolism. Depletion or chronic pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 increases glutamine utilization and α-ketoglutarate, which triggers downstream epigenetic changes allowing acetylation of target phagocytic and metabolic genes. This microglial reprogramming has implications for dementia and AD therapies.