EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

In honor of Alzheimer's Awareness Month, we’re exploring the science and stories surrounding Alzheimer’s disease.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Apr-2026 23:15 ET (14-Apr-2026 03:15 GMT/UTC)

13-Apr-2026

Gender matters in the brain/bone axis. APOE4, the Alzheimer’s risk gene, silently undermines bone quality in women

Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, along with collaborators at UC San Francisco, have discovered that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, causes bone quality deficits specifically in female mice, through a mechanism that is invisible to standard imaging and can emerge as early as midlife.

Journal: Advanced Science

9-Apr-2026

Alzheimer’s-linked protein tau play a role in cell division

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

All processes such as wound healing, hair growth, and the replacement of old cells with new ones depend on cell division. During this process, chromosomes inside the cell must be evenly divided between two daughter cells. Even slight errors can lead to cellular abnormalities.

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has recently uncovered new clues suggesting that a protein called tau plays an important role in this highly regulated process. The findings were published in the international journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

9-Apr-2026

Barrow Neuro Analytics Center doubles footprint to support growing neurological research programs

Dignity Health Arizona
Business Announcement

Barrow Neurological Institute has expanded its Barrow Neuro Analytics Center, nearly doubling its dedicated research space to more than 18,000 square feet and bringing additional research programs into one location.

9-Apr-2026

In or out? Researchers uncover new controls on the brain’s ‘bouncer’

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by HHMI Janelia Research Campus Group Leader Jiefu Li identified proteins that help control how the blood-brain barrier opens and closes, findings that could help researchers design drug delivery strategies for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease that more effectively reach the brain.

Journal: Science

9-Apr-2026

Without the right tests, the best medicines make no difference

University of California - San Francisco
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new analysis from UC San Francisco argues that diagnostics — medical tests that match patients to the appropriate treatment — are being overlooked both in the United States and around the world. This is slowing progress against major diseases, despite rapid advances in targeted therapies and precision health.

Journal: Science

9-Apr-2026

USC researchers awarded NIH grant to build a new model of hippocampal neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease

Keck School of Medicine of USC
Grant and Award Announcement

Researchers at USC have received an NIH grant to develop a new multiscale model of the hippocampus to better understand neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, aiming to identify specific neuronal changes that lead to cognitive impairment and potential early interventions.