A new international study, led by Lund University, Sweden and Nagoya University, Japan, shows that changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease may affect how rapidly ALS progresses. In time, the findings may contribute to more reliable individual prognoses and better-designed clinical trials. 

Blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) are revolutionary blood tests that can detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain changes earlier, cheaper and more easily than traditional methods such as Aβ-PET scans which are expensive and have limited accessibility. However, blood tests do not always give a clear yes-or-no answer. One of the most promising blood markers, called p-Tau217, can leave a substantial number of people with an uncertain diagnosis. Patients within this “gray zone” may need an expensive brain scan or other testing to determine whether amyloid, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease, is present.

To address this problem, researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut have developed and tested a two-step approach called Gatekeeper‐Reflex model for AD (GRAD)—a step-by-step blood-testing strategy that could resolve many of these uncertain results. While promising, the researchers caution that GRAD is not ready to replace confirmatory imaging and still needs to be tested prospectively before use in routine clinical care.

A very common virus may do more than cause cold sores. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have discovered how herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the virus that causes cold sores, can fundamentally change how the brain’s immune cells respond to infection, revealing a potentially important connection between viral infection, chronic inflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Urban residents with more greenery within 100 metres of their homes have a lower risk of developing dementia over time. This is the finding of a new study from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, which followed nearly 3,000 older adults for 16 years. Published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the study highlights the importance of greenspace in the immediate surroundings of the home for sustainable urban planning that supports brain health.