Researchers at Niigata University found that APOE ε4, a genetic variant best known as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, may influence how ALS pathology spreads in the brain and spinal cord. Analyzing 145 autopsy-confirmed ALS cases, the team showed that APOE ε4 carriers were more likely to have widespread TDP-43 pathology. The findings suggest a new genetic clue to ALS heterogeneity and may support future personalized care.

For decades, ultrasound has been associated with diagnostics – a routine scan in a hospital room, a monitor displaying organs, tissues, or the first image of a baby. However, researchers are now looking at ultrasound from an entirely different perspective. New findings from scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) suggest that ultrasound waves might not only help doctors see inside the body, but low-frequency ultrasound directly influences blood flow – potentially opening new possibilities to support the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, reducing the need for invasive procedures or medication in the future.

Millions of people across the world suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, where sufferers experience memory impairment. Researchers from Tohoku University and the University of California, Irvine have recently identified dopamine dysfunction as a previously unrecognized mechanism underlying memory impairment. The discovery potentially opens the door to new therapeutic means that could reverse cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients across the globe.