Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered how nanoplastics – even smaller than microplastics – disrupt energy metabolism in brain cells. Their findings may have implications for better understanding neurodegenerative diseases characterised by declining neurological or brain function, and even shed new light on issues with learning and memory.  

The study, led by Dr Gavin Davey and undergraduate Devin Seward from Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, has revealed the specific mechanism by which these tiny nanoplastics can interfere with energy production in the brain in an animal model. The findings, recently published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics, provide fresh insights into the potential health risks posed by environmental plastics.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a digital cognitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease that is intended for use in primary care.

“This digital test, which patients perform on their own with minimal involvement from healthcare personnel, improves the primary care physician's ability to determine who should be further examined by blood tests for Alzheimer's pathology early in the investigation phase,” says Professor Oskar Hansson, who led the study alongside Pontus Tideman.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (“Ichilov”), have measured subjects' memory without asking whether they remembered something or not - just by tracking their eye movements as they watched animation videos. The study demonstrated that people actually remember more than they report. Moreover, this method can be used to measure memory in subjects who cannot speak—such as infants, patients with brain injuries, or even animals.

A novel strategy developed at Rice University allows scientists to zoom in on tiny segments of proteins inside living cells, revealing localized environmental changes that could indicate the earliest stages of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer. The study, published in Nature Chemical Biology on Sept. 10, also shows promise for drug screening that targets protein aggregation diseases.