Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), represent a growing global health burden, particularly in aging populations. While traditional research has focused on neuronal mechanisms like protein misfolding and oxidative stress, recent evidence underscores the critical role of the gut-brain-immune axis in disease pathogenesis. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how gut microbiota dysbiosis influences neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and immune homeostasis through microbial-derived metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and bacterial amyloids. We explore the communication pathways linking the gut, immune system, and central nervous system (CNS), and highlight disease-specific mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Despite promising preclinical findings, significant challenges remain in establishing causality and translating these insights into clinical practice.

Specially qualified nurses with extended roles – known as Dementia Care Managers – can measurably improve the care of people with dementia living at home. This is the finding of a study conducted by DZNE in collaboration with partners from the medical and healthcare sectors. More than 400 people with mild to moderate dementia participated in this research. Care provided by Dementia Care Managers reduced unmet needs more effectively than standard care and improved the quality of life of the affected individuals.

Researchers analyzed longitudinal quantitative MRI data from 224 healthy older adults at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as 37 young adults.

When it comes to treating disease, one promising avenue is addressing the presence of senescent cells. These cells — also known as "zombie cells" — stop dividing but don't die off as cells typically do. They turn up in numerous diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and in the process of aging. While potential treatments aim to remove or repair the cells, one hurdle has been finding a way to identify them among healthy cells in living tissue. In the journal Aging Cell, Mayo Clinic researchers report finding a new technique to tag senescent cells.

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of UC Irvine discuss their discovery that amyloid precursor proteins – best known as the source of amyloid-beta peptides that aggregate into plaques in Alzheimer’s disease – form a structural and functional complex with voltage-gated proton channels in human brain immune cells, known as microglia.