EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Alzheimer's Awareness Month

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

ATN biomarker dataset now available on the EPND Hub – advancing research into Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Alzheimer Europe
Reports and Proceedings

ATN biomarker dataset now available on the EPND Hub – advancing research into Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

21-May-2025

Insulin resistance in the brain may be one of the factors linking Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In animal tests, researchers from the University of São Paulo observed that changes in insulin signaling in the brain affected both memory and the frequency and severity of seizures. The findings support clinical evidence and point the way to new therapeutic approaches.

Journal: Journal of Neural Transmission
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

20-May-2025

Cold sore viral infection implicated in development of Alzheimer’s disease

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Symptomatic infection with the virus responsible for cold sores around the mouth–herpes simplex 1, or HSV-1 for short—may have a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a large pharma industry-funded US study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

Journal: BMJ Open

20-May-2025

Candidate drug that boosts protective brain protein in mice has potential to treat Alzheimer’s Disease

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by UCLA Health identified a candidate drug that reduces levels of a toxic form of a protein in the brain caused by the disease and improved memory in mice by boosting production of a protective protein.

Journal: npj Drug Discovery

20-May-2025

Scientists discover potential new targets for Alzheimer’s drugs

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using a computational strategy that allows them to combine information from many large datasets, MIT researchers have identified several new potential targets for Alzheimer’s disease.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

20-May-2025

New scientific articles highlight potential link between microplastics in ultra-processed foods and brain health

Genomic Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A collection of cutting-edge papers in the May 2025 issue of Brain Medicine synthesizes current evidence on the alarming accumulation of microplastics in the human brain and proposes multiple pathways by which these particles, particularly abundant in ultra-processed foods, might contribute to rising rates of depression, dementia, and other neurological disorders through inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms shared with known dietary impacts on mental health.

Journal: Brain Medicine

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

Latest News Releases

ATN biomarker dataset now available on the EPND Hub – advancing research into Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Insulin resistance in the brain may be one of the factors linking Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy

Cold sore viral infection implicated in development of Alzheimer’s disease

Candidate drug that boosts protective brain protein in mice has potential to treat Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists discover potential new targets for Alzheimer’s drugs

New scientific articles highlight potential link between microplastics in ultra-processed foods and brain health