Patients with spastic paraplegia type 15 develop movement disorders during adolescence that may ultimately require the use of a wheelchair. In the early stages of this rare hereditary disease the brain appears to play a major role by over-activating the immune system, as shown by a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The study was led by researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). These findings could also be relevant for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. 

In Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and type 2 diabetes, harmful protein aggregates and deposits, known as amyloid plaques, develop. There is also much evidence that these three diseases are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now shown that synthetic mini-proteins (macrocyclic peptides) developed by the researchers inhibit both amyloid formation in Parkinson's and harmful protein interactions between the three diseases in experimental models. They could serve as the basis for future drugs to treat these diseases.

We know exercise is good for our body, but what about our brains? A new study from the University of Missouri suggests that exercise plays a crucial role in keeping our minds sharp, even when one of the brain’s key energy sources isn’t available.

The study, led by Mizzou researchers Taylor Kelty and R. Scott Rector, offers fresh insight into brain health and suggests that exercise could play a bigger role in preventing cognitive decline than previously thought.