Researchers have conducted the first study evaluating the impact of obesity on Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers (BBMs). BBM values increased up to 95% faster in individuals with obesity than in non-obese individuals, according to a new study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

A new Genomic Press Interview with Prof. Dr. Paul Lucassen shares insights from his research spanning 30 years in which he explores how the adult brain continues to produce new neurons, and how this process, and other plasticity-related aspects like cognition, are modulated by (early life) stress, exercise, nutrition, and inflammation, revealing unexpected connections between early childhood experiences and later vulnerability to psychiatric disorders and dementia. His work offers hope that brain plasticity can maybe one day be harnessed for therapeutic and preventive approaches.

The USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute will be renamed the USC Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute in honor of Life Trustee Daniel J. Epstein ’62, his wife Phyllis and their family, who have been the philanthropic leaders behind the university’s world-leading efforts to make Alzheimer’s a memory. Under the leadership of founding director and Epstein Alzheimer’s Disease Director’s Chair Paul S. Aisen, MD, the USC Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research institute has pursued key advances that they believe will make Alzheimer’s a preventable disease in the next decade. Since its founding ten years ago, ATRI has contributed to advances such as the validation of blood tests that measure Alzheimer’s changes in the brain, as well as the development of treatments that slow its progression.  The Epsteins’ motivation is very personal. Dan’s late brother and identical twin, David, lived with Alzheimer’s for 15 years before passing away in late 2021. The experience of watching his illness progress — and seeing the impact it had on every member of their family — inspired him to take action.  The family first invested in this important work with their gift to found the Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Research Collaboration between USC and UC San Diego in 2022. Their contributions catalyzed next-generation clinical trials, data sharing and ATRI’s research into blood biomarkers as signposts that can pick up on abnormalities in the brain — even before a traditional scan.  

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) is leading 24 clinicians from the region and beyond to set up Southeast Asia’s first consortium dedicated to tackling dementia.

 

The Southeast Asian Consortium on Neurocognition, Neuroimaging and Biomarker Research Plus (SEACURE+) will pool resources and data representative of the region’s 700 million people to better understand the unique traits of the Southeast Asian brain and develop a harmonised approach to prevent and manage dementia.

Houston Methodist neuroscientists have developed a first-of-its-kind method to rapidly produce synchronized, human brain wave-like activity in lab-grown neural networks that can communicate over long distances. This innovation offers researchers a powerful tool to study how brain connectivity is affected in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and to explore potential treatments. 

Newcastle University's work transforming the understanding, diagnosis and care of people with Dementia with Lewy Bodies has won the UK’s highest national honor for universities. The prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education are awarded by the monarch every two years in recognition of world-class excellence and achievement at academic institutions. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting an estimated 130,000 people in the United Kingdom and researchers at Newcastle University have transformed global understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition.