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.

New brain scan detects Alzheimer’s tau earlier than current standard

University of Pittsburgh
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In one of the largest head-to-head tau PET comparisons conducted to date, PET tracer MK6240 identified 23 additional tau-positive cases per 100 scans in cognitively healthy people with amyloid pathology, compared to Flortaucipir.

Journal: The Lancet

28-May-2026

Can an Alzheimer’s blood test detect early, subtle cognitive decline?

University of California - San Francisco
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, researchers found blood biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease that correlated with minor cognitive differences in midlife adults who did not have dementia. The study, led by UC San Francisco, also found that the biomarkers, which measure tau and amyloid plaque, were associated with a greater chance of cognitive decline in these participants.

Journal: The Lancet
Funder: Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship

28-May-2026

Could targeting neuronal metabolism offer a new path for neurodegenerative disease therapy?

Science Exploration Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Cambridge highlight new ways that neurons and many cell types use to sense nutrients — opening potential novel therapeutic avenues for disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Funder: NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

27-May-2026

Brain imaging study highlights ethnoracial differences in dementia

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A large multisite study of older people with cognitive impairment finds that Black and Hispanic people, while known to be far more apt to have dementia, are significantly less apt than other racial and ethnic groups to show Alzheimer's pathology on brain scans. The study, reported in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, was led by researchers at Vanderbilt Health.

Funder: Alzheimer's Association, American College of Radiology, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc, General Electric Healthcare, Life Molecular Imaging

27-May-2026

AI reveals how the brain clears harmful waste

University of Rochester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers used AI to help understand how quickly fluid circulates around the brain to wash away metabolic waste that is linked to diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: BRAIN Initiative

27-May-2026

Virtual-reality path integration for predicting risk of neurodegenerative diseases

Fujita Health University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While virtual-reality path integration (VR-PI) may reveal subtle changes that precede the onset of clinical cognitive symptoms, the association between PI performance and structural brain changes remains unclear. Now, researchers have demonstrated that poor PI performance is linked to accelerated cortical thinning in several brain regions and is tied to key blood biomarkers of neurodegeneration. The findings suggest that VR navigation tasks may offer a non-invasive approach for early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

Journal: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy

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

New brain scan detects Alzheimer’s tau earlier than current standard

Can an Alzheimer’s blood test detect early, subtle cognitive decline?

Could targeting neuronal metabolism offer a new path for neurodegenerative disease therapy?

Brain imaging study highlights ethnoracial differences in dementia

AI reveals how the brain clears harmful waste

Virtual-reality path integration for predicting risk of neurodegenerative diseases