EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Alzheimer's Awareness Month

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

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

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2026 19:16 ET (21-Jun-2026 23:16 GMT/UTC)

THE LANCET: Three papers publishing in a special issue on neurology

The Lancet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

**Embargo: 23.30 [UK time] / 18.30 [US ET] Thursday 28th May 2026**

The following three papers are publishing together in a Special Issue of The Lancet focused on neurology. They are all under the same embargo.

Journal: The Lancet

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

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

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

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

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

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