In Year Three, GAP Trial Network Is Starting to Hum
With three trials and initiatives to boost recruitment, GAP-Net is gaining some traction in the field.
NEWS
Traumatic Tau: Filaments from CTE Share Distinct Structure
Atomic resolution structures of tau filaments from three people with CTE revealed a common strain of tau induced by chronic head injuries.
Biogen/Eisai Halt Phase 3 Aducanumab Trials
Futility analysis predicts failure to reach primary endpoint.
Is Klotho’s Partner FGF23 a Cognition Protein?
Perturbations in the hormone correlate with memory problems. But does FGF23 act in the brain, or affect cognition indirectly via the kidneys?
Flash! Beep! Gamma Waves Stimulate Microglia, Memory
Exposing AD mice to multisensory gamma therapy induced 40-Hz waves in their brains, plus effects on amyloid, tau, microglia, blood vessels, and cognitive function.
In New Study, Diet During Midlife Not Linked to Dementia
Among British civil servants, the quality of their diet did not correlate with their risk of developing dementia cognitive decline over 25 years.
Deep Blue for Aβ Blood Test?
IBM researchers in Australia identify a combination of four proteins in plasma that predicts amyloid positivity in cerebrospinal fluid, and correlates with progression to AD.
CRISPR Suppresses BACE1 and Plaques in Mice
Deleting BACE1 with CRISPR nanocomplexes tempered Aβ pathology and boosted memory.
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum encourages users to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall, where companies showcase their newest initiatives, products, and services. We welcome Dash Genomics, Inc. and Abcam, which join our other exhibitors — Biogen, BioLegend, BrainXell, NanoString Technologies, and the Jackson Laboratory.
SPOTLIGHT
CTE Tau Filaments Have Distinctive Structure
High-resolution cryo-EM shows that tau filaments riddling the brains of three people with chronic traumatic encephalopathy shared the same core structure with filaments identified in Alzheimer’s or Pick’s disease, but was not identical. Helical CTE tau filaments comprised an ordered core of C-shaped protofilaments, but they also harbored an unidentified molecule nestled within its fold. Researchers think it could be a product of the traumatic origins of this form of tau.
Is Klotho’s Partner FGF23 a Cognition Protein?
Two new papers link too little, or too much, of the hormone to cognitive deficits in mice and to dementia risk in some people, respectively. But are the findings due to an interaction with klotho in the brain, or to FGF23’s known effect on kidney health? Poor peripheral health itself can harm cognition, and some evidence suggests that may be the case here.
Pulsing Tones, Flashing Lights Lessen Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice
Using light and sound to synchronize neuronal firing, researchers induce gamma waves in the brains of AD mouse models. Scientists claim that a week of auditory flicker treatment—with tones that beep at 40-Hz—impels microglia to eat plaques in the auditory cortex and hippocampus and activates astrocytes. Blood vessels also appear to dilate; memory improves. If paired light flashes stimulate the eyes at the same time, the effects reach into the medial prefrontal cortex and cause microglia to cluster around plaques. Translation to people is in the works.
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