Two in-press papers in the Journal of Biological Chemistry reveal the crystal structure of DJ-1, a protein of unknown function that was recently implicated in the etiology of familial Parkinson's disease...
In last week's PNAS online, researchers reported that murine embryonic stem cells exposed to pyrrolpyrimidines differentiate into neurons. This result raises hope that the fate of stem cells in vivo may one day be controlled by the use of small molecules...
Mutations in the enzyme Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) have been linked to about 20 percent of familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but there is no explanation yet for how the mutations contribute to ALS pathology...
Both selective (COX-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib) and nonselective (COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor, naproxen) nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) fail to slow the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD)...
Dopaminergic neurons in the mouse substantia nigra are replenished throughout the life of the animal, according to a report in the June 2 early online edition of PNAS...
Antibodies can be raised that specifically target misfolded prion proteins, leaving native proteins free to carry on their normal functions. This is the conclusion of a paper which appeared in yesterday's Nature Medicine online...
Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the ability to divide ad infinitum. In today's Cell, two independent research groups report that a key to this "eternal youth" is the protein Nanog, which appears essential not only for cellular self-renewal, but also for...
In sharp contrast to prevailing hypotheses, taking combination hormone replacement actually doubles a woman’s risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, when the therapy is begun at age 65 or older...
Organized by Israel Hanin, Abraham Fisher, and Ramon Cacabelos, the 6th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases was a great success. The number of registered participants reached over 1,200...
Launched by BioMed Central last fall, peer-reviewed, and indexed by PubMed, this free online publication seeks to fill a gap well-known to any researcher who has tried to publish such data in conventional scientific journals...
The widely used psychiatric drug lithium, and other agents that inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), have been mentioned as possible Alzheimer's disease therapies for some time, primarily because GSK3 is one of several kinases known to phosphorylate tau...
After a tough year, during which believers in immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease have had to fend off vociferous criticism, the news now appears to pick up...