The creation of long-term memories requires a continual supply of myelin provided by newly formed oligodendrocytes. Alas, the generation of fresh oligodendrocytes diminishes with age, along with memory.
Two studies reveal new aspects of the neurovascular physiology that regulate the flow of oxygenated blood into the brain’s arterioles and capillaries in response to neuronal stimulation.
At the HAI 2020 conference, the tracers PI-2620 and APN-1607 appeared to bind frontotemporal dementia tau. MK-6240 looked highly sensitive. And JNJ-067 and SNFT-1 are two new kids in town.
Amyloid and tau PET are helping scientists pinpoint the underlying cause of specific AD symptoms. Perhaps imaging of certain brain regions will help predict an individual’s progression.
Two epigenetic proteins accelerated age-related behavioral decline in worms and in mice, at least partly by dampening mitochondrial function. Orthologs in the human brain ramped up with aging and with AD progression.
Centenarians who scored high on the MMSE stayed cognitively and physically active over the next two years, even if they carried genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s. What protects these lucky few?
At the at Tau2020 conference, scientists show high-resolution cryoEM of α-synuclein. Two different types of fibril are composed of asymmetric protofibril units.
Not sure where that is? You are not alone. It is a tiny spot deep behind the nose, newly defined by the PET signal of early neurofibrillary tangle deposition. It also prompted a tau-staging scheme.
Autopsy data confirm that current tau PET tracers are unsuitable for some primary tauopathies. CryoEM structures help researchers find new ligands for tau and α-synuclein.