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Small studies of 40Hz sensory stimulation confirm safety, suggest Alzheimer’s benefits
MIT researchers report early stage clinical study results of tests with non-invasive 40Hz light and sound treatment A pair of early stage clinical studies testing the safety and efficacy of 40Hz sensory stimulation to treat Alzheimer’s disease has found that the potential therapy was well tolerated, produced no serious adverse effects and was associated with…
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Alzheimer’s risk gene undermines insulation of brain’s “wiring”
In people carrying the APOE4 risk variant, a key brain cell type mismanages cholesterol needed to insulate neurons properly—another sign that APOE4 contributes to disease by disrupting lipids in the brain. It’s well known that carrying one copy of the APOE4 gene variant increases one’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease threefold and two copies about tenfold,…
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With fractured genomes, Alzheimer’s neurons call for help
Study indicates that ailing neurons may instigate an inflammatory response from the brain’s microglia immune cells A new study by researchers in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT provides evidence from both mouse models and postmortem human tissue of a direct link between two problems that emerge in Alzheimer’s disease: a buildup…
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When Alzheimer’s degrades cells that cross hemispheres, visual memory suffers
New research reveals cells that span brain hemispheres to coordinate activity in visual processing centers and shows that Alzheimer’s degrades their structure and therefore their function A new MIT study finds that Alzheimer’s disease disrupts at least one form of visual memory by degrading a newly identified circuit that connects the vision processing centers of…
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How microglia contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
A breakdown of lipid metabolism in these brain cells promotes inflammation and interferes with neuron activity, a new study finds One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is a reduction in the firing of some neurons in the brain, which contributes to the cognitive decline that patients experience. A new study from MIT shows how…
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In Down syndrome cells, genome-wide disruptions mimic a senescence-like state
Extra chromosome alters chromosomal conformation and DNA accessibility across the whole genome in neural progenitor cells, disrupting gene transcription and cell functions much like in cellular aging In Down syndrome, the third copy of chromosome 21 causes a reorganization of the 3D configuration of the entire genome in a key cell type of the developing…
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Boston Globe op-ed: How science, technology, and industry can work together to cure Alzheimer’s
The Alzheimer’s research community must acknowledge the gaps in the current approach to curing the disease and make significant changes. In The Boston Globe Nov. 29, Li-Huei Tsai penned an op-ed as part of Globe’s “The Longevity Hub” collaboration with MIT Professor Joe Coughlin. “Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, has defied…
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Study links gene to cognitive resilience in the elderly
The findings may help explain why some people who lead enriching lives are less prone to Alzheimer’s and age-related dementia Many people develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia as they get older. However, others remain sharp well into old age, even if their brains show underlying signs of neurodegeneration. Among these cognitively resilient people,…
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Memory making involves extensive DNA breaking
To quickly express genes needed for learning and memory, brain cells snap both strands of DNA in many more places and cell types than previously realized, a new study shows The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open…
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Congratulations postdoc Rebecca Pinals!
Postdoc Rebecca Pinals is among 28 around the world to have been named this year to a competitive Schmidt Science Fellowship, an award created in 2017 to advance interdisciplinary studies among early career researchers. Read the full story on The Picower Institute website: https://picower.mit.edu/news/postdocs-earn-interdisciplinary-schmidt-science-fellowships