From Mediterranean diets to probiotics, scientists reveal how reshaping the gut microbiome could help protect brain function, while highlighting why timing may be critical for slowing cognitive decline. Study: The association between gut microbiota and cognitive decline: A systematic review of the literature. Image credit: Toa55/Shutterstock.com The gut-brain axis is gaining importance as a modulator … Read more
Cells behave like cities and organelles carry out infrastructural roles: Mitochondria are powerhouses, the endoplasmic reticulum serves as a transport hub and lysosomes help with waste disposal. Communication between different parts of a cell is important for metabolism. This inter-organelle communication can occur at sites where these parts are in contact with each other, known … Read more
Scientists propose that Parkinson’s disease may begin far from the brain, where environmental toxins, microbiome disruption, and intestinal barrier damage interact to ignite the biological cascade leading to neurodegeneration. Environmental insults reduce gut resilience and initiate convergent mechanisms that drive Parkinson’s disease. A lifetime of environmental insults (including Western diets and food additives, nano- and microplastics, … Read more
Summary: Being an “early bird” and maintaining a physically active lifestyle may significantly reduce the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A preliminary study involving over 500,000 participants found that those with a morning chronotype had a 20% lower risk of ALS compared to “night owls.” Additionally, participants who engaged in regular physical activity … Read more
Emerging evidence suggests widely used metabolic drugs could influence brain aging pathways, yet large clinical trials are still needed to confirm whether they truly alter the course of neurodegenerative disease. Study: The promise of GLP-1 receptor agonists for neurodegenerative diseases. Image Credit: Antonio Marca / Shutterstock In a recent review published in the Journal of Clinical … Read more
As we age, we begin to lose the connections that wire up our brains-and neuroscientists aren’t sure why. It is increasingly clear, though, that the loss of synapses-the flexible and adaptive relay stations central to our brains’ ability to think, learn, and remember-is central to the rise of cognitive decline and dementia in old age. … Read more
Blood-based DNA repair and stress-response signals reveal a brief molecular window preceding Parkinson’s diagnosis. Study: Longitudinal assessment of DNA repair signature trajectory in prodromal versus established Parkinson’s disease. Image credit: Chinnapong/Shutterstock.com In a recent study published in npj Parkinson’s Disease, researchers examined DNA repair and integrated stress response (ISR) genes in healthy individuals and those … Read more
Tau protein aggregation is a shared feature in over 20 neurodegenerative diseases (collectively referred to as “tauopathies”). New research led by Boston Children’s Hospital challenges the current “one-size-fits-all” approach to diagnosing and treating these tauopathies. The team, led by senior authors Judith A. Steen, PhD, and Hanno Steen, PhD, and executed by co–first authors Mukesh … Read more
Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified a hazardous waste collector in the brain that disposes of the toxic clumps of tau protein that can lead to dementia.… The post CUL5 & Tau: Brain Protein Protects Neurons From Damage appeared first on Archynetys. Source link
Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified a hazardous waste collector in the brain that disposes of the toxic clumps of tau protein that can lead to dementia. Neurons with more of this garbage collector, technically known as CUL5, are less vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. The research helps explain how some brain cells may remain resilient even in advanced disease and points to new therapeutic strategies that could boost the brain’s natural defenses against neurodegeneration. CUL5 is uniquely suited to getting rid … Read more