Alzheimer's

Pfizer said it would be abandoning its neuroscience development programs and allocating its spending elsewhere.

Pfizer Halts Research Into Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Treatments

2:32pm January 08, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The pharmaceutical giant said it would be abandoning its neuroscience development programs and allocating its spending elsewhere. The move also means the company will lay off some 300 employees.

Bella and Will Doolittle started a podcast to tell their story about Bella's struggle with early-onset Alzheimer's.

To Help Others, One Couple Talks About Life With Early-Onset Alzheimer's

8:00pm January 02, 2018

by Brian Mann

More than 200,000 Americans live with early-onset Alzheimer's, with dementia-like symptoms developing in their 40s and 50s. The disease can put an unexpected strain on relationships and finances.

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Alzheimer's disease causes atrophy of brain tissue. The discovery that lymph vessels near the brain's surface help remove waste suggests glitches in the lymph system might be involved in Alzheimer's and a variety of other brain diseases.

Brain's Link To Immune System Might Help Explain Alzheimer's

6:10pm October 03, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

For centuries, scientists thought the human brain had no direct connection to the body's immune system. Now researchers seem to have found one, and say it may offer clues to multiple sclerosis, too.

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For a rat, "metamemory" is about knowing whether you remember that predator in the distance, researchers say. For people, knowing what we don't know can be especially useful in navigating social interactions.

From Rats To Humans, A Brain Knows When It Can't Remember

4:40pm July 28, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

When we see a familiar face, we know instantly if we can remember that person's name. That's because the human brain has an ability called metamemory. Looks like rats may have that higher power, too.

Researchers find that dementia patients who engage in activities such as gathering photographs and talking about family see improvements in their quality of life and are less agitated.

Social Interaction Improves Quality Of Life For People With Dementia

6:29am July 19, 2017

by Shirley S. Wang

Patients with memory loss and other cognitive problems responded well to one-on-one conversations aimed at increasing their sense of control and independence.

Small pulses of electricity to the brain have an effect on memory, new research shows.

Electrical Stimulation To Boost Memory: Maybe It's All In The Timing

6:20pm April 20, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

Research in epilepsy has found a key to why small pulses of electricity to the brain sometimes help and sometimes hurt a failing memory. Brains hurt by physical trauma or dementia might benefit, too.

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Health & Safety

NIH Taps WFU For New Alzheimer's Research Center

9:04am March 17, 2017

by David Ford

North Carolina's first Alzheimer's research center funded by the National Institutes of Health will call the Triad home.

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A colored magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain of a 76-year-old patient with dementia shows the brain has atrophied and the dark brown fluid-filled spaces have become enlarged.

Cancer Drug That Might Slow Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Headed For Bigger Tests

6:30pm March 15, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

In a preliminary study, the cancer drug nilotinib seemed to help patients with Parkinson's and dementia. Now two larger and more rigorous studies of the drug are under way.

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At 70, Donald Trump is the oldest person to become president.

As Presidents Live Longer, Doctors Debate Whether To Test For Dementia

8:00am February 17, 2017

by Bret Stetka

The true health of politicians has likely been cloaked in secrecy since the days of Mesopotamian kings, but definitely since the Wilson administration. Has the time come to test presidents' cognition?

From Psychedelics To Alzheimer's, 2016 Was A Good Year For Brain Science

5:00am December 31, 2016

by Bret Stetka

A woman with ALS was able to type just by thinking about the letters, and people with cancer found their anxiety and depression erased by a single encounter with magic mushrooms.