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One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease is the accumulation in the brain of a protein known as alpha-synuclein. For more than two decades, alpha-synuclein has been a focal point of attention for researchers, clinicians and drug makers interested in Parkinson’s disease. But alpha-synuclein’s function is not well understood. A new study led by investigators at [...]
Suffering from multiple conditions that affect the heart is more likely to lead to dementia than genetic risk, according to a new study. Led by University of Oxford and the University of Exeter, the study is among the largest ever to examine the link between several heart-related conditions and dementia, and one of the few [...]
Social isolation is directly linked with changes in the brain structures associated with memory, making it a clear risk factor for dementia, scientists have found. Setting out to investigate how social isolation and loneliness were related to later dementia, researchers from the UK and China used neuroimaging data from more than 30,000 participants in the [...]
The use of immersive virtual reality cycling technology has been shown to increase levels of physical activity and reduce feelings of pain, anxiety and depression in elderly people residing in care homes, according to a study. The study, 'Combining physical, cognitive and social activity for older people and people with dementia', was conducted by Motitech [...]
A UK study has shown that in a cohort of older men, individuals experiencing frequent bad dreams were twice as likely to be later diagnosed with Parkinson’s as those who did not. Previous studies have revealed that people with Parkinson’s disease experience nightmares and bad dreams more frequently than adults in the general population. But using [...]
A foot strengthening and mobility device which may help people with arthritis of the joints in their feet will be launched onto the market this summer. Gerry Farrell, a dentist from Glasgow, created the Novabow device with specialist designers and advisers from the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre at Heriot-Watt University. "My patented foot exercise device [...]
Dietary supplements can slow progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in older Americans. In a new study, US scientists analysed 10 years of Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) data. They showed that the AREDS2 supplement formula, which uses antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin instead of beta-carotene, reduced risk [...]
Mechanisms associated with a particular diabetes drug can also help to protect against Alzheimer’s disease, a study has reported. The results of the Karolinska Institutet study published in Neurology on June 2 indicate that the drug’s target protein can be an interesting candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is becoming increasingly common, but [...]
New research has uncovered how genetic changes that accumulate slowly in blood stem cells throughout life are likely to be responsible for the dramatic change in blood production after the age of 70. The study, by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and collaborators, was published on June 1 [...]
Rochester biologists who study the genetics of lifespan have suggested novel targets to combat ageing and age-related diseases. Natural selection has produced mammals that age at dramatically different rates. Take, for example, naked mole rats - they can live up to 41 years, nearly ten times as long as similar-size rodents such as mice. What [...]
