Introduction: What do we know about head injuries and neurodegenerative diseases? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head impacts and has been linked particularly to long-term participation in contact sports. It is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of a protein called tau in the brain and can only be definitively … Read more
Synaptic dysfunction is one of the earliest processes involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is closely associated with cognitive decline. However, currently available blood biomarkers primarily reflect other pathological processes, such as amyloid and tau pathology, neurodegeneration, or glial activation, while few biomarkers are available to detect early synaptic alterations through a blood sample. β-synuclein … Read more
Cerebral perfusion is the amount of blood reaching a given brain region at any given time. In other words, it is the “irrigation” that supplies neurons with oxygen and nutrients. When perfusion decreases or becomes abnormally distributed, it may indicate that an area is beginning to deteriorate, even before clinical symptoms or signs of atrophy … Read more
Blood biomarkers have become a key tool for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in a more accessible way. While plasma p-tau217 is already established as a strong diagnostic marker, little was known about its ability to predict how the disease progresses across different clinical stages. In this study, published in Neurology, we show that plasma p-tau217 is … Read more
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) encompasses a diverse group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by progressive deterioration in social behavior, language, and executive functions. This condition has a strong genetic basis, with up to 30% of affected individuals carrying autosomal dominant mutations. Sex has gained importance in neurodegenerative research, especially in Alzheimer’s disease, where evidence shows that, together … Read more
The immune system plays a significant role in the development of various neurodegenerative diseases. In this study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, the role of the immune system in this disease is investigated for the first time at single-cell resolution. Natural killer (NK) cells are primarily known for their role in the defense against … Read more