Topic description and stories

Mini brain organoids showing cortical-like structures

Lab-grown ‘mini brains’ hint at treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

21 Oct 2021

Cambridge researchers have developed ‘mini brains’ that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and...

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DNA jigsaw

New mechanism preventing toxic DNA lesions opens up therapeutic avenues for Huntington's disease

01 Sep 2021

A new mechanism that stops the progression of Huntington’s disease in cells has been identified by scientists at the University of Cambridge and UCL...

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AI could detect dementia years before symptoms appear

12 Aug 2021

Artificial intelligence could spot the early signs of dementia from a simple brain scan long before major symptoms appear – and in some cases before...

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Woman sleeping

Apathy could predict onset of dementia years before other symptoms

15 Dec 2020

Apathy – a lack of interest or motivation – could predict the onset of some forms of dementia many years before symptoms start, offering a ‘window of...

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Beta-Amyloid Plaques and Tau in the Brain

Researchers show how to target a 'shape-shifting' protein in Alzheimer’s disease

04 Nov 2020

A new study suggests that it is possible to design drugs that can target a type of shape-shifting protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, which was...

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Woman touching the arm of an elderly man holding a juggling ball

Apathy not depression helps to predict dementia

14 Jul 2020

Apathy offers an important early warning sign of dementia in individuals with cerebrovascular disease, but depression does not, research led by the...

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Mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Antibody designed to recognise pathogens of Alzheimer’s disease

25 May 2020

Researchers have found a way to design an antibody that can identify the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells – a potential advance in...

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Inflammation in the brain linked to several forms of dementia

17 Mar 2020

Inflammation in the brain may be more widely implicated in dementias than was previously thought, suggests new research from the University of...

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The neuroscientist hoping to slow down dementia and speed up Darwin

23 Aug 2019

When she’s not on the river captaining the Darwin College Boat Club, PhD student Jessica Walsh is investigating a possible link between leaky blood...

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White mouse in purple gloved hands

Blood pressure drug shows promise for treating Parkinson’s and dementia in animal studies

18 Apr 2019

A prescription drug to treat high blood pressure has shown promise against conditions such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and forms of dementia in...

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Many cases of dementia may arise from non-inherited DNA ‘spelling mistakes’

15 Oct 2018

Only a small proportion of cases of dementia are thought to be inherited – the cause of the vast majority is unknown. Now, in a study published today...

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Conceptual image showing blurred brain with loss of neuronal networks

Scientists reveal plan to target the cause of Alzheimer’s disease

24 Sep 2018

Researchers have developed a new way to target the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

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