Alzheimer’s disease & dementia

A team of researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science found that women who entered menopause before the age of 40 had worse cognitive outcomes than women who entered menopause after the age of 50. This finding may be useful for clinicians when assessing their patient’s risk of developing dementia. These findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia on April 15, 2025.

An innovative Edith Cowan University (ECU) research project is using the power of music and storytelling to support the well-being of older Italian migrants, including those living with dementia.

Most people donning virtual reality (VR) goggles are seeking the thrill of being immersed in a fictitious video game world. But some are donning them for an entirely different experience: to help researchers identify those most at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

People with dementia can enjoy productive and rewarding working lives in the digital era, contrary to the widespread stereotype that dementia is incompatible with the use of modern technology, according to new research from the University of Bath.

A new open-source model of brain metabolism—the most complex ever generated—has shown how altering key chemicals could restore aged cells to their youthful activity and resilience.

A study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia has demonstrated the high accuracy of plasma p-tau217 as a blood-based biomarker for detecting abnormal brain beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Microglia, the brain’s immune cells, usually serve as diligent guardians. They eliminate intruders such as microbes and clear away cellular debris—including the plaques typical of Alzheimer’s disease. However, as our brains age, microglia also change. While some continue to function effectively, others gradually lose their protective role and start secreting small amounts of inflammatory messengers.

Studies reveal that people with Down syndrome (DS) have over a 90% lifetime risk of developing dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as they age. Research from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering aims could uncover why some people with DS develop dementia while others do not— providing insight that could ultimately benefit the entire DS community.

People from different ethnic backgrounds may report physical symptoms rather than purely cognitive difficulties, leading to delays in the diagnosis of dementia.

In diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, specific proteins misfold and clump together, forming toxic aggregates that damage brain cells. The process of proteins spontaneously clumping is called protein aggregation and researchers have developed novel methods to generate aggregate-specific antibodies as specific probes or modulators of the aggregation process.