Last year, Brad Hyman’s group reported on their ability to image amyloid plaques in the brains of live PDAPP Tg mice. Plaques could be detected as deep as 200 microns and the same plaques could be imaged...
Several presentations focused on the role of presenilins in calcium signaling pathways. Leissring and LaFerla (Abstract 474.7) reported that cells from mutant PS1 knockin mice are deficient in capacitative calcium entry...
What is the latest on the immunization of mice and men with Aβ? Will we be celebrating victory over Alzheimer’s disease in a few years (and looking for new jobs), or has the story been overrated?...
CD40 is a member of the TNF receptor superfamily, which includes TNFR-1, TNFR-2, Fas, CD27, RANK, DR4 (TRAIL-R1), DR5 (TRAIL-R2), and DR6, as well as assorted decoy receptors (e.g., DcR-1/TRAIL-3)...
A current working hypothesis in the field of AD research is that preventing the accumulation of Aß peptides will slow or prevent cognitive decline. Two main strategies for accomplishing this goal have been pursued in recent years...
One of the most daunting tasks facing attendees of this gigantic neuroscience data exchange (dare I say "flea market"?) is identifying signals in the noise (speaking both scientifically and literally). One approach is to sit through slide sessions...
In today's Journal of Cell Biology, researchers of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) report that a molecule called ubiquilin regulates levels of presenilins, and is "highly expressed" in human neurons...
What do ßamyloid, buckyballs, and dark matter have in common? They were all mentioned in an intriguing presentation by Dr. Westlind-Danielsson (AstraZeneca, Abstract 299.2) on the formation of spheroidal "supramolecular structures"...
Being both an active scientist and a part-time reporter leads to some interesting situations. Most of the time, my scientific background could be considered an advantage when evaluating reports because...
It has previously been reported that the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor trkA is depleted within the nucleus basalis, which is selectively damaged in early Alzheimer's disease...
It's a poorly kept secret that Aβ peptides are highly inconsistent in their neurotoxic properties. One batch of synthetic peptide will kill neurons handily, while another will be benign...
One of the earliest clues that apoE may contribute to AD pathology was the immunohistochemical demonstration by Namba and colleagues that ApoE was present in both plaques and tangles...
The award for most aesthetically pleasing presentation almost certainly could go to Dr. Paul Thompson, who reviewed recent advances being made by a UCLA team in developing AD-specific brain atlases for assessing alterations in the brain over time...
At least I hope they will come. Brian Cummings presented an overview of a web-based database for Alzheimer’s cases (known as the Neuropathological Examination Research Database or NERD) that could serve as a model for other AD centers...
A number of lines of evidence implicate oxidative damage caused by free radicals—particularly reactive oxygen species—as having some role, perhaps even a major or causative one, in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases...