Frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease -  two fatal neurodegenerative disease with distinct symptoms - are triggered by a common mutation in many cases, according to researchers who say they have identified the mutated gene.

In the study, reported in the September 21 online issue of Neuron,…    



Penn study confirms no transmission of Alzheimer’s proteins between humans

Mounting evidence demonstrates that the pathological proteins linked to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders are capable of spreading from cell-to-cell within the brains of affected individuals and thereby “spread” disease from one interconnected brain region to another. A new study found no evidence to support concerns that these abnormal disease proteins are…    



Identification of abnormal protein may help diagnose, treat ALS and frontotemporal dementia

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are devastating neurodegenerative diseases with no effective treatment. Researchers are beginning to recognize ALS and FTD as part of a spectrum disorder with overlapping symptoms. Now investigators reporting online February 12 in the Cell Press journal Neuron have discovered an abnormal protein…    



Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson’s disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.

They say their study, published online May 10 in…    



No evidence that low-frequency magnetic fields accelerate development of Alzheimer’s, ALS

Low-frequency alternating magnetic fields such as those generated by overhead power lines are considered a potential health risk because epidemiological studies indicate that they may aggravate, among other things, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, a recent study by researchers at the Institute of Pathobiochemistry at the Medical…    



Scientists create mice with a major genetic cause of ALS and FTD

Scientists at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida created a novel mouse that exhibits the symptoms and neurodegeneration associated with the most common genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), both of which are caused by a mutation in the a gene called C9ORF72. The study was partially funded…