The earliest spot for Alzheimer’s blues
How the most common genetic risk factor in AD interacts with the earliest site of neurodegeneration
Tug of war between Parkinson’s protein and growth factors
A “tug of war” situation exists between Parkinson’s provocateur protein alpha-synuclein and the growth factor BDNF.
Drug discovery: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s spurred by same enzyme
One enzyme processes three notorious proteins: amyloid, tau *and* alpha-synuclein.
Amyloid vs tau? With this AD target, no need to choose
Alzheimer’s drug discovery paper from Emory pathologist Keqiang Ye. In mice, inhibiting AEP hits two targets (amyloid and tau) with one shot.
Parkinson’s disease: hold the AMPs
Discussion of AMP kinase in Parkinson’s disease.
Manipulating motivation in mice
In humans, the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) is thought to be important for determining the value of a perceived reward. Through manipulation of a growth factor in the mOFC, Emory scientists were able to modulate a mouse’s tendency to persist in reward seeking. Image from O’Doherty et al, PLOS Biology (2006).
The secrets of a new Alzheimer’s secretase
The current paper makes asparagine endopeptidase a potential Alzheimer’s drug target that is involved in the accumulation of *two* of the disease’s troublemaker proteins, tau and beta-amyloid. Hence the shiny new name: delta-secretase.
Are TrkB agonists ready for translation into the clinic?
7,8-dihydroxyflavone can be found in plants such as Godmania aescufolia, and has positive effects in animal models of several neurological diseases.
A crystal ball for Lab Land: Top 5 topics in 2015
1. Alzheimer’s 2. Ebola 3. Hypersomnia 4. Microbiome/antibiotic resistance 5. Endovascular stroke
Acidity of aging leads to new Alzheimer’s drug target
Acidic conditions activate an enzyme (AEP) that snips tau, which forms neurofibrillary tangles in AD