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Image: Close-up of a neurotechnology experiment: The setup enables the combination of virtual reality technology and non-invasive brain stimulation; Copyright: EPFL

EPFL

EPFL researchers develop non-invasive neurotechnology to improve spatial memory

07.11.2024

EPFL researchers have developed a neurotechnology that uses virtual reality, non-invasive brain stimulation, and fMRI imaging to improve spatial memory without surgery or medication. This method targets the hippocampus to enhance navigation and recall, offering potential for future dementia therapies.
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Image: The image shows the wireless yellow patch; Copyright: Bai Lab, UNC-Chapel Hill

Bai Lab, UNC-Chapel Hill

Wireless drug patch: advancing chronic disease treatment

20.02.2024

Advancements in drug delivery technology are paving the way for innovative treatment methods for chronic diseases. A recent breakthrough at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill introduces the Spatiotemporal On-Demand Patch (SOP), a wireless drug delivery system that could revolutionize the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and neurological injuries.
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Image: Laboratory worker holds a test tube with blood samples in his hands, test tubes with biomaterial; Copyright: svitlanah

svitlanah

New blood marker can identify parkinsonian diseases

20.09.2023

Is it possible that a single biomarker can detect all types of diseases related to dopamine deficiency in the brain? Yes, that's what a research group in Lund is discovering.
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Image: Nurse prepares patient for blood test; Copyright: seventyfourimages

seventyfourimages

New blood test gives very high accuracy to screen for Alzheimer’s disease

08.09.2023

A new blood test called p-tau217 shows promise as an Alzheimer's disease biomarker, and when used in a two-step workflow very high accuracy to either identify or exclude brain amyloidosis, the most important and earliest pathology.
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Image: Depiction of a brain and the nerve connections that run down the spinal cord; Copyright: joaquincorbalan

joaquincorbalan

Fiber-based endo-microscope: understanding neuronal communication

28.06.2023

A new hair-thin endo-microscope, developed by an international team with the participation of Leibniz IPHT, promises extremely gentle in-depth observations.
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Image: Micrograph: Certain immune cells called microglia (yellow) remove amyloid plaques (magenta) in the brain of an Alzheimer's mouse; Copyright: MPI für Multidisziplinäre Naturwissenschaften

MPI für Multidisziplinäre Naturwissenschaften

Dementia: poorly insulated nerve cells promote Alzheimer's disease in old age

08.06.2023

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen have shown that defective myelin actively promotes disease-related changes in Alzheimer’s. Slowing down age-related myelin damage could open up new ways to prevent the disease or delay its progression in the future.
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Image: Brain immune cells (“microglia”) in culture exposed to amyloid-beta proteins which are involved in Alzheimer’s disease; Copyright: DZNE/AG Milovanovic

DZNE/AG Milovanovic

Tuning brain cells with light

11.05.2023

An international research team, comprising scientists from University Hospital Bonn, DZNE, the Netherlands, and the US has been awarded a US$ 1.3 million grant by the “Human Frontier Science Program” to investigate brain immune cells and manipulate them via light irradiation.
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Image: old man falls to the ground and touches his forehead; Copyright: LightFieldStudios

LightFieldStudios

Balance ability predicts cognitive impairment

28.02.2023

In a study recently published in BMC Geriatrics, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed a new measure of physical balance that could help to identify individuals who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).
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Image: A multiwell plate is filled with a liquid. A brain scan is visible under the plate; Copyright: Image-Source

Image-Source

Predicting dementia using neural network characteristics

13.02.2023

In many neurodegenerative conditions, brain changes occur before symptoms emerge. But now, researchers from Japan have found a new way to distinguish these conditions in the early stages according to changes in brain activity patterns.
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Image: Two men in white coats are standing at a microscope in the laboratory; Copyright: National University of Singapore

National University of Singapore

Scientists identify blood biomarker for cognitive impairment and dementia

02.01.2023

A recent study by a team comprising researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National University Health System (NUHS) revealed that low levels of ergothioneine (ET) in blood plasma may predict an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, suggesting possible therapeutic or early screening measures for cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly.
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Image: A sleeping woman; Copyright: PantherMedia/fizkes

PantherMedia/fizkes

Wearable EEG gathers reliable sleep data from the ear

16.06.2021

Preliminary results of a new study show that a wearable electroencephalogram device that gathers data from the ear measures sleep as reliably as traditional EEG electrodes attached to the scalp.
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Image: A woman sitting in front of a device for an eye examination; Copyright: PantherMedia/Med_Photo_Studio

PantherMedia/Med_Photo_Studio

Alzheimer's disease: early detection using an eye exam

22.03.2021

Alzheimer's disease is still incurable, but if detected early enough, countermeasures can improve treatment and slow the progression. Unfortunately, there is still no reliable early detection test at this juncture. This might soon change thanks to a non-invasive spectroscopy of the retina.
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Image: elderly woman in a wheelchair showing a nurse something on a tablet; Copyright: panthermedia.net/mark@rocketclips.com

Smart care: safety and support thanks to AAL

02.12.2019

Average life expectancy keeps increasing, while birth rates are declining – at least when it comes to most industrial nations. The coming decades will see a decreasing number of gainfully employed people versus more and more senior citizens and people in need of care. It's a trend that already pushes healthcare to the brink. That's why we desperately need new concepts. One of them is AAL.
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Image: white flat sensor module: the smart care plaster moio.care; Copyright: MOIO GmbH

Wearables: more freedom with the smart care patch

02.12.2019

Too many people in need of care and not enough health care professionals – we all know the problem. For years, research is underway to find digital solutions for AAL to support the growing number of older & sick adults. These new technologies aim to both alleviate caregiver burden and enhance everyday life of people in need of care with a minimum level of constraint whilst promoting independence.
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Image: several people standing around a bed with a stand-up function on which one person sits; Copyright: Ralf Lienert/Allgäuer Zeitung

AAL Living Lab: research, education and raising awareness

02.12.2019

Smart home systems are a perfect example of how technology can make our daily lives easier. The fact that they can use a tablet to adjust lighting and blinds in every room benefits older adults in more ways than one. These types of technical systems are a part of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and create a safe living environment for older persons.
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Image: elderly woman with a tablet on her lap; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Lev Dolgachov

Ambient Assisted Living: sensors for seniors

02.12.2019

Our ageing society is confronted with fewer and fewer workers. One of the many consequences is a shortage of skilled nursing staff. Ambient Assisted Living should solve this problem. By equipping the living environment of elderly people or people in need of care with (technical) assistance systems, they are to be given more self-determination and security. The nursing staff also benefits.
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Image: CT scan open; Copyright: panthermedia.net/SimpleFoto

Functional imaging: a look at the command center

01.04.2019

All information from our body and the environment converges in our brain and is transformed into reactions in milliseconds. It is essential for medicine and research to know what our switching centre looks like. Functional methods are used to observe it more closely during work.
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Image: Patient during an fMRI examination; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Chris De Silver

Functional imaging: what makes the brain tick?

01.04.2019

Our brain is the command center of our body. This is where all information and impressions are collected and converted into responses and movements. Modern imaging techniques offer physicians and researchers unique insights into the actions of the human central nervous system. The functional imaging technique allows them to watch our brain in action.
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