Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research
Poor spatial navigation could predict Alzheimer’s years earlier
Poor spatial navigation could predict Alzheimer’s disease years before the onset of symptoms, new research says.
A new study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, led by UCL researchers has found that people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease have impaired spatial navigation prior to problems with other cognitive functions, including memory.
The research used virtual reality to test the spatial navigation of 100 asymptomatic midlife adults, aged 43-66, from the PREVENT-Dementia prospective cohort study.
Study sheds light on hereditary Alzheimer’s disease
A University of Kansas study of rare gene mutations that cause hereditary Alzheimer’s disease shows these mutations disrupt production of a small sticky protein called amyloid.
Plaques composed of amyloid are notoriously found in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease and have long been considered responsible for the inexorable loss of neurons and cognitive decline. The new research found that the stalled process of amyloid production — not the amyloid itself — can trigger loss of critical connections between nerve cells.
Walking and reminiscing benefits brain health
Newly published research suggests that an Oregon Health & Science University research program that enlists older Black adults to walk through and reminisce about historically Black neighborhoods in Portland, may improve brain health in a population that’s disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, published online in The Gerontologist, reveals that participants not only improved their health and mood, but researchers also measured improvements in cognitive function among those who started the study with mild memory loss.
Brain cancer risk in veterans with TBI
Moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), along with penetrating TBIs, were linked with a higher risk of brain cancer among US veterans who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, a new study of 1.9 million veterans has found.
Anti-cancer drug shows promise in brain injury
Researchers at the Institut de Neurociències of the UAB (INc-UAB) have shown that the anti-cancer drug vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid), used to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, has potential in treating brain lesions derived from strokes.
Company updates
ONWARD awarded Breakthrough Device Designation
Medical technology company, ONWARD, has been awarded Breakthrough Device Designation (BDD) by the US FDA for its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and ARC-IM® Therapy which is designed to restore thought-driven lower limb mobility after spinal cord injury (SCI).
S.BIOMEDICS advances Parkinson’s study
S.BIOMEDICS has completed the brain transplant of TED-A9 (hESC-derived dopaminergic progenitors) for Phase 1/2a study for treating Parkinson’s disease. The clinical trial was conducted on 12 participants who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for more than 5 years and exhibited motor complications such as drug wearing-off, freezing of gait or dyskinesia.
