An international team has made a significant breakthrough in understanding why Alzheimer’s disease progresses so rapidly in some people that they die within three years. The researchers found a link between strains of misshapen and fast-replicating tau protein and accelerated cognitive decline — a critical result that illuminates the variations in Alzheimer’s disease and could…

In a large-scale study of electronic health records investigators determined the prevalence of functional seizures and characterized comorbidities associated with them. Functional seizures are sudden attacks or spasms that look like epileptic seizures but do not have the aberrant brain electrical patterns of epilepsy. The research team confirmed associations between functional seizures and psychiatric disorders…

Scientists have uncovered fresh insights into how vitamin D affects the immune system and might influence susceptibility to diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight and is often lauded for its health benefits. Researchers found it also affects key cells of the immune system. This discovery…

Does lying down or turning over in bed make you feel dizzy? This simple question effectively identifies whether a person suffers from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which is harmless and treatable, recent research shows. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is common, and often undiagnosed, among senior citizens. Many suffer in silence from dizziness and impaired…

Research has shown that lowering blood pressure by taking blood pressure medications reduces the risk of developing dementia and cognitive impairment by 7%. Fourteen randomised controlled trials (96,158 participants) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Blood pressure lowering with antihypertensive medications reduced the risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment by 7%, and…

Insomnia, disrupted sleep, and daily burnout are linked to a heightened risk of not only becoming infected with coronavirus, but also having more severe disease and a longer recovery period, suggests an international study of healthcare workers. Every 1-hour increase in the amount of time spent asleep at night was associated with 12% lower odds…

A new study challenges claims from some international scientific circles, that having high blood levels of folate (folic acid) increases the risk of poor cognition in older adults, especially in those with low levels of vitamin B12. On the contrary the study found that having higher folate seemed to be associated with better cognitive function…

Child deaths have fallen in Brazil following complete smoking bans in public places, according to a new study. Its authors, from Imperial College London, the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), and Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, estimate that strengthening smoke-free legislation between 2000 and 2016 in Brazil averted over 15,000 deaths in children under…

A team of researchers has found a link between the way that cells produce energy for brain function and the mutated genes found in Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery published in Disease Models and Mechanisms has prompted further examination of the link as a fundamental, early driver of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. In the study, the…

The brain’s response to alcohol varies based on individual preferences, according to new research in rats. Not everyone is prone to developing an alcohol use disorder. Some people can drink every day without acquiring a dependence, yet far less drinking may drive another person into addiction. This difference may be explained by how the brain…