Consumer genetic tests can sometimes result in a terrible surprise appearing in the same report that divulges whether one has a cilantro aversion or wet or dry earwax. Test takers may receive the devastating news that they have a version of a gene—apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE e4)—that greatly increases their chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease. The […]
Tag: David Holtzman
Washington University to break ground on major neuroscience research hub
Washington University in St. Louis will begin construction in March on what will be one of the largest neuroscience research buildings in the country. Located on the School of Medicine campus, the 11-story, state-of-the-art research facility will merge, cultivate and advance some of the world’s leading neuroscience research. The 609,000-square-foot facility and interconnected projects initially […]
Gene ID’d as potential therapeutic target for dementia in Parkinson’s
Dementia is one of the most debilitating consequences of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition characterized by tremors, stiffness, slow movement and impaired balance. Eighty percent of people with Parkinson’s develop dementia within 20 years of the diagnosis, and patients who carry a particular variant of the gene APOE are at especially high risk. In new research, […]
Low Blood Sugar Levels May Keep Alzheimer’s At Bay
Brain scientists are offering a new reason to control blood sugar levels: It might help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. “There’s many reasons to get [blood sugar] under control,” says David Holtzman, chairman of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. “But this is certainly one.” Holtzman moderated a panel Sunday at the Society […]
Targeting immune cells may be potential therapy for Alzheimer’s
Messy tangles of a protein called tau can be found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and some other neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer’s, the tangles coalesce just before tissue damage becomes visible in brain scans and people start to become forgetful and confused. Now, a new study has found that brain immune cells […]
Holtzman awarded Watanabe Prize in Translational Research
David Holtzman, MD, the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and head of the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. He was recognized for his work uncovering the causes of Alzheimer’s disease […]
Leading the way for personalized medicine
Washington University is working with unparalleled research capabilities to make personalized medicine a reality. The medical school is pioneering individualized treatment approaches in obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Watch the video spotlight.
A Blood Test for Alzheimer’s? It’s Coming, Scientists Report
For decades, researchers have sought a blood test for beta amyloid, the protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Several groups and companies have made progress, and on Thursday, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis reported that they had devised the most sensitive blood test yet. The test will not be available for […]
Alzheimer’s missing link ID’d, answering what tips brain’s decline
Years before symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear, two kinds of damaging proteins silently collect in the brain: amyloid beta and tau. Clumps of amyloid accumulate first, but tau is particularly noxious. Wherever tangles of the tau protein appear, brain tissue dies, triggering the confusion and memory loss that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. Now, researchers at […]
Just One Night Of Sleep Loss Can Affect Body And Mind, Studies Find
From Forbes… Brains do a lot of work while we sleep—far from being a passive behavior, sleep is actually critical to brain health, and as a result, mental and cognitive health. A few new studies in recent weeks underline how important sleep is, and how detrimental lack of sleep can be. And not just chronic […]
Sleep deprivation accelerates Alzheimer’s brain damage
Study in mice, people explains why poor sleep linked to Alzheimer’s From the WashU Newsroom… Poor sleep has long been linked with Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers have understood little about how sleep disruptions drive the disease. Now, studying mice and people, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that sleep […]
Study: Sleep Deprivation Speeds Up Alzheimer’s Disease
From US News & World Report… EXPERTS HAVE LONG warned about the negative effects of sleep deprivation, and new research suggests that people with Alzheimer’s disease may be particularly affected. In a study of mice and humans, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that sleep deprivation increases levels of the […]
New hope for old disease
Doctors may soon be able to predict, prevent Alzheimer’s disease From the WashU Outlook Magazine… Caring for an aging relative with Alzheimer’s disease, watching memories slowly slip away, is an exhausting and heartbreaking ordeal. For those with the condition, modern medicine can offer little in the way of treatment as the disease inexorably strips away […]
Decreased deep sleep linked to early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
Toxic brain protein tau elevated in older people who sleep poorly From the WashU School of Medicine News… Poor sleep is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. People with the disease tend to wake up tired, and their nights become even less refreshing as memory loss and other symptoms worsen. But how and why restless nights […]
Antibody removes Alzheimer’s plaques, in mice
From the WashU Newsroom… Years before people start showing characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, sticky plaques begin forming in their brains, damaging nearby cells. For decades, doctors have sought ways to clear out these plaques as a way to prevent or treat the disease. The sticky clumps, known as amyloid plaques, are composed primarily of a […]
Lack of sleep boosts levels of Alzheimer’s proteins
Study shows sleepless night taxes brain’s waste-disposal abilities From the WashU Newsroom… Have you resolved to take better care of yourself in the new year? Here’s a relatively painless way to do it: Catch a few more zzz’s every night. A third of American adults don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control […]
Medical School faculty named to National Academy of Inventors
Achilefu, Holtzman, Leuthardt honored for innovation From the WashU Newsroom… Noted innovators Samuel Achilefu, PhD, David Holtzman, MD, and Eric Leuthardt, MD – faculty members at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The 2017 class of NAI fellows was announced Tuesday. They are recognized as fellows […]
Alzheimer’s damage in mice reduced with compound that targets APOE gene
APOE is major Alzheimer’s risk gene From the WashU Newsroom… People who carry the APOE4 genetic variant face a substantial risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a compound that targets the APOE protein in the brains of mice and protects against damage induced by […]
Pursuing a precision paradigm
Why move from current standards of patient care to a more personalized approach to treatment? Experts at the School of Medicine describe today’s medical landscape as they plan for the care — and cures — of the future. From the WashU Newsroom… Of the top-grossing domestic movies of 2017 to date, three of the Top 5 […]
Obituary: William Landau, professor emeritus, 93
Former head of neurology specialized in movement disorders From the WashU Newsroom… William M. Landau, MD, a professor emeritus of neurology, died in his sleep Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, at his home in University City. He was 93. Landau wasa professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 1954 to 2012 […]
Alzheimer’s gene poses both risk — and benefits
Study suggests role of inflammation in brain disease is complicated From the WashU Newsroom… Scientists drilling down to the molecular roots of Alzheimer’s disease have encountered a good news/bad news scenario. A major player is a gene called TREM2, mutations of which can substantially raise a person’s risk of the disease. The bad news is that […]
Newly ID’d role of major Alzheimer’s gene suggests possible therapeutic target
Blocking ApoE4 in brain may prevent nerve cell death, inflammation From the WashU Newsroom… Nearly a quarter century ago, a genetic variant known as ApoE4 was identified as a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease — one that increases a person’s chances of developing the neurodegenerative disease by up to 12 times. However, it was never […]
