Alzheimer's Disease

By Alice McCarthy Physical activity, especially endurance exercise, can improve cognitive function in part by reducing neuroinflammation. Research from HSCI affiliate member Christiane Wrann has shown that the hormone irisin, which is secreted from...

New insight into the workings of the hormone irisin shows it has the ability to spur the cognitive benefits of exercise, holding promise for treating cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, a HSCI led team at Massachusetts General Hospital have found...

HSCI researchers led by Tracy Young-Pearse, Ph.D., have developed a method to examine living brain cells and predict the rate of Alzheimer’s disease progression and cognitive decline. A new brain model has been developed that will allow patient-specific...

HSCI Principal Faculty member Vikram Khurana has received three awards to advance his innovative research on Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that impacts millions of patients around the world. Khurana is a winner of the “ Ken Griffin...

Young neurons (pink), responsible for encoding new memories, must compete with mature neurons (green) to survive and integrate into the hippocampal circuit. Photo courtesy of Kathleen McAvoy, Sahay Lab. HSCI researchers identify new mechanisms by which...

Young-Pearse and colleagues studied human astrocytes (red) and neurons (green) derived from iPS cells. Photo courtesy of Sarah Sullivan. Study of plaque production holds promise for improved treatments By B.D. Colen, HSCI Director of Communications...

New culture system makes it possible to observe progression of plaques and tangles Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists, in collaboration with Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers, have developed a three-dimensional laboratory culture...

Stem cells from patients offer model and drug-discovery platform for early-onset form of disease Harvard stem cell scientists have successfully converted skin cells from patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s into the types of neurons that are affected by...