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Clinical trial of nasal vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease underway at Boston hospital

It is designed to activate white blood cells found in the lymph nodes on the sides and back of the neck to migrate to the brain and trigger clearance of beta-amyloid plaques — one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. I-Mab Biopharma (I-Mab) and Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical (NHWA) are responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of Protollin.

The trial represents the culmination of nearly 20 years of research led by Dr. Howard L. Weiner, co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at the Brigham.

“The launch of the first human trial of a nasal vaccine for Alzheimer’s is a remarkable milestone,” said Weiner. “Over the last two decades, we’ve amassed preclinical evidence suggesting the potential of this nasal vaccine for AD. If clinical trials in humans show that the vaccine is safe and effective, this could represent a nontoxic treatment for people with Alzheimer’s, and it could also be given early to help prevent Alzheimer’s in people at risk.”

A key brain region responds to faces similarly in infants and adults

The Neuro-Network.

𝘼 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨

𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙭 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙚… See more.


In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of babies ranging in age from two to nine months, MIT researchers have found regions of the infant visual cortex that show strong preferences for either faces, bodies, or scenes, just as they do in adults.

Can lucid dreaming help us understand consciousness?

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨?


The ability to control our dreams is a skill that more of us are seeking to acquire for sheer pleasure. But if taken seriously, scientists believe it could unlock new secrets of the mind.

New approach provides potential vaccine and treatment for Alzheimer’s

LifeArc scientists, in collaboration with researchers in the UK and Germany, have developed a promising new approach to potentially treat Alzheimer’s disease – and also vaccinate against it.

Both the antibody-based treatment and the protein-based vaccine developed by the team reduced Alzheimer’s symptoms in mouse models of the disease. The research is published today in Molecular Psychiatry.


LifeArc and researchers in the UK & Germany have developed a promising new approach to potentially treat Alzheimer’s.

Sponge Genes Hint at the Origins of Neurons and Other Cells

𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨


A new study of gene expression in sponges reveals the complex diversity of their cells as well as some possibly ancient connections between the nervous, immune and digestive systems.

Multivitamins, but not cocoa, bound for slower brain aging

Taking a daily multivitamin for 3 years is associated with a 60% slower cognitive aging, with the effects particularly pronounced in patients with cardiovascular (CVD) disease, new research suggests.

In addition to testing the effect of a daily multivitamin on cognition, the COSMOS-Mind study also examined the effect of cocoa flavonols, but showed no beneficial effect.

The results “may have important public health implications, particularly for brain health, given the availability of multivitamins and minerals and their low cost and safety,” said research researcher Laura D. Baker, PhD, professor, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Scientists May Have Unlocked Function of Mysterious Structure Found on Neurons in the Brain

Unusual clusters on neurons are calcium-signaling “hotspots” that activate gene transcription, allowing neurons to produce crucial proteins.

For 30 years, mysterious clusters of proteins found on the cell body of neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain, both intrigued and baffled James Trimmer.

Now, the distinguished professor of physiology and membrane biology at the UC Davis School of Medicine may finally have an answer. In a new study published in PNAS, Trimmer and his colleagues reveal these protein clusters are calcium signaling “hotspots” in the neuron that play a crucial role in activating gene transcription.

New neuroscience study finds neighborhood disadvantage is linked to altered brain maturation in adolescence

The Neuro-Network.

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚

𝙋𝙨𝙮𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩:

𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰… See more.


“Our results essentially showed the children who grew up in disadvantaged neighborhoods had brains that looked older than was typical for their age during early adolescence… What’s more, these associations held true even when we accounted for household socioeconomic status and other adversities (such as childhood abuse and neglect), which suggests that neighborhood disadvantage has a unique role to play in brain development.

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