News and Announcements

With a new $20 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, Northwestern Medicine investigator, Linda Teplin, PhD, is extending the work of the Northwestern Juvenile Project to study the long-term consequences of incarceration on age-related conditions, including Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases. This project is the only large-scale longitudinal study of its kind tracking health and outcomes of detained juveniles in the years following their release.

A new study has found the more recently evolved and advanced parts of the human brain that support social interactions are in constant communication with an ancient part of the brain called the amygdala.

Advocate Amy Bouschart traveled from Arizona to Chicago to receive a proclamation from Mayor Brandon Johnson, officially recognizing FTD Awareness Week in the city. Bouschart, whose husband Frank lives with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), now hopes this recognition sparks further legislative action to improve healthcare access for those with early-onset diagnoses.

Feinberg principal investigators secured $742.2 million dollars in research funding and awards during the 2023-24 fiscal year, a five percent increase over the previous year, and the largest amount in the school’s history.

An international team of investigators have discovered that oligodendrocytes contribute approximately one-third of plaque formation alongside neurons in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience.

The post Non-Neuron Brain Cells Produce a Third of Amyloid Plaque in Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on News Center.

Discover how the brain can maintain health and functionality despite aging. Tamar Gefen, PhD, discusses insights into the remarkable resilience of SuperAgers and the Northwestern University SuperAging Program. Learn about the latest research on cognitive health and the factors contributing to exceptional memory retention and mental skills in older adults.

The Mesulam Center's Sandra Weintraub, PhD, joined CNN to discuss President Biden's cognitive health, highlighting the effects of aging and the importance of sleep and medical history on cognitive abilities

Northwestern investigators have identified a novel transcription factor which regulates a signaling mechanism utilized by a fertilized embryo to protect its mother from cellular and environmental stress, according to a recent study to published in the journal Genes and Development.

Experts, including the Mesulam Center's Tamar Gefen, PhD, highlight the unique qualities of "SuperAgers". While no specific trick ensures becoming a SuperAger, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining social connections, and reducing stress are key practices observed among them.

For decades, Marcus Peter, PhD, has drilled into an area of research focused on cell death and the roles of toxic and protective short RNAs, with the goal of developing a novel form of cancer treatment. Now, this same line of research has led Peter’s team to uncover new insights into the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode, Peter explains his pioneering work in investigating RNA interference in diseases and explains how his lab’s latest novel discovery may have relevance to an array of neurodegenerative diseases beyond Alzheimer’s.