Mental and Cognitive Health Library
Every article, presentation, spotlight, and news item we've tagged to Mental and Cognitive Health.
Showing 49–72 of 215
Current Clinical Trials of Alzheimer’s Drugs
Clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease have expanded significantly, with 158 drugs across 192 trials currently under investigation. The pipeline reflects a strategic shift toward multi-target approaches, particularly inflammation and immune dysfunction alongside established amyloid and tau pathways, reflecting recognition that cognitive decline involves multiple biological mechanisms requiring coordinated intervention.
Shared neurodegeneration mechanisms reshape Alzheimer's treatment strategy
NeuroSense's Phase 2 data from PrimeC in Alzheimer's disease shows biomarker shifts similar to those observed in prior ALS studies, suggesting neurodegenerative diseases share common biological mechanisms. This finding supports a shift away from single-target drug development toward multi-pathway approaches addressing simultaneous system failures in neurodegeneration.
Diabetes eye damage linked to higher dementia risk
Type 2 diabetes with worsening diabetic retinopathy correlates with significantly elevated dementia risk, with severe eye disease conferring 58% higher risk for any dementia and more than double the risk for vascular dementia. The retina serves as a measurable window into microvascular integrity throughout the body, including the cerebral vasculature, making routine eye screening a potential early intervention point for cognitive decline.
Alzheon reports biomarker results supporting ALZ‑801 effects in Alzheimer’s
Alzheon's ALZ-801 demonstrated sustained reductions in plasma phosphorylated tau 217 across Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials, with biomarker changes correlating to cognitive preservation and protection against hippocampal volume loss in early Alzheimer's disease. These results support the compound's mechanism of inhibiting neurotoxic amyloid oligomer formation at disease stages where intervention may be most effective.
Prevalence and Impact of High-Impact Chronic Pain on Subjective Cognitive Decline: The Moderating Role of Age in the NHIS Dataset
High-impact chronic pain is associated with subjective cognitive decline, with age acting as a moderating factor. This relationship has implications for understanding how persistent pain states interact with cognitive aging and longevity outcomes.
Brain Network Disorder Predicts Physical Decline in Aging
Aging brain networks show increased spatial disorder (entropy) compared to younger brains, with higher disorder in motor control regions correlating to worse physical function. This pattern suggests brain network disorganization as a measurable marker of functional decline in older adults.
AI predicts who will decline faster in Alzheimer’s
Machine learning models trained on routine clinic data predict individual rates of cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment with greater accuracy than population averages. Early identification of specific functional vulnerabilities—such as difficulty with finances or meal preparation—enables targeted interventions before independence is lost.
Cognito partners to stop using ‘dementia’ in communications
Cognito Therapeutics has committed to eliminating the term 'dementia' from all communications in partnership with the Initiative to Change the D-Word, prioritizing patient-centered language that reduces stigma and supports earlier recognition of cognitive decline. This linguistic shift reflects a broader movement toward precision in how cognitive pathology is discussed and treated.
Negative Interactions Are Associated With Faster Aging
Individuals with more problematic people in their close social networks exhibit accelerated biological aging, with each additional "hassler" associated with a 1.5% faster aging pace and approximately 9.5 months of additional biological age. This effect persists after controlling for demographic, occupational, and health factors, establishing social stress as a measurable driver of epigenetic aging.
New retinal screening targets Alzheimer’s before memory loss
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are developing a retinal screening tool using fluorescent eye drops to detect amyloid proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease before memory loss occurs. This approach could enable population-level screening in routine ophthalmology clinics, identifying individuals at risk when emerging treatments are most effective.
Inverse Cancer-Alzheimer's Paradox Reveals Distinct Aging Pathways
Epidemiological data consistently show an inverse relationship: Alzheimer's disease risk drops significantly in cancer patients, while cancer risk halves in Alzheimer's patients. This paradox, despite shared aging-related risk factors, suggests distinct mechanistic pathways that could reveal therapeutic targets for both conditions.
An intriguing case of “exceptional resilience” against dementia
A 75-year-old carrier of a dominant Alzheimer's mutation remained cognitively intact, suggesting that genetic predisposition does not determine disease expression. This case indicates that protective mechanisms—possibly involving heat shock proteins and cellular stress response—can override genetic risk, with implications for understanding preventive intervention strategies in neurodegeneration.
Immune Cell Genes Anchor Alzheimer's Risk and Drug Repurposing
An integrative analysis combining single-cell transcriptomic data with Alzheimer's genetic risk loci identifies disease-associated genes expressed in specific immune cell populations, particularly brain-resident and peripheral immune lineages. The resulting gene set is then mapped against existing pharmacological compounds to generate drug repurposing candidates. The work positions immune regulation, rather than amyloid accumulation alone, as a tractable target in neurodegenerative disease.
Blood biomarkers bring Alzheimer's diagnosis to primary care
Imperial College London is integrating a blood-based biomarker test into primary care settings to enable earlier Alzheimer's detection before cognitive symptoms become severe. The study evaluates whether this approach can scale across healthcare systems to compress diagnostic timelines and support earlier clinical intervention.
Your Mindset is the Secret to Aging in Reverse
A longitudinal study found that 45% of older adults show cognitive improvement over a decade, with positive age-related beliefs associated with better outcomes. This challenges the assumption that cognitive decline is inevitable with age and suggests mindset-dependent mechanisms may influence cognitive trajectory.
Brain ‘recycling’ map traces disease risk
Stanford researchers created the first comprehensive atlas of lysosomal proteins across four major brain cell types, revealing cell-specific patterns that explain how waste accumulation contributes to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. This cellular-level mapping shifts neurodegeneration research toward early prevention rather than late-stage intervention, with direct implications for maintaining cognitive function across the lifespan.
White matter integrity peaks with moderate activity in older adults
Physical activity correlates with improved white matter integrity in the brain, but the relationship is nonlinear and varies significantly by age and brain region. In older adults and those transitioning from sedentary behavior, activity's effects on neural fiber organization are mediated partly through improvements in body composition, cardiometabolic health, and inflammatory markers.
Cohort profile Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative DAC Egypt Cohort
The DAC Egypt Cohort is a longitudinal study designed to identify early biomarkers and risk factors for Alzheimer's disease in an understudied Egyptian population, addressing a critical gap in dementia research outside Western cohorts. Early detection and prevention strategies depend on understanding how disease processes vary across genetic and environmental contexts.
Life Stressors and Loneliness in Older Adults: The Role of Family Functioning and Self-Perceptions of Aging
Life stressors correlate with loneliness in older adults, with family functioning and self-perceptions of aging serving as modifiable pathways that influence this relationship. Understanding these associations provides targets for intervention in a population at elevated risk for isolation-related health decline.
[Articles] The role of frailty and comorbidities in severe infections and the risk of dementia: a prospective, multicohort, observational study
Severe infections carry independent dementia risk beyond what frailty and comorbidities explain, suggesting infection-related mechanisms directly contribute to cognitive decline. This identifies a modifiable pathway distinct from typical aging trajectories.
Associations Among Natural Disaster Exposure, Childhood Adversity, and Cognitive Functioning in Older Americans in the Health and Retirement Study
Natural disaster exposure in older adults correlates with reduced cognitive function, with effects significantly amplified in those who experienced adverse childhood events. This suggests cumulative stress across the lifespan shapes cognitive resilience in aging.
Sleep Duration and Chronic Disease Risk in Later Life: Longitudinal Evidence and Mechanism Analysis From China
Both short and long sleep duration independently increase chronic disease risk in older adults, with sleep duration showing a dose-response relationship to multimorbidity. The effect operates through metabolic dysregulation, inflammatory pathways, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction rather than a single mechanism.
Formal Care Services Reduce Dementia Behavioral Decline
Formal services reduce behavioral symptoms in dementia patients and decrease caregiver burden, though evidence quality remains mixed. This finding addresses a critical gap in dementia care delivery, where behavioral management directly influences both patient outcomes and caregiver health status.
Bexorg secures grant to speed Parkinson’s therapies
Bexorg has secured funding to validate TRPML1, a protein target for Parkinson's therapies, using preserved human brain tissue paired with AI-driven biomarker identification. This approach addresses a critical translational gap: the inability to confirm drug efficacy in human neural tissue, which has caused over 95% of CNS drug candidates to fail in clinical trials despite theoretical promise.