Brigham Clinical Research News, November 2017

Investigating Patterns of Degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers have found that factors encoded in the DNA of brain cells contribute to the patterns of degeneration, or vulnerability, in AD. 

Eureka Alert, AAAS, October 2017

Scientists find a role for Parkinson’s gene in the brain

A new study published in the journal Neuron sheds light on the normal function of LRRK2, the most common genetic cause for late-onset Parkinson’s disease. 

Eureka Alert, AAAS, October 2017

Investigating the most common genetic contributor to Parkinson’s disease

Jie Shen, PhD, and her team have discovered an essential role of LRRK in the brain during aging that may help to shed light on the causes of PD in human patients.

Eureka Alert, AAAS, March 2015

Study reveals mechanism behind most common form of inherited Alzheimer’s disease

A study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) reveals for the first time exactly how mutations associated with the most common form of inherited Alzheimer’s disease produce the disorder’s devastating effects. 

Eureka Alert, AAAS, March 2015

Study reveals how genetic changes lead to familial Alzheimer’s disease

In a new study, published in Neuron, scientists replaced the normal mouse presenilin-1 gene with Alzheimer’s-causing forms of the human gene to discover how these genetic changes may lead to the disorder. Their surprising results may transform the way scientists design drugs that target these mutations.