Bad dreams in children linked to a higher risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease in adulthood – new study: Pressmaster/Shutterstock Can children’s dreams foretell events that will happen nearly 40 years into the future? Yes, according to the results of my latest study published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal. More specifically, it showed that children …
A 19-year-old is the youngest person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – the cause is a mystery: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock A 19-year-old man from China, who has been having memory problems since the age of 17, was diagnosed with dementia, according to a recent case study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. After …
Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia – here’s what we know about the disease: American actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family has announced. In 2022, the 67-year-old action movie star was diagnosed with aphasia – difficulty with language and speech. Aphasia can occur for a variety of reasons (most commonly stroke) but for Willis, …
Rare genetic disease may protect Ashkenazi Jews against tuberculosis – new study: Tuberculosis, humanity’s greatest infectious killer, is caused by bacteria that usually affect the lungs but can also affect many other organs in the body. In 2021, around 10.6 million people worldwide fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) and 1.6 million people died from the …
Possible link between Alzheimer’s disease and gut microbiome found in mice – new study: SewCream/Shutterstock Researchers may have found an unlikely contributor to the development of Alzheimer’s disease: the bacteria in your gut. Their study, published in the journal Science, suggested that certain gut bacteria increase the brain damage seen in mice with an Alzheimer’s-like …
Alzheimer’s: blood biomarker may help identify the disease ten years before symptoms start: Though this genetic form of Alzheimer's only affects around 1% of the population, it provides useful information on how the disease progresses. Atthapon Raksthaput/ Shutterstock Though Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 55 million people worldwide, there’s still no cure for the condition …
Jeff Beck dies of bacterial meningitis – what you need to know about the disease: Influential English guitarist Jeff Beck, who rose to fame playing with the Yardbirds and later fronted the Jeff Beck Group, died on January 10 aged 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis happens when germs get into the tissues (the …
People of colour: there’s a bias in how pictures are used to depict disease in global health publications: shutterstock Photography is a powerful tool in storytelling and scientific communication. But it can also cause harm when used unethically. We started to realise how photographs can send the wrong message when we were approached, as a …
Squirrelpox outbreak detected in north Wales – without a vaccine, the disease will keep decimating red squirrels: Concerns over the spread of squirrelpox have increased after a sick red squirrel was found in Bangor, Wales, in late November. It’s not the first time an outbreak has happened in the area – back in 2020/21, the …
TB is once again the deadliest disease in Africa – what went wrong: Scientist analysis flasks of saliva of TB patients. Yanick Folly/AFP via Getty Images Effective tuberculosis (TB) treatment has been available for the past 60 years. But TB remains the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. It ranks above HIV …
A liver disease drug could be repurposed to protect against COVID – new research: This drug could be effective regardless of the COVID variant. Explode/Shutterstock Almost three years into the pandemic, we’re still regularly seeing hundreds of thousands of new COVID cases recorded each day worldwide. In a new study, involving a combination of miniature …
We were told to ‘stay home’ to stop COVID. Then our homes became disease hotspots: Lucigerma/Shutterstock The rapid rise in COVID cases and deaths in March 2020 led Boris Johnson, then prime minister, to tell the British people: “You must stay at home.” These comments marked the beginning of the first nationwide COVID lockdown, and …
My work investigating the links between viruses and Alzheimer’s disease was dismissed for years – but now the evidence is building: Shutterstock/Jorm S This article is part of the Insights Uncharted Brain series. There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Here, Ruth Itzhaki reflects on a career dedicated to one of the …
We’ve been studying the same people for 76 years – this is what we’ve found out about Alzheimer’s disease: This article is part of the Insight’s Uncharted Brain series. In March 1946, just months after the end of the second world war, James Douglas began a pioneering and extraordinary study. Based on a representative sample …
How climate change influences the spread of disease – four essential reads: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images Climate change has led to extreme weather events such as floods and drought. These events have become more frequent and more severe. Natural disasters associated with climate change have a devastating effect on people’s lives, destroying homes, …
Alzheimer’s disease: surprising new theory about what might cause it: In 1906, Alois Alzheimer, a psychiatrist and neuroanatomist, reported “a peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex” to a gathering of psychiatrists in Tübingen, Germany. The case was a 50-year-old woman who suffered from memory loss, delusions, hallucinations, aggression and confusion – all of …
Parkinson’s disease: treatment is best started early: BBC broadcaster Jeremy Paxman was brought to hospital after he collapsed in a park while walking his dog. A doctor in the emergency department said to Paxman: “I think you have Parkinson’s.” The doctor had noticed that Paxman was less animated than usual when presenting University Challenge. A …
Four health conditions linked to gum disease: Early symptoms of gum disease include red, swollen gums, and bleeding when you brush or floss your teeth. Creative Cat Studio/ Shutterstock Gum diseases are among the most common chronic human diseases, affecting between 20 to 50% of people worldwide. They happen when plaque, a sticky film of …