Alterations in mitochondrial dynamics are hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Advances in understanding the processes underlying brain neurodegeneration have allowed lots of new treatment and prevention strategies to begin to flourish. Several presentations at the 2024 Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases Conference recently held in Lisbon reflect that eyes are now on some individuals who, despite showing pathological signs in their brains, stay cognitively healthy across several endogenous mechanisms of resilience.

In a new study, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Regulus Therapeutics Inc. further investigated the role of miR-155 in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

The activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome exacerbates neuronal dysfunction in several neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as multiple sclerosis. Targeting NLRP3 is an approach to overcome brain inflammation, among others.

In cell and animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the expression of toxic dipeptides in neurons led to changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a protective response. The authors wrote that their findings, which appeared in Nature Neuroscience on Feb. 29, 2024, could suggest new strategies for how to approach ALS.