Check out the latest in aging advances, research, and events happening at NIA:
- Blood tests show promise for early Alzheimer’s diagnosis — Two new studies, funded in part by NIA, examined measurements of a substance in the blood called ptau217. Researchers found that diagnostic blood tests of this tau protein could serve as a promising early marker for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Additional study points to potential promise of plasma NfL as a biomarker for familial Alzheimer’s disease — A new study found further evidence that the protein neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a possible biomarker for familial Alzheimer’s disease. Developing a blood-based biomarker could potentially provide less invasive and less expensive ways to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
- Better executive function predicts less mobility decline after a fall — A recent NIA-supported study found that the better one’s executive function, the less decline in mobility after a fall, and that measuring executive function may help predict change in mobility before a fall happens. This finding was even more significant for older, inactive, and thinner adults.
- 3D structures of tau and alpha-synuclein proteins vary by brain disease, several studies show — A team of scientists from the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States revealed that each type of degenerative brain disease is associated with a unique 3D filament structure of tau or alpha-synuclein protein. The discovery of disease-specific filament structures could be translated into better detection and treatment methods.
- Focus on Aging: Federal Partners’ Webinar Series — Learn about health and wellness for older adults in a new webinar series collaboration. Four federal partners, including NIA, will cover general topics of interest to both older adults and caregivers. Join the next webinar, “Social Isolation and Loneliness,” on Sept. 28, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST.
- Register now for NIH’s Inclusion Across the Lifespan-II Workshop — This virtual workshop on Sept. 2, 2020, will feature lessons learned and discussion about the inclusion of pediatric and older populations in clinical studies and provide evidence-based practical advice to the scientific community. There will be an emphasis on special populations across the life course.
Read more of the latest NIA news at the NIA newsroom.
