News
What's happening in Alzheimer's care, research funding, and treatment — summarized simply, each item linked to the original reporting.
Free to read, “May need a subscription” and “Archived copy”: what they mean
Whether an article is free to read is a guess, not a test of your access. Each item is one of three:
- No label: free to read (303 of 347). The publisher’s page marks it free, or the outlet publishes free to read: Medical Xpress, ScienceDaily, NIH (incl. NIA and PMC), Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's News Today, NPR, Alzheimer's Disease International, or a .gov site.
- May need a subscription (11 of 347). The publisher’s own page marks the article as not free to read, or — when the page says nothing — the outlet sells subscriptions: The New York Times, STAT, Scientific American, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Wired, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Times, The Telegraph, New Scientist, Endpoints News, Science. Each badge says which.
- “Free to read? Not known” (33 of 347). The outlet is on neither list and its page said nothing. We do not call these paywalled.
Archived copy links go to a copy the Internet Archive (web.archive.org) saved, dated the day it was saved. We show one only where the Internet Archive reported a working saved copy when we checked; an archived copy of a subscription article sometimes shows only its opening. 265 of 347 items have one.
Brain responses to heartbeat are altered in patients with iRBD
Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), a condition characterized by strong physical reactions to vivid, often violent dreams, is one of the earliest warning signs of brain changes seen in Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies…
Why it matters: Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder serves as one of the earliest warning signs of brain changes seen in Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies.
Read at Medical Xpress →Brain tissue removed during surgery reveals potential way to curb inflammation linked to Alzheimer's
Inflammatory conditions in the brain, including traumatic brain injury and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, could be targeted with an existing drug thanks to new research that shows it can work in brain cells.
Why it matters: New research in brain cells reveals an existing drug could potentially curb inflammatory conditions linked to Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injury.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (8 Oct 2026), Internet ArchivePolyubiquitin may stabilize tau filament structures in neurodegenerative diseases
In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, progressive neuronal damage is associated with the accumulation of abnormal tau filaments in the brain. …
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (6 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveIrrelevant visual details interfere with decisions under uncertainty, brain research shows
Cognitive flexibility, the ability to adjust one's way of thinking or behavior as a situation changes, is known to gradually decline with age or due to some conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and substance use disorders. …
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (5 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveHuman tau seeds trigger disease-specific shapes in mouse brains, new study finds
Tau is a protein that occurs naturally in the brain. It is essential for proper neuron development and for how neurons communicate with each other. The same protein, however, when misshapen or misfolded, can act as a driver of neurodegenerative diseases. …
Why it matters: Misshapen tau protein can act as a driver of neurodegenerative diseases despite its natural role in neuron development and communication.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (5 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveReading, socializing and doing puzzles can help preserve cognitive health, large study shows
Puzzles, brain-training games and hobbies have long been said to stave off cognitive decline. But while some research has shown that intensive brain-training programs done over several weeks can reduce cognitive impairment, such interventions aren't very practical in daily life.
Why it matters: A large study shows that everyday activities like reading, socializing, and doing puzzles can help preserve cognitive health.
Alzheimer's disease and aging reshape brain communication in different ways
Both normal aging and Alzheimer's change how different brain regions communicate with each other. But a new study from Lund University reveals that these alterations follow distinct patterns, with disease-related shifts distinguishable from those linked to normal aging. …
Why it matters: A new study from Lund University reveals that brain communication shifts in Alzheimer's disease follow distinct patterns from normal aging.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (3 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveHearing aids show promise for cognitive recovery, but dementia prevention remains unproven
People who live long enough have a high chance of losing some of their hearing as they grow older. By age 60, about one in three adults has presbycusis, an age-related decline in hearing caused by changes inside the ear…
Why it matters: Hearing aids show potential for helping cognitive recovery, though their ability to prevent dementia is still unproven.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (2 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveLower vertebral bone mineral density linked to cognitive decline
Lower vertebral bone mineral density (vBMD) is associated with changes in brain structure and cognition among older adults, according to a study published online in Radiology.
Why it matters: Lower vertebral bone mineral density is associated with changes in brain structure and cognition among older adults, according to a study published in Radiology.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (2 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveYour voice may reveal how fast and how well you're aging
A large study shows that machine-learning clocks based on speech can estimate chronological age and may also offer a window into brain aging, biological aging, cognitive health, cumulative burden and dementia.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (2 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveResearch offers new hope for those at higher risk of Alzheimer's disease
A new study from the University of Missouri offers hope for those who are at significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.
Read at Medical Xpress →Dietary patterns linked to favorable blood biomarkers relevant to aging
Researchers have long known that diet plays an important role in health later in life, but the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet fully understood. …
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (29 Sep 2026), Internet ArchiveThe brain still responds to favorite music in dementia
What happens in the brain of someone with dementia when they hear music that means something to them? Researchers from Alzheimer Center Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience mapped how the brain responds to personally meaningful music. …
Why it matters: Researchers mapped how the brain of someone with dementia responds when hearing personally meaningful music.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (28 Sep 2026), Internet ArchiveMenopause leaves a fingerprint that may predict dementia risk
As women go through menopause, they often sense that it's not just their bodies changing, but also their minds. They report hot flashes, anxiety, brain fog and trouble sleeping—all symptoms that can be traced back to the brain.
Why it matters: As women undergo menopause, they report symptoms such as brain fog, anxiety, and trouble sleeping, which can all be traced back to changes in the brain.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (2 Oct 2026), Internet ArchiveSolving Alzheimer's with math? Researcher explores the possibilities
What can mathematics reveal about Alzheimer's disease? Mississippi State University associate professor Shantia Yarahmadian is using mathematical modeling to examine how common metals may influence a protein that forms plaque associated with Alzheimer's disease…
Why it matters: Mississippi State University researcher Shantia Yarahmadian is using mathematical modeling to examine how common metals may influence a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease plaque.
Read at Medical Xpress →How the MIND diet protects aging brains
A well-known brain-healthy diet may help ward off cognitive decline and dementia by protecting arteries, a new study suggests.
Why it matters: A well-known brain-healthy diet may help ward off cognitive decline and dementia by protecting arteries, a new study suggests.
Read at Medical Xpress →Can hormone replacement therapy prevent dementia? What the latest research tells us
A study has raised a question that many women would understandably want answered: Could hormone replacement therapy (HRT) protect against dementia? …
Why it matters: A study raised a key question about whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could help protect women against dementia.
Read at Medical Xpress →Blood proteins shift during Alzheimer's treatment and may help monitor the effects of the medication
Patients with early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease may be prescribed anti-amyloid therapy, which can help clear the sticky clumps of amyloid protein in the brain that characterize Alzheimer's. …
Why it matters: Shifts in blood proteins during Alzheimer's treatment may help monitor the effects of medication in patients receiving anti-amyloid therapy.
Cognitive speed training linked to lower dementia incidence up to 20 years later
Adults age 65 and older who completed five to six weeks of cognitive speed training—in this case, speed of processing training, which helps people quickly find visual information on a computer screen and handle increasingly complex tasks in a shorter time period…
Why it matters: Cognitive speed training, which helps older adults quickly find visual information, is linked to a lower incidence of dementia up to 20 years later.
Your morning coffee might protect your brain as you age. Here's the sweet spot
Scientists have found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day may significantly reduce your risk of developing dementia, but drinking more won't help protect your brain any further.
Why it matters: Scientists found drinking two to three cups of coffee daily may significantly reduce dementia risk, though drinking more provides no additional brain protection.
Obesity and aging: Study links inflammation to cognitive decline
Obesity and older age are strongly associated with low-grade inflammation in the body, a condition that appears closely linked to cognitive decline and dementia. …
Why it matters: Obesity and older age are linked to low-grade inflammation, which appears closely connected to cognitive decline and dementia.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (7 Mar 2026), Internet ArchiveConsuming 2–3 cups of coffee daily associated with lower dementia risk, better cognitive function
A new prospective cohort study by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard analyzed 131,821 participants from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study…
Why it matters: Analyzing 131,821 participants, this study links consuming 2–3 cups of coffee daily to a lower dementia risk and better cognitive function.
Speed-focused brain training tied to 25% lower dementia risk after 20 years
A simple brain-training exercise could reduce people's risk of developing dementia by 25%, a study said Monday, but with outside researchers expressing caution in interpreting the results.
Why it matters: A simple brain-training exercise could cut dementia risk by 25% after 20 years, though outside researchers caution how the results are interpreted.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (14 Feb 2026), Internet ArchivePreclinical study successfully reverses loss of blood flow to brain, an early sign of Alzheimer's disease
Supriya Chakraborty might have been studying insects in a lab had it not been for an immunology college instructor in India who taught him about the superheroes inside him—immune cells that wage a battle against bacteria, parasites…
Why it matters: A preclinical study successfully reversed loss of blood flow to the brain, which is an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (17 Feb 2026), Internet ArchiveDementia research must include voices of those with lived experience
A new Canadian study has found that people living with dementia (PLWD) are often excluded from research due to assumptions of incapacity and variations in institutional processes. …
Why it matters: A new Canadian study shows people living with dementia are often excluded from research due to assumptions of incapacity and institutional variations.
Read at Medical Xpress →One-third of dementia cases are linked to non brain-related diseases, study finds
Dementia is a term used to describe memory loss, impaired reasoning, difficulties communicating and other mental impairments that can be caused by Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative disease, strokes, severe infections, head injuries or various other conditions. …
Pregnancy, breastfeeding associated with higher levels of cognitive function for postmenopausal women
Female brains have historically evolved to adapt to pregnancy, undergoing structural and functional changes. But the cognitive health implications of these adaptations have long been overlooked—until now. …
Read at Medical Xpress → Archived copy (5 Feb 2026), Internet ArchiveASA: White matter hyperintensity burden tied to future decline in older adults' driving ability
White matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden predicts functional decline in real-world driving among older adults, according to a study scheduled to be presented at the annual American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 4 to 6 in New Orleans.
Why it matters: White matter hyperintensity burden predicts functional decline in real-world driving among older adults, offering insight into their future driving ability.
Read at Medical Xpress →Common bacteria discovered in the eye linked to cognitive decline
Chlamydia pneumoniae—a common bacterium that causes pneumonia and sinus infections—can linger in the eye and brain for years and may aggravate Alzheimer's disease, according to a study from Cedars-Sinai. …
Why it matters: A study shows Chlamydia pneumoniae can persist in the eye and brain for years and may aggravate Alzheimer's disease.
Shingles vaccination associated with delayed dementia onset in older adults
Every three seconds, someone, somewhere in the world, develops dementia. The number of people living with the condition is projected to rise dramatically, doubling from 78 million in 2020 to 139 million by 2050, making dementia an urgent public health concern of our time. …
Why it matters: Dementia is an urgent public health concern with cases projected to double from 78 million in 2020 to 139 million by 2050, as someone develops it every three seconds.
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