David Limbrick
The lowest part of a child s brain is visible below the bottom of the skull in this MRI scan and shows evidence of a Chiari 1 malformation. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that Chiari 1 malformation can be caused by variations in two genes linked to brain development, and that children with large heads are at increased risk of developing the condition.
About one in 100 children has a common brain disorder called Chiari 1 malformation, but most of the time such children grow up normally and no one suspects a problem. But in about one in 10 of those children, the condition causes headaches, neck pain, hearing, vision and balance disturbances, or other neurological symptoms.
Brain protein indicates a link between circadian rhythm dysfunction and Alzheimer s Disease
Fractured sleep, daytime sleepiness and other signs of disturbance in one s circadian rhythm are common complaints of people with Alzheimer s disease, and the problems only get worse as the disease progresses. But the reason for the link between Alzheimer s and circadian dysfunction is not well understood.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that a clue may lie in the brain protein YKL-40.
In a study published Dec. 16 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers report that YKL-40 is both regulated by clock genes and involved in clearing away potentially toxic buildup of Alzheimer s proteins in the brain. Moreover, Alzheimer s patients who carry a genetic variant that reduces YKL-40 levels maintain their cognitive faculties longer than people without the variant, the scientists found.
Brain protein helps explain link between circadian rhythm, Alzheimer’s disease
December 16, 2020 SHARE
Immune cells known as microglia (turquoise with red dots) surround a plaque of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid (blue). The red dots indicate that the microglia are prepared to remove the potentially damaging plaque. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a protein that links the amyloid-removal process to the circadian clock. The protein, YKL-40, could help explain why people with Alzheimer’s frequently suffer from sleep disturbances, and provide a new target for Alzheimer’s therapies. (Image: Brian Lananna/School of Medicine)
Protein involved in removing Alzheimer s buildup linked to circadian rhythm medicalxpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicalxpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Jackson State University, the historically Black educational institution in Mississippi, received a $420,000 grant from the CDC Foundation to develop a marketing campaign to reduce and prevent the disproportionate COVID-19 transmissions among African Americans ages 18 to 29 in Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties. These three counties have experienced the highest rate of transmissions in Mississippi.
The College of Business at historically Black
Delaware State University received a $500,000 New Castle County Innovative Grant to create a web-based COVID Recovery Lab to help businesses in Delaware’s northernmost region recover from the pandemic. Michael Casson, dean of the College of Business, is the principal investigator of the grant.