Buckner’s Death Puts New Focus on Lewy Body Dementia—A Relatively Unknown but Surprisingly Prevalent Disease
The recent death of former Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner has once again raised the public profile of Lewy body dementia (LBD), a common but still frequently misdiagnosed form of neurodegenerative disease. LBD, which affects more than 1.3 million people in the United States, surged into the public spotlight in 2016 when Susan Schneider […]
From the Gut to the Brain: Exploring a New Pathway for the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease
A research project led by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Deepak Vijaya Kumar, PhD, will seek to untangle the connections between microbes in the gut and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Mass General Researchers Create Program to Ease Emotional Stress in Stroke Patients and Caregivers
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital recently conducted a study to identify the factors that contribute to emotional stress after stroke, identify tools and strategies that would provide the most help, and determine an effective timeline and delivery system for an intervention program aimed at preventing chronic depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress in this high risk population.
Rare Disease Day 2019: Neuromyelitis Optica
Rare diseases can be very complex to treat due to lack of understanding, little to no options for treatment and limited funding. But it is for these reasons that raising awareness and supporting research and funding for rare diseases is so important. In honor of Rare Disease Day this year, we are highlighting a rare disease called neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
How a Dedicated Mass General Team Became the First to Discover Circulating Brain Tumor Cells in the Blood
Mass General researchers Shannon Stott and Brian Nahed have been working together for 10 years, and used their different backgrounds to their advantage to be the first to identify circulating brain tumor cells in the blood.
Do Lifestyle Factors Such as Stress Affect the Onset and Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease?
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital are exploring the role of lifestyle factors such as stress in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Mass General Researchers Identify Pattern of Brain Inflammation in Fibromyalgia Patients
A team of researchers at Mass General, in collaboration with a team form the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, recently identified a pattern of brain inflammation in the brains of fibromyalgia patients that could be the key to diagnosing this elusive disorder.
Regulating Microglia’s Three Roles May Be the Key to Managing Inflammation in the Brain
Experts have long thought of microglia as the immune cells of the brain because they support and defend cells within the central nervous system. To help describe their various functions, scientists have classified microglia into three different roles: sentinels, warriors and nurturers. But what happens to the brain when these microglia aren’t doing their job […]
Mass General Researcher Explores Links Between Sleep and Disease
Richa Saxena, PhD, a principal investigator for the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is looking at the genetics of sleep and its link to disease. Dr. Saxena is a Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar 2017-2022. What is the most exciting sleep research that you and your team are doing? What’s been most exciting […]
Event Highlights Progress on Brain Disease Research
Determined collaboration and groundbreaking technology have led to exciting advances in efforts to solve the challenges of brain diseases, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases(MIND) told patients, families and friends recently. On May 16, 2018, nearly 100 people attended the event at the MIND labs at the Charlestown Navy Yard. MIND’s Visiting Day gathering […]