Leaders in the field discussed a shift in research toward looking at shared mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases at the recent 13th annual Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute Symposium held in the Belfer Research Building at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Researchers have discovered that free radicals generated at a specific site in non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes, may promote dementia, according to a Weill Cornell Medicine study.

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have uncovered the first evidence that astrocyte receptors can trigger opposite effects on cognitive function in male and female preclinical models.

The 11th annual Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium brought together leading scientists and clinicians in the field to present the latest advances in understanding Alzheimer’s and related neurodegenerative diseases.

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss.