News

In Brief: Smoking is Associated with Lower Cognitive Function in Older Adults

A person lighting a cigarette

Cigarette smoking is associated with worse cognitive performance among people 60 years and older, and that association is broadly the same whether or not individuals have hypertension or diabetes, according to a study from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. The findings, published Dec. 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, underscore smoking’s adverse effect on...

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Autism-linked Gene Shapes Nerve Connections

neurons stained red and green

A gene linked to autism spectrum disorders plays a critical role in early brain development and may shape the formation of both normal and atypical nerve connections in the brain, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

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New Theory Explains Recovery Delays in COVID-19 and Cardiac Patients

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COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators can take a long time to regain consciousness. New research from Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, MIT, and Massachusetts General Hospital is now illustrating that these delays may serve a purpose: protecting the brain from oxygen deprivation.

The existence of such a brain-preserving state could explain why some patients wake up days or even weeks after they stop receiving ventilation, and it suggests that physicians should take these...

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New Developments in Dementia Research Presented at Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium

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The 10th annual Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium brought fascinating reports of progress in understanding Alzheimer’s and related neurodegenerative diseases. The event was held at the Belfer Research Building on Oct. 25, before an in-person and Zoom audience.

Sponsored by Weill Cornell Medicine’s Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute and its home department, the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, the event offered four...

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Psychedelic Drugs Flatten the Brain’s Dynamic Landscape

researcher examining psychedelic mushrooms

The psychedelic drugs LSD and psilocybin activate serotonin receptors on brain cells in a way that reduces the energy needed for the brain to switch between different activity states, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

The study, which appeared Oct. 3 in Nature Communications, offers insight into the mechanism of these drugs’ effects—effects that many hope can someday be harnessed...

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Discovery Illuminates How Parkinson’s Disease Spreads in The Brain

image of a person with parkinson's disease at the doctor

Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein spread in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease through a cellular waste-ejection process, suggests a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

During the process, called lysosomal exocytosis, neurons eject protein waste they cannot break down and recycle. The discovery, published Aug. 22 in Nature Communications, could resolve one of the mysteries...

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Reprogramming the Brain’s Cleaning Crew to Mop Up Alzheimer’s Disease

illustration of microscopic image of microglia cells

The discovery of how to shift damaged brain cells from a diseased state into a healthy one poses a new potential path to treating Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to a new collaborative study from researchers at UC San Francisco and Weill Cornell Medicine.

The research focuses on microglia, cells that stabilize the brain by clearing out damaged neurons and the protein plaques often associated with dementia and other brain diseases.

“These cells are understudied...

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New Study Reveals Where Memory Fragments are Stored

virtual reality scene next to brain imaging

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As mice navigate different rooms in virtual reality, the prefrontal neurons (top) communicate with those in the hippocampus (bottom) to conjure associated memories. Video courtesy of Nakul Yadav. From Yadav, N., Noble, C., Niemeyer, J.E. et al. Prefrontal feature representations drive memory recall. Nature (2022...

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Some Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms Linked to Astrocytes

brain images with astrocytes labeled

Abnormalities in a type of brain cell called astrocytes may play a pivotal role in causing some behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.  

For the study, published April 1 in Molecular Psychiatry, senior author Dr. Dilek Colak,...

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Key Signaling Pathway in Immune Cells Could be New Alzheimer’s Target

microscopic images of brain slices with tau marked

Inhibiting an important signaling pathway in brain-resident immune cells may calm brain inflammation and thereby slow the disease process in Alzheimer’s and some other neurodegenerative diseases, suggests a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings point to the possibility of new therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases, which are relatively common in older adults and so far have no effective, disease-modifying treatments.

Brain inflammation,...

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