Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The modulating influence of biological sex on clinical variability, disease trajectories and treatment response represents a nascent topic in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) research. Recent empirical studies leveraging large-scale consortium data illuminate how biological sex impinges on — and potentially interacts with — variations in clinical symptomatology, pathophysiology and disease trajectory in FTD.
Growing evidence links menopause to the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) in women, but the effect of menopause hormone therapy (MHT) on this risk remain unclear. Two new studies illuminate how menopause and MHT influence synaptic health and tau pathology, offering new insights into sex-specific mechanisms and MHT timing considerations in AD risk.
Microplastics have been observed in human brain tissue for the first time, and higher levels were associated with dementia. However, important questions remain about the mechanisms of microplastic accumulation and clearance, the influence of environmental factors such as geographical location, and whether the association with dementia reflects cause or effect.
Plasma biomarker tests for Alzheimer disease are becoming increasingly reliable, which enables implementation in clinical settings in which cerebrospinal fluid analysis and PET scans are unavailable. However, a new study shows that some patients have discordant plasma and PET biomarker results. Clinicians need clear guidance to identify and manage patients who do not fit into standard clinical or biological categories.
Treatment options for migraine have expanded rapidly over the past few years. The latest success in a phase II trial of a new class of drugs for migraine holds the promise of another alternative, with important implications for our understanding of migraine and its clinical management.
In recent years, we have seen a shift towards defining sporadic neurodegenerative diseases as a biological continuum. Here, we discuss the risks associated with this shift, emphasize the importance of maintaining a strong connection between disease definitions and subsequent clinical outcomes, and suggest clinicobiological frameworks to disentangle multiple discrete nosological entities.
A new study on dementia prevalence in Latin America has found a stronger effect of social determinants of health than ancestry effects specific to this region, highlighting the need for interventions involving lifestyle changes, healthcare access and education.
Immunological profiling has revealed biological signatures of multiple sclerosis (MS) that could help with early, accurate diagnosis of the disease and with identifying disease subtypes that could inform treatment decisions. The findings are important steps along the path towards precision medicine for people with MS.
A computational neuroimaging study has shed new light on the relationship between morphological changes in the brain in schizophrenia and the network architecture of the brain, providing evidence to support two network theories of the disorder.
Since its instigation in cancer research in the 1930s, the disease-staging concept has become a crucial tool in clinical research and medical practice. Two new papers have proposed biological staging and classification systems based on α-synuclein pathology for Parkinson disease and related conditions.
Success in a trial of low-intensity ultrasound combined with an amyloid-β antibody represents a major stride towards integrating pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to reduce the amyloid-β load in patients with mild Alzheimer disease. This trial also highlights the potential of therapeutic ultrasound modalities to combat neurodegenerative diseases.
A study now reveals that CSF, but not imaging, biomarkers for Alzheimer disease show weaker correlation to cognitive measures in Black people than in White people. The findings offer insights into Alzheimer disease biomarker utility across racially diverse groups.
Using integrative multiomics, a new study has shed light on the aetiology of ischaemic stroke. By probing the mechanisms underlying stroke, such approaches could aid the development of therapies and improve risk prediction and stratification, with the ultimate aim of developing personalized preventive and therapeutic strategies.
A new study indicates that African American people with multiple sclerosis have higher markers of humoral disease pathology than white people with multiple sclerosis. However, apparent differences in pathophysiology between ethnic groups cannot be fully interpreted without more comprehensive studies that examine the effects of social inequality on disease.
New guidelines for designing controlled clinical trials for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) have been published. The design of such trials remains a challenge, as the heterogeneity of IIH necessitates different outcome measures for specific clinical presentations.
The underlying cause of sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD) remains enigmatic, but an increased risk among spouses of people with AD has led to speculation of transmissibility. A mouse study now suggests that the transfer of microbiota could underlie this potential transmissibility, but the findings leave many questions unanswered.
A new study indicates that although men and women are equally likely to experience cognitive impairment after acute ischaemic stroke, there are sex differences in particular cognitive domains. Whether these differences are directly linked to biological sex is uncertain, as many factors, including age and pre-stroke factors, could contribute to cognitive outcomes.
The TRACK-TBI LONG study has shown that outcomes are highly variable in the 7 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although many patients remain stable, almost one-third experience declines in cognitive, psychiatric and functional state. These findings suggest that TBI is a chronic disease and that its management should change accordingly.
Two recent studies leverage the same French population-based disease registry to describe real-world medication prescription patterns, patient characteristics and treatment effectiveness in people with schizophrenia. These studies also identify disparities in the health care and outcomes of these individuals compared with those of the general population.
