Research
Depression, tau deposits seen in subset of middle-aged persons
June 17, 2021
Middle-aged people with depressive symptoms who carry a genetic variation called apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 may be more at risk to develop tau protein accumulations in the brain’s emotion- and memory-controlling regions, a new study by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and collaborating institutions suggests. […]
Earlier, less-expensive dementia screening is goal of SA Medical Foundation-funded study
May 3, 2021
Detecting dementia earlier — and at much lower cost — is the goal of a San Antonio Medical Foundation grant awarded to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. The project will […]
Discover Magazine: Fight or Flight? Why Our Caveman Brains Keep Getting Confused
April 16, 2021
Cortisol activates the fight-or-flight response. This hormone used to be necessary for survival, but recent research shows it may be harmful to the brain. Sudha Seshadri, M.D., director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, shares her research insights with Discover Magazine. To read the article, visit […]
KSAT 12: San Antonio researchers examining COVID-19’s long-term effects on the brain
January 27, 2021
SAN ANTONIO – UT Health San Antonio researchers are trying to determine if COVID-19 will have long-term effects on older adults’ brains. San Antonio resident Robert Renteria is participating in the study. “I’m willing to do whatever I can to help in this research,” Renteria said. Last year in June, Renteria began feeling sick. “No sleep, […]
Strokes after TIAs have declined over time, study shows
January 26, 2021
But patients should be monitored for extended period after transient ischemic attacks. SAN ANTONIO and BOSTON – Study findings released Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) hold both good news and bad news about transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which are harbingers of subsequent strokes. Sudha Seshadri, MD, professor of neurology at The University of […]
Journal article reviews century of data showing COVID-19 likely to impact the brain
January 5, 2021
International consortium funded by Alzheimer’s Association will study effects. SAN ANTONIO and CHICAGO – An article published Jan. 5 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association cites decades of published scientific evidence to make a compelling case for SARS-CoV-2’s expected long-term effects on the brain and nervous system. Dementia researchers from The University of […]
UT Health San Antonio, UT Southwestern get $1 million to establish brain bank program
December 3, 2020
UT Health San Antonio, through its Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, along with UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has received a nearly $1 million grant to establish the Texas Statewide Brain Bank Initiative. The $983,841 collaborative research grant is from the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium, or TARCC. Kevin Bieniek, […]
160 genes linked to brain shrinkage in study of 45,000 adults
September 25, 2020
A new study implicates 160 genes in brain shrinkage seen on MRIs of 45,000 healthy adults. The shrinkage is in the cortex, the dimply outer layer of the brain that gives rise to thinking, awareness and action, and largely consists of gray matter. The study, published Sept. 22 in the journal Nature Communications, examined 34 regions […]
Oral pill slows rate of decline in ALS patients
September 8, 2020
Although it’s not a cure for ALS, an oral drug slowed patients’ rate of functional decline in a clinical trial that included five patients at UT Health San Antonio. If the finding is repeated in larger trials, the drug could give families more time with their loved ones who have ALS. The New England Journal […]
Biggs Institute gains $2M to study rapamycin for Alzheimer’s
August 25, 2020
In the war on cancer and other diseases including COVID-19, old drugs approved for other conditions are being studied for new purposes. It’s a strategy that will now be tested in Alzheimer’s disease with a drug called rapamycin. A $2 million grant will enable a clinical trial in which 40 individuals with mild cognitive impairment […]