STUDY. A new blood test for Alzheimer’s disease has been developed under the leadership of researchers at the University of Gothenburg. The method is based on measuring a specific variant of tau protein in ordinary blood samples, which makes the test relatively simple and cheap to perform. The research behind the test was headed by Kaj Blennow, Professor of Clinical Neurochemistry, and Henrik Zetterberg, Professor of Neurochemistry, at Sahlgrenska Academy,…
Alzheimer’s and amyloid brain plaques: New insights
STUDY. The Analytical Neurochemistry research group in Mölndal recently published a study detailing chemical changes in the deposits of the protein beta-amyloid in the brain. This protein is characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is very common in older people — one in eight aged over 65 suffer from it. Despite intensive research all over the world, the exact mechanism behind the disease remains unknown. The most characteristic feature of…
Blood test can show severity of concussion
NEW STUDY. By measuring a specific brain protein in the blood, it is possible to assess in advance how serious a case of concussion is. A new study from Sahlgrenska Academy shows that the NF-L protein can be measured in a blood test and be used as a prognostic marker for concussion, which could be of major significance for both emergency healthcare and sports medicine. A person who has received…
New Findings from Research into Multiple Concussions in Hockey Players
NEW STUDY. The relationship between head injuries suffered during contact sport and Alzheimer’s disease is now being called into question thanks to research by the Sahlgrenska Academy, which has revealed that hockey players with multiple concussions probably have other injuries in their brains. “There seem to be two separate conditions and pathologies involved here,” says Pashtun Shahim, a doctor and researcher of neurology and physiology. He himself has met the…
Henrik Zetterberg received a Norwegian research grant of NOK ten million
RESEARCH GRANT. Professor Henrik Zetterberg, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska Academy, is awarded NOK ten million for new brain research for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease from the Olav Thon Foundation in Norway. “This support from the Olav Thon Foundation gives us an opportunity to look at something that has never been done before. We have assembled a brand new and unique team of researchers from Sweden, Norway and…