Alzheimer’s Disease – Hypotheses Old and New – Part Two
In our last post, we walked through some of the canonical hypotheses surrounding Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but what about all the other hypotheses that are knocking around? Since AD’s discovery over...
Alzheimer’s Disease – Hypotheses Old and New – Part One
The Discovery of Alzheimer’s Disease The Alzheimer’s story began when the German physician Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer reported distinctive plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of deceased...
Neurotoxins: how we test chemical hazards
“I’m on a juice only diet to flush out the toxins in my body.” Living in California has many perks, from the sun, to the food, to the diversity of people you meet. One phenomenon I could probably do...
Your cells’ midnight snack: what is autophagy?
You come home from a weekend away. You can’t wait to jump into your slippers, put your feet up and settle down with your favourite show. *sniff sniff* You start to notice a weird smell and after a...
What is Mitochondrial Dysfunction?
Every middle school biology student is told the same lies. Well, perhaps it’s more fair to say the same, “incredible oversimplifications of the truth”. In biology 101, I was told that the nucleus is...
What are BioBanks?
“Hello and welcome to our biobank! How can I help you today?” “I’d like 20 aliquots of blood from Caucasian males aged 30-40 years old who were exposed to asbestos.” “Coming right up! Would you like...
What is ALS? And can it be cured?
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I watched Stephen Hawking beat Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and an android in a game of poker. I’m not kidding, I really did! Of course it was on an episode...
Why Haven’t We Cured Neurodegenerative Disease?
While chatting to a friend, I noticed a rolled up magazine in his bag. It caught my eye because it was open on a page with Sudoku on it. "Oh hey! I didn't know you enjoyed Sudoku. When did that...
Stem Cell Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury
Previously, we looked at Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). To recap, a TBI is an injury to the brain as a result of an external force, such as blow to the head. It is a complex injury with a broad...