Amsterdam UMC - Amsterdam Neuroscience’s Post

Do you know what 'assembloids' are? If not, you should start reading about them, as they will likely be important to the future of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and neurodegeneration. 'Assembloids' are one of the most exciting frontiers in neuroscience. Think of them as tiny, lab-grown ecosystems of brain cells that allow us to watch how the brain’s circuits develop and interact in real time. They offer us a powerful window into what goes wrong in diseases like Parkinson’s and may one day help us test new treatments or even repair damaged networks. What once took decades to observe in patients can now be modeled in weeks to months inside a dish. Sergiu Pasca from Stanford was an awesome plenary speaker today at the Movement Disorders Society Clinical Breakthroughs session. Honor to moderate w/ Ron Postuma from Montreal. https://lnkd.in/eEDzUuEb Society for Neuroscience Parkinson's Foundation Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

🧠Assembloids represent one of the most exciting frontiers in neuroscience 👉🏽 complex 3D models created by combining different types of brain organoids to mimic interactions between regions or cell types. 🔸This innovative approach allows researchers to study how networks form, how cells communicate, and what goes wrong in neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia — all in a human-relevant system. By bridging developmental biology, neuroengineering, and disease modeling, assembloids are helping us move beyond single-cell or single-region models to understand the integrated brain. The potential? 👉 More accurate disease mechanisms 👉 Smarter drug discovery 👉 Personalized therapeutic strategies Assembloids are not just mini-brains — they’re a window into the complexity that makes us who we are. 🌍🧠 👉🏽 This is why I love what I do and my research field 🫶🏽🧠

Rosa Cossart awarded the Betty and David Koetser Fondation Prize for Brain Research. This award recognises her pioneering work on brain development and functional con- nectivity. It was presented at the Zurich Neuroscience Center’s (ZNZ) annual symposium. Rosa Cossart is determined and bold to understand how the brain is structured and how it establishes its complex connections in order to function properly. This knowledge may be the key to enabling brain repair in the case of various brain diseases, such as autism and Alzheimer’s. With her team, she is mainly interested in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays a fundamental role in certain forms of learning and memory. She has discovered important principles, particularly through her research on animal models of human diseases – including models of autism. She has demonstrated how the formation and function of the hippocampus are affected. This work suggests potential therapeutic intervention strategies for treating human diseases. https://bit.ly/3KUrK9C https://lnkd.in/ep8fEpCb https://bit.ly/3J40pkE

🧠 Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms using nanoparticles that clear brain plaque and restore memory Early-stage mouse study hints at new Alzheimer’s strategy: restore the brain’s cleanup system Researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and West China Hospital report that in mice, three injections of bioactive “supramolecular” nanoparticles that target the blood–brain barrier (BBB) reactivated LRP1, a transport protein involved in waste clearance. In lab tests, brain amyloid-β dropped by ~50–60% within about an hour, and treated mice later showed behavioral improvements consistent with better memory over months. This approach aims not only to reduce toxic protein, but also to repair BBB function—potentially improving the brain’s own ability to clear harmful material. It’s an intriguing direction for future Alzheimer’s research that complements neuron-focused therapies. Important: This is preclinical research (mice only). It is not a proven treatment for people. Human safety and efficacy studies are still needed, and results in animals may not translate to patients. Source: Battaglia G., Tian X., et al. (2025). Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (Nature Portfolio). #AlzheimersResearch #Neuroscience #Nanotechnology #BloodBrainBarrier #LRP1 #PreclinicalStudy #BrainHealth #fblifestyle

🎉 Excited to share our new publication in Discover Neuroscience! 🧠 Our paper, “Molecular imaging of glial activation in the GFAP-IL6 chronic inflammation mouse model with TSPO radioligand ¹⁸F-PBR111”, is now published and available open access 📄 https://lnkd.in/ggWNYYur This study explores the use of TSPO PET imaging with ¹⁸F-PBR111 to visualize and quantify chronic neuroinflammation in the GFAP-IL6 transgenic mouse model — a model driven by astrocyte-mediated IL-6 overexpression. 🔬 Our findings show a strong correlation between PET signal intensity and microglial activation, validating ¹⁸F-PBR111 as a reliable biomarker for tracking neuroinflammatory processes over time. This is a promising step forward in translational research for neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 🙏 I’m deeply grateful to my co-authors and collaborators: Gita Rahardjo, Garry Niedermayer, Prof. Guo-Jun Liu, Arvind Parmar, David Zahra, Andrew Arthur, Hasar Hamze, Rashmi Gamage, Min-je Hwang, Megan Forbes, Monokesh Sen, Erika Gyengesi, and Prof. Gerald Muench. As the corresponding author, I especially want to thank Erika Gyengesi, for her trust, guidance, and collaboration throughout this project. Looking forward to continuing this line of research and hopefully collaborating further with the UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) on future projects! #Neuroimaging #PET #Neuroinflammation #TSPO #Research #OpenAccess #DiscoverNeuroscience #MolecularImaging #BrainHealth #TranslationalResearch #CHeBA #alzheimer #WesternSydneyUniversity #UNSW

🧠 Rewiring the Spinal Cord: Mapping the Neuronal Circuitry Behind Autonomic Dysreflexia! Published in Nature Portfolio, the article “A neuronal architecture underlying autonomic dysreflexia” uncovers, for the first time, the precise neuronal circuitry responsible for life-threatening autonomic dysreflexia after spinal cord injury (SCI) — and demonstrates how epidural electrical stimulation (EES) can safely restore cardiovascular control. 🧩 Through a combination of single-nucleus RNA sequencing, high-resolution connectomics, and functional mapping, the study reveals two competing neuronal architectures within the spinal cord: 🔹 A maladaptive network driving uncontrolled hypertension after SCI. 🔹 A therapeutically modifiable network, activated by EES, that restores stable blood-pressure regulation. 🚀 This discovery provides a mechanistic foundation for targeted neurorehabilitation, marking a critical step toward precision neuromodulation therapies for individuals with SCI. 👏 Congratulations to Gregoire Courtine, Jan Elaine Soriano, Remi Hudelle, Aasta Gandhi, Sergio Daniel Hernandez Charpak, Kelly Larkin-Kaiser, PhD, Erkan Kurt, Jordan Squair, Robin Demesmaeker, PhD, Nicolas Hankov, Léonie Asboth, Jocelyne Bloch, and the entire research team for their pioneering work in spinal cord neuroscience. Full article in the comments 👇 #Neuroscience #SpinalCordInjury #Neurorehabilitation #Neuroengineering #ClinicalResearch #EpiduralStimulation #NatureResearch

🧠 Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have developed a groundbreaking light-based technique that tracks Alzheimer’s disease in real time – offering new insight into how the condition develops and responds to treatment. 📍 University of Strathclyde 🔬 Professor Shuzo Sakata, Dr Niall McAlinden 👇 Learn more https://lnkd.in/eqXwqafx #AlzheimersResearch #NeuroscienceInnovation #Photonics #UniversityofStrathclyde #MedicalBreakthrough

We are expanding our neuroscience portfolio with four new primary mouse neuron products for consistent, reliable in vitro modeling of brain function and neurological disorders. 🧠 Mouse Neurons – Forebrain Optimized for studying Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and traumatic brain injury, providing a robust model of cognitive and neurodegenerative processes. 🎯 Mouse Neurons – Midbrain Ideal for Parkinson’s disease research, supporting investigations of motor control, sensory processing, and neural coordination. 🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/46zqEbI #research #neurons #mouse #NeurodegenerativeDisease #parkinsonsdisease #alzheimersdisease #alzheimersawareness #readytoship #madeinusa

When we think about curing neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, organoids offer incredible possibilities that we're just beginning to explore. These 3D brain models grown from patient cells let us study disease progression in ways that were impossible before. We can watch Alzheimer's develop over months, test personalized treatments, and finally understand why medications work differently in different people. The real game-changer will be to use organoids to address healthcare inequity. Sex differences have been largely ignored in neuroscience research, contributing to why women face different diagnostic challenges and treatment outcomes. With organoids from both male and female donors, we can systematically study these differences for the first time. AI is becoming a powerful ally here, helping us predict drug responses and identify biomarkers we might miss otherwise. Our team just published a comprehensive review in Nature Magazine Reviews Bioengineering on this topic. Huge thanks to Dr Antonella Santuccione Chadha for leading this effort and this possibility, and to Laura Castro-Aldrete, Dr Melanie Einsiedler, and all the collaborators from the Women's Brain Foundation who made this possible Carla Cuní López, PhD Quentin Vanhaelen Antonia Silvestri, PhD Maria Teresa Ferretti Maria Guix Nicola Marino Liisa Galea Kerstin Lenk Samantha Paoletti Alex Zhavoronkov Full article here: https://lnkd.in/d_KvkkyQ #Neuroscience #Organoids #PrecisionMedicine #HealthEquity #AlzheimersResearch

Research published in the journal Neurophotonics and carried out by the University of Strathclyde, in partnership with the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, and the DTU - Technical University of Denmark, has developed a new way to track Alzheimer’s disease in real time - a major step toward faster, more accurate testing of potential treatments. Using light to measure the build-up of amyloid plaques deep within the brain, the technique lets scientists observe the disease as it progresses, offering valuable insight into how it develops and responds to therapies. Read more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eC6Uq8NJ