Neurodegeneration

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting millions of people worldwide. We still do not fully understand exactly why people develop Alzheimer’s disease, and we do not have many treatments to help people living with it. People who live in areas of high pollution are much more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but we do not know why this happens. My research focuses on exploring what happens to the brain after we are exposed to pollution, and why pollution increases our risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

I’ll be describing the main aspects of the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, to then provide a broad view of treatments currently being explored. I’ll then focus on the case of Aducanumab, as the first approved disease-modifying treatment for AD, exploring the challenges associated with it.

Climate change, and the increase in the frequency of heatwaves, is now the greatest threat to human health. Patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are the most vulnerable to the heat. Three Million people living with MS worldwide experience heat sensitivity. Heat sensitivity creates barriers for conducting normal working activities, with consequent employment loss and early retirement. The Thermosenselab are trying to understand why patients with MS are more vulnerable to the heat and improve quality of life.