Search
-
- Krankheiten
- Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's – a Disease makes History
After more than 100 years, Alzheimer's disease is still incurable. Possible causes are emerging.
20.10.2025
-
- News from the Institutes
Structure of clusterin: a key protein against neurodegenerative diseases
Crystallographic three-dimensional structure of human clusterin determined for the first time
08.09.2025
-
- Page
Glossar
15.03.2017
-
- Glossary
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurological disorders, caused by the death of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to a neurotransmitter imbalance in the basal ganglia. Symptoms usually begin late in life with mild tremors (resting tremor), increasing stiffness of the limbs, and slowed voluntary movements (bradykinesia). Later, postural instability, balance disorders, and difficulty walking occur. Other typical features include rigid facial expressions (hypomimia), a shuffling gait, and muscle stiffness (rigor). The disease is incurable, but its symptoms can be treated with medication (e.g., L-dopa, dopamine agonists) or surgery involving deep brain stimulation (brain pacemaker).
-
- News from the Institutes
Insight into schizophrenia disease mechanisms found in the eye
Impaired neuronal connectivity in the retina
17.02.2025
-
- News from the Institutes
A switchboard with precision
How the brain licenses movements
28.05.2025
-
- Glossary
Neurodegeneration
Collective term for diseases in which nerve cells gradually lose their structure or function until they eventually die. In many cases, misfolded proteins are the trigger – such as certain forms of the proteins beta-amyloid and tau in the case of Alzheimer's disease. In other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease or Huntington's disease, proteins within the neurons are not broken down properly. As a result, toxic aggregates are deposited there, leading to the respective disease symptoms. While Huntington's disease is clearly genetic, in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's there appear to be certain gene variants that promote their development. None of these neurodegenerative diseases can be cured at present.
-
- Glossary
Lewy body dementia
A neurodegenerative disease that resembles Alzheimer's disease, but also Parkinson's disease in its symptoms. The Lewy bodies that give the disease its name are caused by protein deposits in the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex and brain stem, which impair the function of the corresponding neurons. In addition to cognitive impairment, Lewy body dementia often causes hallucinations or depression, as well as changes in mobility similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease.
-
- News from the Institutes
A human model of the blood-brain barrier
Disruptions to the protective barrier contribute to the development of serious brain diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer's.
16.12.2025
-
- Grundlagen
- Communication in the Brain
Neurotransmitters: Messenger Molecules in the Brain
“Happy hormone” & Co.: Without neurotransmitters, nerve cells would not be able to communicate.
05.08.2025
