MentalHealthDaily

SPP1 Marks Cross-Disease Microglial Activation in Neurodegeneration

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for SPP1 microglia and neurodegeneration transcriptomics.

A 2026 Glia analysis found a shared microglial transcriptional program across 5 neurodegenerative contexts: ALS, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, aging, and Parkinson’s disease.1 The standout marker was SPP1, a gene encoding osteopontin, but the finding is a cellular-state signal rather than a ready diagnostic test. Research Highlights Cross-disease microglia converged: the integrated dataset covered ALS, …

Parkinson’s DBS Impulse Risk: Diffusion MRI Prediction

by GLOOM

Stylized illustration of a Parkinson's patient brain with overlaid diffusion-MRI tractography showing frontolimbic and executive control fiber bundles, alongside a DBS lead, representing the imaging biomarker question for post-DBS impulse control.

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) gives most patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease meaningful motor relief, but a subset develops new or worsened impulse control disorders — pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, hypersexuality, binge eating — while others see preexisting symptoms improve. A 2026 prospective preprint from Loehrer et al. used pre-surgical diffusion MRI to identify microstructural …