Alexander Disease Research Update

Albee Messing
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Discussion of recent publications from the research literature on Alexander Disease, hosted by Albee Messing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  1. Jul 14

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #33: Can Initial MRI and Two Motor Milestones Predict Trajectory of Disease?

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing and Ylenia Vaia discuss the following recent publication:  Neuroradiological patterns and prognostic implications in type I Alexander disease Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, 148, 110189 (2026) Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:           https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/ Podcasts supported by Daniel's Fight (https://www.danielsfight.org/)

  2. May 15

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #32: 1) GFAP variants and oxidative stress, and 2) GFAP variants and lysosomes

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Dolores Pérez-Sala, and Natasha Snider discuss the following recent publications:  Alexander disease mutations differentially sensitize glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) to posttranslational modifications and network disruption by oxidants.                   Redox Biology 92:104103 (2026)   Lysosomal function, resistance to oxidative stress and repair are compromised by expression of the Alexander disease GFAP R239C mutant.                   Free Radical Biology & Medicine (in press) Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/   Podcasts are supported by Daniel's Fight (https://www.danielsfight.com)

  3. Apr 1

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #31: 1) Development of an AxD Severity Score, and 2) Peer review – please come home

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Annette Bley, and Nadia Kokaly discuss the following recent publication:  [01:58]       Description of the Hamburg Alexander Leukodystrophy Cohort-Insights into Practical Classification and the Care Situation.  Journal of Clinical Medicine 14, 6918 (2025)   [19:00]       Comment: Peer review – please come home.  Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/   Podcasts are supported by Daniel's Fight (https://www.danielsfight.com).

  4. Feb 1

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #30: 1) Speech-language impairments, and 2) GFAP concentrations in CSF and blood

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Debra Levin, and Amy Waldman discuss the following recent publications:  [01:27]       Language Skills in Patients With Alexander Disease.  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 35:211-225 (2025)  [17:06]       Characterization of Clinical Phenotype to Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Concentrations in Alexander Disease.  Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (in press) [full text] Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Podcasts supported by Daniel's Fight.  Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:           https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/

  5. Jan 20

    Alexander Disease Research Update - Episode #29: Genotype-phenotype correlations, or does variant predict course?

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing and Amanda Nagy discuss the following recent publication:  [01:42]       Genotype-phenotype correlations of GFAP variants in type I Alexander disease subtypes Molecular Genetics & Metabolism 147, 109689 (2026) Please send questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/

  6. 11/11/2025

    Alexander Disease Research Update - Episode #28: GDF15, nausea, vomiting, and "failure to thrive"

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Tracy Hagemann, and Abby Olsen discuss the following recent publication:  [01:45]       Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Elevation in the Central Nervous System Is Associated With Failure to Thrive in Alexander Disease Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (in press) [full text] Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/

  7. 07/09/2025

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #27: Genotype-phenotype association for 14 GFAP variants

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Mel Feany, and Natasha Snider discuss the following recent publication:  Genotype-phenotype association for 14 GFAP variants in Alexander disease.  Neurology: Genetics. 11, e200270 (2025) [full text]   Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/         1.      Berman RF, Matson MR, Bachman AM, Lin N-H, Coyne S, Frelka A, et al. GFAP mutation and astrocyte dysfunction lead to a neurodegenerative profile with impaired synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits in a rat model of Alexander disease. eNeuro:(in press) (2025)   PMID: 40064497   Isolation of Intermediate Filament Proteins from Multiple Mouse Tissues to Study Aging-associated Post-translational Modifications   J Vis Exp, 18, 55655 (2017) STAT3 Drives GFAP Accumulation and Astrocyte Pathology in a Mouse Model of Alexander Disease   Cells, 12, 978 (2023) A defined roadmap of radial glia and astrocyte differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells   Stem Cell Reports, 18, 1701-1720 (2023)

  8. 04/04/2025

    Alexander Disease Research Update – Episode #26: Changes in gene expression and cognitive function in the rat model

    Send us Fan Mail Albee Messing, Tracy Hagemann, and Rob Berman discuss the following recent publication:  [02:01]       GFAP mutation and astrocyte dysfunction lead to a neurodegenerative profile with impaired synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits in a rat model of Alexander disease eNeuro (in press)  [full text] Send your questions and feedback to:  amessing@wisc.edu Help support research on Alexander Disease at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center:             https://alexander-disease.waisman.wisc.edu/donate/

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Discussion of recent publications from the research literature on Alexander Disease, hosted by Albee Messing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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