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Released: 5-Jan-2012 11:30 AM EST
Chinese Herbal Medicine May Provide Novel Treatment for Alcohol Abuse
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA researchers have identified how a component of an ancient Chinese herbal anti-hangover medicine called dihydromyricetin, isolated from the plant Hovenia, counteracts acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal symptoms.The research team determined that dihydromyricetin may provide a molecular target and cellular mechanism to counteract alcohol intoxication and dependence, leading to new therapeutic treatments.

   
27-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
New Guideline: Caution Needed When Choosing Seizure Drugs for People with HIV/AIDS
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

A new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology recommends doctors use caution when choosing seizure drugs for people with HIV/AIDS to avoid potential drug interactions. The guideline, which was co-developed with the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), is published in the January 4, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and in Epilepsia, the journal of the ILAE.

Released: 4-Jan-2012 2:55 PM EST
Songbird Brain Synapses and Glial Cells Can Make Estrogen
American University

Findings may present important implications for brain degeneration in humans.

Released: 3-Jan-2012 11:00 AM EST
Bingo Helps Researchers Study Perception Deficits
Case Western Reserve University

Bingo, a popular activity in nursing homes, senior centers and assisted-living facilities, has benefits that extend well beyond socializing. Researchers found high-contrast, large bingo cards boost thinking and playing skills for people with cognitive difficulties and visual perception problems produced by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

20-Dec-2011 12:15 PM EST
Diet Patterns May Keep Brain from Shrinking
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
New Clues as to Why Some Older People May Be Losing Their Memory
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

New research links ‘silent strokes,’ or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly. The study is published in the January 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
‘Rare’ Brain Disorder May Be More Common Than Thought
Mayo Clinic

A global team of neuroscientists, led by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, have found the gene responsible for a brain disorder that may be much more common than once believed.

Released: 25-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
Sea Snails Help Scientists Explore a Possible Way to Enhance Memory
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Efforts to help people with learning impairments are being aided by a species of sea snail known as Aplysia californica. The mollusk, which is used by researchers to study the brain, has much in common with other species including humans. Research involving the snail has contributed to the understanding of learning and memory. At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), neuroscientists used this animal model to test an innovative learning strategy designed to help improve the brain’s memory and the results were encouraging.

21-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Long Intervening Non-Coding RNAs Play Pivotal Roles in Brain Development
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Whitehead Institute scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs.

13-Dec-2011 1:00 PM EST
Brain Size May Predict Risk for Early Alzheimer’s Disease
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

New research suggests that, in people who don’t currently have memory problems, those with smaller regions of the brain’s cortex may be more likely to develop symptoms consistent with very early Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the December 21, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20-Dec-2011 11:30 AM EST
Study Could Lead to a Treatment for Angelman Syndrome
University of North Carolina Health Care System

An interdisciplinary team of UNC scientists say they have found a way to “awaken” the paternal allele of Ube3a, which could lead to a potential treatment strategy for AS. Their results were published online by the journal Nature.

14-Dec-2011 11:45 AM EST
Innovative New Strategy to Treat Parkinson’s Disease
The Rockefeller University Press

Stabilizing the cell’s power-generating center protects against Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a rat model, according to a report published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

14-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Researchers Slow Progression of Huntington’s Disease in Mouse Models
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a gene (SIRT1) linked to slowing the aging process in cells also appears to dramatically delay the onset of Huntington’s disease (HD) and slow the progression of the relentless neurodegenerative disorder.

Released: 16-Dec-2011 12:20 PM EST
Team Discovers Cause of Rare Disease Childhood Disorder Called PKD Linked to Genetic Mutations
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A large, international team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has identified the gene that causes a rare childhood neurological disorder called PKD/IC, or “paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia with infantile convulsions,” a cause of epilepsy in babies and movement disorders in older children.

6-Dec-2011 2:25 PM EST
Magnetic Stimulation of Brain May Help Some Stroke Patients Recover
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Imagine waking up and being unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of your body. This condition, called hemispatial neglect, is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain. The current treatment of attention and concentration training using computer and pencil-and-paper tasks is inadequate.

Released: 14-Dec-2011 4:00 PM EST
When Standard Treatment Fails: Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience to Start Unique Immunotherapy for Brain Tumor Patients
Thomas Jefferson University

Physicians at the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience are tackling a particularly aggressive brain cancer that even surgery, chemotherapy and radiation often fail to treat with a promising new immunotherapy to attack a patient’s tumor with their own cancer cells.

9-Dec-2011 1:15 PM EST
A Novel Mechanism Regulating Stress is Identified
Tufts University

A new study from Tufts researchers reports that the action of neurosteroids on a specific type of receptor is responsible for the physiological response to stress. Further, stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in mice can be prevented by blocking the synthesis of these neurosteroids.

Released: 13-Dec-2011 3:50 PM EST
High Levels of Tau Protein Linked to Poor Recovery After Brain Injury
Washington University in St. Louis

High levels of tau protein in fluid bathing the brain are linked to poor recovery after head trauma, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Fondazione IRCCS Ca Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, Italy.

Released: 13-Dec-2011 10:00 AM EST
Study Looks at Complications of Invasive EEG in Children with Epilepsy
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Some type of adverse event occurs in nearly half of children with severe epilepsy undergoing invasive electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, reports a study in the December issue of Operative Neurosurgery, a quarterly supplement to Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

12-Dec-2011 10:30 AM EST
Structural Pattern Uncovers Brain Atrophy in Parkinson’s
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Atrophy in the hippocampus, the region of the brain known for memory formation and storage, is evident in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with cognitive impairment, including early decline known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study is published in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12-Dec-2011 12:30 PM EST
More Research Needed before Experimental Intervention for Multiple Sclerosis Should Be Considered as Standard of Patient Care
LifeBridge Health

A popular treatment for multiple sclerosis needs to have proven results before it can be used as a standard of care, said LifeBridge Health neurologist Michael A. Williams.

7-Dec-2011 4:40 PM EST
Decision Making in Bee Swarms Mimic Neurons in Human Brains
Cornell University

Swarms of bees and brain neurons make decisions using strikingly similar mechanisms, reports a new study in the journal Science (Dec. 9, 2011), which finds scout bees use inhibitory stop signals to inhibit the "waggle dances" produced by bees advertising competing homes for the swarm.

6-Dec-2011 2:15 PM EST
From the Outside In: Mayo Clinic Collaboration Finds Multiple Sclerosis Often Starts in Brain’s Outer Layers
Mayo Clinic

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may progress from the outermost layers of the brain to its deep parts, and isn’t always an “inside-out” process as previously thought, reported a new collaborative study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic. The traditional understanding is that the disease begins in the white matter that forms the bulk of the brain’s inside, and extends to involve the brain’s superficial layers, the cortex. Study findings support an opposite, outside-in process: from the cerebrospinal fluid-filled subarachnoid space, that cushions the outside of the brain and the cortex, into the white matter. The new findings will guide researchers as they seek to further understand and treat the disease. The study was published in the December issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 7-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Scientists Create First Realistic 3D Reconstruction of Brain Circuit
Max Planck Florida Institute

Researchers from the lab of Nobel laureate Bert Sakmann, MD, PhD at the Max Planck Florida Institute report that, using a conceptually new approach and state-of-the-art research tools, they have created the first realistic three-dimensional diagram of a thalamocortical column in the rodent brain. This is the first step toward creating a complete computer model of the brain.

Released: 7-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
A Mother's Touch May Protect Against Drug Cravings
University of Adelaide

An attentive, nurturing mother may be able to help her children better resist the temptations of drug use later in life, according to a study involving the University of Adelaide.

Released: 6-Dec-2011 8:25 AM EST
Changes in Sleep-Wake Cycles and Level of Daily Activity Can Increase Chances of Dementia
California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute

Older women with weaker circadian rhythms, who are less physically active or are more active later in the day are more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment than women who have a more robust circadian rhythm or are more physically active earlier in the day.

29-Nov-2011 3:00 PM EST
Memory and Attention Problems May Follow Preemies into Adulthood
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a study published in the December 6, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 3:30 PM EST
Researchers Use Stem Cells to Gain New Insight Into Severe Childhood Form of Epilepsy
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Team investigating causes of Dravet syndrome presents new approach to understanding the syndrome to American Epilepsy Society.

28-Nov-2011 11:35 AM EST
Autism Risk Linked to Prenatal Drug Exposure
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

The relative risk of autism spectrum disorder in children of mothers on valproate monotherapy was found to be 2.6 times that of children not exposed to antiepileptic medication in utero. The risk of childhood autism was almost five-fold increased compared to children without prenatal exposure to valproate.

28-Nov-2011 12:50 PM EST
Adverse Cognitive Effects of Epilepsy Drug Persist
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Researchers in the U.S. and U.K. are conducting an ongoing investigation of the cognitive effect of fetal exposure across four commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as part of an NIH-funded Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) Study. An early NEAD analysis found that fetal exposure to valproate impairs IQ at age three.

28-Nov-2011 12:40 PM EST
Gamma Knife Surgery Benefits Epilepsy PatientsBeyond Seizure Reduction
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Neurosurgeons continue to explore minimally invasive surgery with gamma radiation (gamma knife surgery / GKS) in the treatment of brain lesions causing seizures and epilepsy. Studies of the procedure are showing it to be an effective alternative to invasive microsurgery for hypothalamic hamartomas and other lesions that lie deep within the brain.

28-Nov-2011 12:45 PM EST
Study Zeroes in on Nuclear Anatomy of Laughing Seizures
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the hypothalamus, a structure lying deep within the brain may be involved in generating laughter. Gelastic epilepsy, a rare condition characterized by laughing seizures, is commonly the result of a congenital brain lesion (called hamartoma) within the hypothalamus. Researchers seeking to identify the specific site (nuclei) within the hypothalamus that might be involved in expressing laughter reported their findings at the American Epilepsy Society’s 65th annual meeting.

21-Nov-2011 2:00 PM EST
3D-TV and Risk of Seizures in Children
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Certain visual patterns and flashing images can provoke seizures in susceptible individuals, particularly among children and adolescents. Some media reports on the recent introduction of 3D-television sets suggest that this new technology may cause seizures in some viewers. Children who have epilepsy are somewhat more vulnerable to the provocative stimuli than their peers. But there has been no systematic examination of the potential effects 3D-TV may have on patients with epilepsy.

21-Nov-2011 2:20 PM EST
Why Patients Opt For or Against Epilepsy Surgery Identifying Potential Refusers Could Help Avoid Unnecessary Pre-Surgical Testing
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Epilepsy surgery is safe, effective and often curative in selected candidates. Although candidates for epilepsy surgery in the United States are estimated between 100,000 and 200,000, fewer than 5,000 such surgeries are conducted each year. The cause of this disparity is multi-factorial, including an unexplained low level of referrals by physicians and choices made by patients themselves. Two studies investigating why patients choose to defer or forego epilepsy surgery.

28-Nov-2011 11:40 AM EST
Potential New Role for a 19th Century Epilepsy Drug
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Bromide is not FDA-approved for use in the United States. But it is among anticonvulsants available in Germany and other European countries. Research reported today at the American Epilepsy Society’s 65th annual meeting by investigators from Germany suggests that bromide may have promise in treating patients with SCN1A-associated Dravet syndrome with intractable seizures.

28-Nov-2011 12:50 PM EST
Novel Approach Reveals Potential Mechanism Underlying Dravet Syndrome
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Scientists investigating the fundamental cause of Dravet syndrome, a severe childhood epilepsy, have reprogrammed fibroblasts, a type of skin cell, from Dravet patients and generated patient-specific neurons. Further study revealed that these patient-derived neurons showed increased excitability, abnormal neuronal behavior that can produce seizures.

28-Nov-2011 12:50 PM EST
Causative Gene May Differ Among Patients with Dravet Syndrome
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Dravet syndrome is a severe genetic epilepsy that appears early in life. About 75 percent of cases can be attributed to mutations in the SCN1A gene encoding the sodium channel NaV1.1. The remaining patients with this syndrome are without a definitive molecular genetic diagnosis. Research presented today at the American Epilepsy Society’s 65th Annual Meeting has found a non-SCN1A candidate gene and suggests that Dravet syndrome may be caused by any one of a number of yet unidentified genes.

21-Nov-2011 1:40 PM EST
Phase III Progesterone Therapy Trial for Women with Epilepsy Has Favorable Outcome
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

Seizures in women of childbearing age commonly show patterns of exacerbation that involve hormones as a factor. Investigators today reported the favorable outcome of a multicenter randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial of progesterone therapy in reducing these perimenstrually exacerbated (catamenial) seizures. Results of the NIH-sponsored study are being presented during the American Epilepsy Society’s 65th annual meeting at the Baltimore Convention Center. (Abstract 3.191).

21-Nov-2011 2:15 PM EST
Research Documents Seizure Trendsin Women with Catamenial Epilepsy
American Epilepsy Society (AES)

In women of childbearing age with epilepsy, seizure exacerbation may occur either at the time of menstruation or ovulation. Investigators in a specialized epilepsy center have analyzed the data on a group of patients with seizures associated with their menstrual cycles (catamenial seizures) for type of epilepsy, seizure frequency, response to medication, neuroimaging findings, and seizures during pregnancy. (Abstract 3.168)

Released: 2-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
Research Improves Diagnosis and Potential Treatment of Neuromyelitis Optica
Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified critical steps leading to myelin destruction in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a debilitating neurological disease that is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings could lead to better care for the thousands of patients around the world with NMO. The paper was published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.

30-Nov-2011 4:00 PM EST
Risk Factors for CCSVI are Similar to Risk Factors for Developing MS
University at Buffalo

A preliminary University at Buffalo study of 252 volunteers has found an association between CCSVI and as many as three characteristics widely viewed as possible or confirmed MS risk factors.

22-Nov-2011 1:40 PM EST
Is It Alzheimer’s Disease or Another Dementia? Marker May Give More Accurate Diagnosis
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

New research finds a marker used to detect plaque in the brain may help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis between two common types of dementia – Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The study is published in the November 30, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 30-Nov-2011 10:10 AM EST
Early Sign of Alzheimer’s Reversed in Lab
Case Western Reserve University

One of the earliest known impairments caused by Alzheimer’s disease - loss of sense of smell – can be restored by removing a plaque-forming protein in a mouse model of the disease, a study led by a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher finds.

Released: 29-Nov-2011 11:55 AM EST
Is There a Central Brain Area for HearingMelodies and Speech Cues?
American Physiological Society (APS)

Previous studies have suggested a particular hotspot in the brain might be responsible for perceiving pitch, but auditory neuroscientists are still debating whether this “pitch center” actually exists. A review article discusses a recent study claiming the pitch center may not exist after all, or may not be located where research has suggested.

17-Nov-2011 1:15 PM EST
Frequent “Heading” In Soccer Can Lead to Brain Injury and Cognitive Impairment
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Using advanced imaging techniques and cognitive tests, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein, have shown that repeatedly heading a soccer ball increases the risk for brain injury.

21-Nov-2011 2:00 PM EST
Psychopaths’ Brains Show Differences in Structure and Function
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Images of prisoners’ brains show important differences between those who are diagnosed as psychopaths and those who aren’t, according to a new study led by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

15-Nov-2011 12:00 PM EST
People with Early Alzheimer’s Disease May Be More Likely to Have Lower BMI
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study examines this relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and BMI. The study is published in the November 22, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16-Nov-2011 4:40 PM EST
Implanted Neurons, Grown in the Lab, Take Charge of Brain Circuitry
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Among the many hurdles to be cleared before human embryonic stem cells can achieve their therapeutic potential is determining whether or not transplanted cells can functionally integrate into target organs or tissues.

Released: 21-Nov-2011 8:00 AM EST
Treatment of Traumatic Tiger Attack in a Child
American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)

The article authors Marvin Chum and Wai Pui Ng describe the neurosurgical, vascular, otolaryngological, and psychological injuries sustained by an 11-year-old boy who was attacked by a Siberian tiger housed at a private home.

18-Nov-2011 1:05 PM EST
Nerve Cells Key to Making Sense of Our Senses
University of Rochester

The human brain is bombarded with a cacophony of information from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. Now a team of scientists at the University of Rochester, Washington University in St. Louis, and Baylor College of Medicine has unraveled how the brain manages to process those complex, rapidly changing, and often conflicting sensory signals to make sense of our world.



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