Like listeners adjusting a high-tech radio, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have tuned in to precise frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how the brain works.
People who spend more time in the sun and those with higher vitamin D levels may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in the February 8, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord, usually with recurrent flare-ups of symptoms. It is often preceded by a first episode (or event) of similar symptoms lasting days to weeks.
When a laboratory rat learns how to reach for and grab a food pellet – a pretty complex and unnatural act for a rodent – the acquired knowledge significantly alters the structure of the specific brain cells involved, which sprout a whopping 22 percent more dendritic spines connecting them to other motor neurons.
Older people with larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome may be at a higher risk for memory loss, according to a study published in the February 2, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
A simple test performed at the sideline of sporting events can accurately detect concussions in athletes, according to study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Surgery to "deactivate" migraine headaches produces lasting good results, with nearly 90 percent of patients having at least partial relief at five years' follow-up, reports a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). (REVISED)
Registration is now open to journalists planning to attend the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Hawaii, April 9–16, 2011. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of neurologists who come together to share the latest advances in neurologic research.
Philip Schatz Ph.D., professor of psychology, and his associates recently published a study in Neurosurgery that identifies potentially enduring effects of multiple previous concussions on high school students. More specifically, Schatz and his colleagues propose through their research that teens with multiple concussions may already be demonstrating early signs of post-concussion syndrome.
Among stem cell biologists there are few better-known proteins than nestin, whose very presence in an immature cell identifies it as a "stem cell," such as a neural stem cell. As helpful as this is to researchers, until now no one knew which purpose nestin serves in a cell.
Taxol® stabilizes growing nerve cells and reduces the barrier of scar tissue.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have pinpointed a crucial function for a key player in the development of the nervous system.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a therapy that may enhance memory and prevent the loss of long-term memory. The research is published in the January 27th issue of Nature.
New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine describes a key molecular mechanism in nerve fibers that ensures the rapid conductance of nervous system impulses.
An influential article in the journal Progress in Neurobiology provided one of the first comprehensive reviews of how estrogen potentially can protect against Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders.
Researchers have found the brain region responsible for allowing our brains to ignore background motion in favor of the motions of objects in the foreground. Interestingly, the elderly and people with schizophrenia and depression don't prioritize in this way.
In the wake of recent reports of long-term health effects of repeated concussions in professional athletes, a new study finds increased rates of concussion-related symptoms in high-school athletes with a history of two or more previous concussions. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health
As the population ages, neurologists will be challenged by a growing population of patients with stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
Researchers were surprised to discover what may be a potential new treatment for difficult-to-control high blood pressure, according to a case report published in the January 25, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Much of our knowledge of the brain’s role in regulating breathing comes from research with mice and rats. A chemical receptor within the brain stem communicates with the central nervous system to generate the basic pattern of breathing. The next step is applying that information to human tissue to identify these critical components in the human brain and their medical implications.
Darryl Kaelin, M.D., is the medical director for the Acquired Brain Injury Program at Shepherd Center in Atlanta. He oversees Shepherd Center's medical treatment and specialized rehabilitation care programs for people with acquired brain injury.
While the overall hospitalization rate for stroke has declined in recent years, the numbers have jumped dramatically for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), suggesting they may be up to three times more likely to suffer a stroke than people uninfected by the virus that causes AIDS.
New research suggests that people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may be up to three times more likely to have a stroke compared to those not affected with HIV. The study is published in the January 19, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX) announced a joint scientific study on spinal cord injury will be published today in the January issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
A new study has found that the enhanced perception often felt in the presence of a threat may also limit the ability to do complex thinking.
Scientists from the Monell Center and collaborators report that two structurally unrelated anti-inflammatory compounds both activate the TRPA1 receptor. One, oleocanthal, is found in extra virgin olive oil while ibuprofen is an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The findings may provide novel insights into anti-inflammatory pharmacology.
Preliminary research suggests that use of a type of molecular imaging procedure may have the ability to detect the presence of beta-amyloid in the brains of individuals during life, a biomarker that is identified during autopsy to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.
In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Neal Naff, M.D., chief of the Department of Neurosurgery at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, can explain this type of brain surgery and the recovery process.
A new device to treat brain aneurysms with stents improves access to the blood vessels allowing endovascular neurosurgeons to offer the minimally invasive technique to patients with complex cases.
Mutant presenilin is infamous for its role in the most aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease—early-onset familial Alzheimer’s—which can strike people as early as their 30s. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute uncovered presenilin’s productive side: It helps embryonic motor neurons navigate the maze of chemical cues that pull, push and hem them in on their way to their proper targets. Without it, budding motor neurons misread their guidance signals and get stuck in the spinal cord.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a molecule that can make brain cells resistant to programmed cell death or apoptosis.
Parkinson’s disease symptoms begin subtly and worsen as damage to certain brain cells continues. But an electrical stimulation device implanted deep in the brain, along with medications, may provide some control of symptoms such as shaking, stiffness, and loss of muscle control. But what happens if the drugs are stopped and the device is switched off after five years? Are the symptoms far worse than they were to start, as might be expected ? Surprisingly, no, says neurologist Michele Tagliati, M.D..
A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends using plasma exchange to treat people with severe relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) and related diseases, as well as those with certain kinds of nerve disorders known as neuropathies. The guideline is published in the January 18, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers are using inexpensive LCD projectors to control the brain and muscles of tiny organisms, including freely moving worms. This technology advances the field of optogenetics, which has given researchers unparalleled control over brain circuits in laboratory animals.
Though the cause of Alzheimer’s disease still is unknown, recent studies have implicated three proteins strongly in its onset., amyloid beta, tau, and Fyn. New research from UAB and others indicates that interactions between those three proteins might lead to brain dysfunction and AD in a mouse model of the disease.
UCLA researchers have develop a non-invasive, ultra high-speed microscope that can record the firing of thousands of individual brain cells—neurons—as they communicate or mis-communicate with each other, in real time and in 3D.
The American Academy of Neurology has neurotrauma experts available for interviews to discuss critical care and recovery.
Keith L. Black, M.D., Chairman and Professor of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is available to discuss gunshot and other traumatic brain injuries. He is an outstanding interview with extensive national interview experience -- both live on-air and via telephone. To arrange interviews, please contact Sandy Van at 808-526-1708 or 1-800-880-2397.
UTHealth Trauma Experts are available for interviews to discuss trauma surgery and recovery in the wake of the near-fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) at an event in Tucson.
A new study compared the neural correlates of long-term married and in love individuals with individuals who had recently fallen in love. Researchers discovered highly similar brain activity.
The first drug to treat the underlying disorder instead of the symptoms of Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, shows some promise according to a new study published in the January issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Combining the cutting-edge technologies of MRI and MEG, scientists at the University of California, San Diego show that babies just over a year old process words they hear with the same brain structures as adults, and in the same amount of time. Moreover, the researchers found that babies were not merely processing the words as sounds, but were capable of grasping their meaning.
Animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
For patients with extremely severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a procedure called radiosurgery may bring improvement when other treatments have failed, according to a study in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
For years, the majority of research on reactive oxygen species (ROS) – ions or very small molecules that include free radicals – has focused on how they damage cell structure and their potential link to stroke, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. However, researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have shown for the first time that neural stem cells, the cells that give rise to neurons, maintain high levels of ROS to help regulate normal self-renewal and differentiation.
Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
A team of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has developed the first web-based screening tool for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). It is estimated that about seven percent of people in the United States have diagnosed or undiagnosed TBI.
Study is first to pinpoint the precise anatomical location where vision loss appears to occur in glaucoma.
Epilepsy, a common and serious neurologic disorder that affects millions of people, is not getting the public attention and funding for research it deserves, according to an editorial on a study published in the January 4, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Neuroscientists had assumed that a mutation in the progranulin gene, which makes the progranulin protein and supports brain neurons, was sufficient to produce a kind of dementia known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). But now an international team of scientists led by researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida have found another genetic factor they say appears to protect against the disorder in progranulin mutation carriers.
Eating a Southern staple, fried fish, could be one reason people in Alabama and across the “stroke belt” states are more likely than other Americans to die of a stroke, according to a study published in the December 22, 2010, online issue of Neurology.
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