Feature Channels: Neuro

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Adolescent rats exposed to alcohol vapor experience persistent sleep disruption after withdrawal, as measured by Fitbit-like tracking devices, a new study has shown. The findings, published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, provide insight into the relationship between sleep disturbance and heavy drinking in humans. Although adolescents and young adults may be particularly affected by sleep disturbances associated with drinking, little is known about that connection or its mechanisms. Plausibly, the link between disrupted circadian rhythm and substance use may operate in both directions; for example, irregular sleep cycles, including daytime sleepiness, have been implicated in teen substance use. Daytime sleepiness and disrupted activity in humans can be measured using wearable tracking devices, complementing EEG metrics taken at night.

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Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found the KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib showed promising activity suppressing cancer growth not only within the lungs but also in brain metastases for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

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New research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigations confirms that microglial cells – which are specialized immune cells with a decade-long lifespan in the brain - can serve as a stable viral reservoir for latent HIV.

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Welcome to Pocket Science: a glimpse at recent research from Husker scientists and engineers. For those who want to quickly learn the “What,” “So what” and “Now what” of Husker research.

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Concussions are an unfortunate reality of contact sports at junior and senior levels. Now, sports experts at the University of South Australia are suggesting extended recovery times may be needed for youth athletes suffering from head trauma as new research shows a concussion can increase future injury risk by 50%.

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University of Sydney and Fudan University scientists have discovered human brain signals travelling across the outer layer of neural tissue that naturally arrange themselves to resemble swirling spirals.

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Adverse cognitive effects linked to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure, a type of endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), have the potential to be passed down through generations, according to an animal study being presented Thursday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.

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Scientists at City of Hope have developed universal donor stem cells that could one day provide lifesaving therapy to children with lethal brain conditions, such as Canavan disease, as well as to people with other degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

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Researchers at the School of Science at IUPUI will lead grants to fund research toward an effective drug treatment for hydrocephalus, a condition commonly associated with complications from traumatic brain injury.

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The University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead a multi-institutional study of specific brain cell vulnerabilities to abnormal tau protein deposits in regions affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

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A $250,000 gift by Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano and his wife Christy, will name a spinal cord treatment room at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, located at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ, after former Rutgers University defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during the 2010 college football season. The new name, called the Eric LeGrand Spinal Cord Injury Patient Care Room, was unveiled to LeGrand in a surprise ceremony on June 14 at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute where Schiano, his wife Christy, and leaders from across Hackensack Meridian Health dedicated the treatment room in his honor.

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Two-year grant will fund preclinical studies to explore new approach to address brain-cell degeneration and deficits in sensory-motor, psychological and cognitive functions caused by alcohol use disorder

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People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to have a stroke than people without the disease, according to a study published in the June 14, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that IBD causes stroke; it only shows an association.

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Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s ALS Center is the first in New Jersey to provide patients with QALSODY™ (tofersen), the first treatment to target a genetic cause of the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the QALSODY (tofersen) injection in April 2023, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in adults who have a mutation in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene.

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Alzheimer’s disease causes changes to the brain that begin two decades or more before symptoms appear. A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that the bacteria that live in the gut also change before Alzheimer’s symptoms arise, a discovery that could lead to diagnostics or treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that target the gut microbiome.

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As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere and the possibility of extreme heat becomes more common, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the science of heat waves and take measures to protect ourselves from this growing public health threat.

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Hackensack Meridian Health and its Bear’s Den program invest in company to help detect potential health problems hinted in speech patterns

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Mitochondria that power cellular activity fragment and change shape in breast cancer cells that migrate to the brain, an adaptation that appears necessary for the cells to survive, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in Nature Cancer, could lead to new ways to prevent brain metastases, or the spread of cells from primary tumors to the brain.

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The Southwest Brain Bank's focus is on neuroscience research related to psychiatric illness. It is a research organization that collects, studies, and distributes donated brain tissue to scientists.

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In a pioneering study involving serial entrepreneurs and managers, a multidisciplinary research team led by HEC - School of Management at the University of Liège and Liège University Hospital (CHU Liège), combining entrepreneurship researchers and brain specialists, found evidence of increased neuronal connectivity in the brains of entrepreneurs, which may contribute to distinct cognitive attributes.

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A new study finds temperature affects electrical activity levels in taste bud cells, which could greatly influence perception of taste. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology.

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Howard Colman, MD, PhD, was recently featured as an author on a publication in Nature Medicine describing the results of a recent clinical trial – a breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment with the help of a modified cold virus injected directly into the tumor. When combined with an immunotherapy drug, the authors observed a subset of patients that appeared to be living longer as a result of this therapy.

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The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, has submitted a Formal National Coverage Determination (NCD) Reconsideration Request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the existing national coverage determination on Monoclonal Antibodies Directed Against Amyloid for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, including the new therapy lecanemab.

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Perhaps the most obvious feature of a neuron is the long branch called an axon that ventures far from the cell body to connect with other neurons or muscles.

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A UC Davis MIND Institute researcher is testing a new framework aimed at helping more people with autism and intellectual disabilities find success with employment.

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Researchers from The University of Texas at El Paso’s School of Pharmacy will explore the viability of a new treatment for vascular dementia, thanks to a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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An effective treatment for most stroke victims — even those who, today, are unable to gain access to care within the first few hours.

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Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can cause brain cells to fuse, initiating malfunctions that lead to chronic neurological symptoms.

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Prior to being diagnosed with epilepsy, 5% of people with a type of epilepsy called focal epilepsy had a seizure while driving, according to a new study published in the June 7, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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People who have insomnia symptoms such as trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up too early, may be more likely to have a stroke, according to a study published in the June 7, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition, researchers found the risk was much higher in people under 50 years old. The study does not prove that insomnia symptoms cause stroke; it only shows an association.

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Matthew Lew, an associate professor of electrical and systems engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a five-year $2 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his ongoing work to improve microscopic imaging techniques.

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More than 5,000 people are diagnosed annually with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, gradually robbing people of the ability to speak, move, eat and breathe.