Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Groundwork laid for new kind of neural interface system

By electrically stimulating nerves, neuromodulation therapies can reduce epileptic seizures, soothe chronic pain, and treat depression and a host of other health conditions without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.

11 Nov 2019

Findings could lead to potential new therapies for tumor-causing disorder

University of Cincinnati researchers have found additional ways to target the molecular processes involved in activating a certain protein complex to potentially develop new therapies for a tumor-causing disorder.

11 Nov 2019

New technique to detect common cause for diseases related to thrombotic microangiopathies

There is a group of diseases whose symptoms have a common origin: a lesion in the endothelial tissue that covers the inside of the blood vessels.

8 Nov 2019

Game-changing diagnostic test for prion diseases

Researchers have developed an effective way of testing for prion diseases, a group of fatal neurodegenerative illnesses caused by abnormally folded proteins.

8 Nov 2019

New study sheds light on how memories are formed

How does the brain translate information from the outside world into something we remember? An international team of researchers working in the Human Brain Project have zoomed in on the neuronal circuits in the striatum, a brain structure involved in memory, behavior and reward learning.

7 Nov 2019

Study sheds light on potential strategy for treating Charcot-Marie-Tooth

An unexpected finding from the Scripps Research laboratory of Xiang-Lei Yang, PhD, has illuminated a potential strategy for treating the inherited neurological disease Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), for which there is no approved medicine today.

7 Nov 2019

Liposomes cross blood brain barrier, could get healing drugs to stroke-affected brain

A new study from University of Manchester researchers, published in ACS Neuro, shows a high possibility of treating stroke patients using very small cell sacs called liposomes to bypass the blood brain barrier and carry lifesaving drugs to the brain to prevent damage following a stroke.

7 Nov 2019

Does Parkinson's disease start in the brain or gut?

Does Parkinson's disease start in the brain or the gut? In a new contribution published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, scientists hypothesize that PD can be divided into two subtypes: gut-first, originating in the peripheral nervous system of the gut and spreading to the brain; and brain-first, originating in the brain, or entering the brain via the olfactory system, and spreading to the brainstem and peripheral nervous system.

7 Nov 2019

New molecule can reduce aggressiveness of embryonal central nervous system tumors

In Brazil, scientists affiliated with the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) at the University of São Paulo (USP) have identified a molecule capable of reducing the aggressiveness of embryonal central nervous system tumors.

7 Nov 2019

A rare diagnosis leads to successful treatment for patient with unusual vascular condition

Drew, a 65-year-old man from Connecticut, was living an adventurous life until he started to experience unusual muscle weakness in his legs and unexplained fatigued. What he thought was possibly Lyme disease, or symptoms of normal aging, turned out to be much more serious.

7 Nov 2019

Researchers make new discovery about how exercise protects against cardiovascular disease

A study has identified a molecular link between exercise and inflammation that help to treat cardiovascular disease.

7 Nov 2019

People with insomnia symptoms more likely to have a stroke, heart attack

People who have trouble sleeping may be more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or other cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases, according to a study published in the November 6, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Nov 2019

Inhibiting mutant CHIP protein activity could decrease severity of ataxia disease symptoms

For the first time, the UNC School of Medicine lab of Jonathan Schisler, MS, PhD, linked the specific biochemical changes to a protein called CHIP to specific disease characteristics of patients with a wide range of rare disorders.

6 Nov 2019

Scientists discover cell protein crucial in preventing viral replication

A research team has discovered a protein without which cells infected by viruses cannot trigger an immune response, leading to 100% mortality with even non-disease-producing strains. The discovery of the new Z-DNA binding protein, or ZBP1, was reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. It could help develop new treatment methods for viruses that target the nervous system such as the Zika or West Nile Encephalitis virus.

6 Nov 2019

Study highlights impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol and informs prevention efforts

Drinking in pregnancy can harm a developing baby. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) describes the range of effects that can be caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

5 Nov 2019

Biomarker reveals if benign-appearing meningiomas are dangerous

A modified protein in benign-appearing meningiomas can reveal which are truly benign and which are more dangerous and require more aggressive treatment, researchers have discovered.

5 Nov 2019

Excessive physical work can damage the heart, says new study

Doing good hard work or exercising well is a tried-and-tested way to improve heart health – right? Well, not always, says a new study published in the journal Hypertension.

4 Nov 2019

How venom from marine cone snails can be used in pain therapy

Conotoxins are bioactive peptides found in the venom that marine cone snails produce for prey capture and defense.

4 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019

Tumour conversion of glial cells when exposed to bowel cancer secretions

A new study has shown that glial cells of the gut (part of the enteric nervous system) when exposed to secretions from colon cancer cells are convert into tumours themselves. These altered glial cells then convert into promoters of tumours said the study researchers.

31 Oct 2019