Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

New opioid accelerates recovery and prevents relapse to chronic pain

Morphine and other opioid-based painkillers are very effective at treating pain initially, but studies have shown that the drugs can make patients more pain-sensitive, prolonging their discomfort and increasing their risks of developing chronic pain.

22 May 2019

New study explores link between traffic-related air pollution and childhood anxiety

Exposure to air pollution is a well-established global health problem associated with complications for people with asthma and respiratory disease, as well as heart conditions and an increased risk of stroke, and according to the World Health Organization, is responsible for millions of deaths annually.

21 May 2019

Overweight and obese adolescents have similar increased risks of heart disorders

A study performed in Brazil by researchers from São Paulo State University suggests that overweight and obese adolescents have similar increased risks of developing heart disorders. The results of cardiovascular fitness tests with volunteers aged 10-17 were similar in both groups.

21 May 2019

Harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie's central basin pose toxic threat

Harmful algal blooms pose a unique toxic threat in Lake Erie's central basin, new research has found.

18 May 2019

Vaccination helps protect the public from measles

The United States is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since the virus was eliminated in 2000. As of Monday, 839 cases of measles have been reported in 23 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 7 cases in Pennsylvania.

17 May 2019

Experts share tips on how to stay out of harm's way in summer

Summer brings lots of sunshine and fun, but the high temperatures and sweltering humidity can spell disaster if you're not prepared.

16 May 2019

Combination of different treatments can have a positive effect for IBS sufferers

The more abnormalities in intestinal and brain function that IBS sufferers have, the more severe their symptoms of this functional bowel disorder, and the more adversely their everyday life is affected.

15 May 2019

Fruit fly study shows role of unexplored neural circuit in modulating memory strength

Learning to avoid negative experiences requires an interplay of two distinct brain circuits, one to interpret "Yikes!" and drive learning, and the other, unexpectedly, to dial in the strength of that memory, a new fruit fly study shows.

15 May 2019

Disease transmissible from dogs to humans shows up in Iowa

A commercial dog breeding centre in Marion County, Iowa has been the originating point for several cases of canine brucellosis says the state veterinarian, Dr. Jeff Kaisand. The disease is transmissible from dogs to humans say experts.

13 May 2019

Consortium aims to study link between childhood blood sugar levels and mid-life brain health

A consortium of Louisiana scientists from LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Tulane University and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center aims to discover how blood sugar levels early in life contribute to a person's brain health in middle age.

12 May 2019

Statins' potential to treat MS unrelated to the drug's cholesterol lowering effects

The widely prescribed statin, simvastatin, can medically help patients with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis - for reasons that might be unrelated to the drug's intended cholesterol lowering affects, a UCL study has found.

10 May 2019

SLU researchers reveal how to turn off neuropathic pain in a laboratory setting

Facing an urgent need for safer and more effective therapies for those suffering from debilitating pain in the midst of an opioid crisis, Saint Louis University researchers are on a mission to find a non-narcotic off-switch for pain.

10 May 2019

Neurons rely on their own electrical signals to keep track of normal functions

Nerve cells, or neurons -- specifically the "workhorse cells" involved in walking, breathing and chewing -- can adjust to changes in the body, but they never stop working unless there is an fatal injury.

10 May 2019

Study: People with combat-related mTBI have high levels of abnormally fast brain waves

A new study funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Navy finds that veterans and service members with a history of combat-related mild traumatic brain injury--compared with those in a control group--have much higher levels of abnormally fast brain waves in a region that plays a key role in consciousness.

10 May 2019

Graphene flakes may influence the action of brain cells

Like in a science fiction novel, miniscule spacecrafts able to reach a specific site of the brain and influence the operation of specific types of neurons or drug delivery: graphene flakes, the subject matter of the new study of the group of SISSA professor Laura Ballerini, open up truly futuristic horizons.

10 May 2019

Researchers develop fast diagnostic tool that shows MS patients in relapse

Dr. Horea Rus is an expert in diagnosing and treating patients with multiple sclerosis, and his research laboratory at the University of Maryland is producing new tools for treating the disease that attacks the central nervous system.

8 May 2019

Biophysicists study structure of KR2 rhodopsin under physiological conditions

A team of biophysicists from Russia, Germany, and France, featuring researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, has discovered and studied the structure of the KR2 rhodopsin under physiological conditions.

8 May 2019

Researchers develop new molecule that binds to the cerebrovascular system

Brazilian and US researchers have developed a molecule called FRW that, in tests with mice, proved capable of binding to blood vessels in the brain but not in other organs when injected into the bloodstream.

7 May 2019

Skin-related stem cells could be used to regenerate vital part of the nervous system

Neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis affect millions of people worldwide and occur when parts of the nervous system lose function over time.

7 May 2019

Research into cancer signaling network reveals new roadmap to tumor control

In this advanced age of molecular sleuthing, a research team led by Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have findings that suggest tumors will eventually become resistant to drug inhibitors of a common cancer pathway (dubbed YAP/TAZ), now in preclinical development.

7 May 2019