Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

CHUMS project to measure outcomes of NHS care in children with neurodisabilites

An exciting new study that will help put children with neurodisabilites at the centre of evaluating their own care has received almost a quarter of a million pounds (£250,00) in funding. The CHildren's oUtcome Measurement Study (CHUMS) will assess how to capture the views and experiences of children with neurodisability and their families in order to measure the outcomes of the NHS care they receive.

13 Jan 2012

Scientists identify chemical signals that promote aggregation in roundworms

Scientists have long seen evidence of social behavior among many species of animals, both on the earth and in the sea. Dolphins frolic together, lions live in packs, and hornets construct nests that can house a large number of the insects. And, right under our feet, it appears that nematodes-also known as roundworms-are having their own little gatherings in the soil. Until recently, it was unknown how the worms communicate to one another when it's time to come together.

13 Jan 2012

Processed nerve allograft effective in treating PNI

In the first-ever multicenter clinical trial on processed nerve allograft, researchers from The Buncke Clinic in San Francisco found that treatment of severed peripheral nerve with processed nerve allograft showed meaningful recovery in 87 percent of patients, comparing favorably to traditional nerve repair.

13 Jan 2012

Scientists discover how sense of touch is wired in skin and nervous system

Neuroscientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered how the sense of touch is wired in the skin and nervous system. The new findings, published Dec. 22 in Cell, open new doors for understanding how the brain collects and processes information from hairy skin.

12 Jan 2012

Excess salt stimulates production of adrenalin and causes hypertension

A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) debunks the widely-believed concept that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the result of excess salt causing an increased blood volume, exerting extra pressure on the arteries. Published online in the Journal of Hypertension, the study demonstrates that excess salt stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to produce adrenalin, causing artery constriction and hypertension.

12 Jan 2012

Amarantus receives U.S. patent titled, 'Dopaminergic Neuronal Survival-Promoting Factors and Uses Thereof'

Amarantus BioSciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing MANF, a first-in-class disease-modifying therapeutic protein, today announced U.S. Patent Number 8,084,425 has been issued for MANF entitled, Dopaminergic Neuronal Survival-Promoting Factors and Uses Thereof.

12 Jan 2012

Chemical preservative in cosmetics can interrupt neurological development

Scientists, health officials, and manufacturers already know that a chemical preservative found in some products, including cosmetics, is harmful to people and animals in high concentrations, but a new Brown University study in tadpoles reports that it can also interrupt neurological development even in very low concentrations.

11 Jan 2012

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 18 new Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 18 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its fall Fellowship Award Committee review.

11 Jan 2012

Nicotine patch may help improve mild memory loss in older adults

Using a nicotine patch may help improve mild memory loss in older adults, according to a study published in the January 10, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jan 2012

TCM therapy makes fertility treatments far more effective: Study

Traditional Chinese medicine has long been used to ease pain, treat disease, boost fertility, and prevent miscarriage. Known in the Western medical community by its acronym TCM, these traditional remedies include herbal preparations and acupuncture. Now Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that a combination of TCM therapy and intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a winning solution for hopeful mommies who are having trouble conceiving.

10 Jan 2012

Modified probiotics could one day decrease risk of Listeria infection

Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, could one day decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to Purdue University research.

10 Jan 2012

AAN, Wolters Kluwer Health announce launch of Neurology Today for the iPad

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and Wolters Kluwer Health today announced the launch of Neurology Today for the iPad, a digital app of the most widely read newspaper for neurologists.

10 Jan 2012

Enrollment complete in Diamyd Phase II study for type 1 diabetes

A total of 50 children aged four and older with a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes have been enrolled in a researcher-initiated Phase II study, DiAPREV-IT, with Diamyd Medical's diabetes vaccine Diamyd. The study is thus fully recruited.

9 Jan 2012

Georgia Bio announces 2012 Deals of the Year for pharma, biopharma and medical device companies

Georgia Bio announced its 2012 Deals of the Year for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in four categories - public and private financings, fast growing companies, acquisitions and SBIR grants - reflecting a broad range of activity.

From Medtronic 7 Jan 2012

Study provides hope for stimulating remyelination in MS patients

Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge have found that the age-related impairment of the body's ability to replace protective myelin sheaths, which normally surround nerve fibers and allow them to send signals properly, may be reversible, offering new hope that therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring efficient regeneration can be effective in the central nervous system throughout life.

7 Jan 2012

Age-associated decline of remyelination process may be reversible

New research highlights the possibility of reversing ageing in the central nervous system for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is published today, 06 January, in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

7 Jan 2012

Supernus secures $42M through two transactions

Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that in December 2011 it closed two transactions through which it raised $42 million.

7 Jan 2012

Alnylam files CTA with the U.K. MHRA to initiate ALN-TTR02 Phase I trial in ATTR

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase I clinical trial with ALN-TTR02, an RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of TTR-mediated amyloidosis.

7 Jan 2012

Positive topline results from Civitas' CVT-301 Phase 1 trial on PD

Civitas Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held pharmaceutical company developing transformative therapeutics using the ARCUS(TM) respiratory delivery platform, announced today positive topline results from a Phase 1 clinical trial for CVT-301, an inhaled formulation of levodopa (L-dopa) for the rapid relief from motor fluctuations associated with Parkinson's disease.

7 Jan 2012

Scripps professor receives pair of notable grants to study kinesin

Sathyanaryanan Puthanveettil, an assistant professor on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, has been awarded a pair of notable grants to study a critical component of long-term memory formation.

6 Jan 2012