Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Paper describes results of BMT in models of Rett Syndrome

A paper published online today in Nature describes the results of using bone marrow transplant (BMT) to replace faulty immune system cells in models of Rett Syndrome. The procedure arrested many severe symptoms of the childhood disorder, including abnormal breathing and movement, and significantly extended the lifespan of Rett mouse models.

19 Mar 2012

Klf4 protein an important regulator of inflammation: HNK study

Microglia are the first line defence of the brain and are constantly looking for infections to fight off. Overactive microglia can cause uncontrolled inflammation within the brain, which can in turn lead to neuronal damage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Neuroinflammation shows that, honokiol (HNK) is able to down-regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory enzymes in activated microglia via Klf4, a protein known to regulate DNA.

19 Mar 2012

$Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy$

Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that a patient from Kempenhaeghe-Heeze (The Netherlands) is the first patient to be enrolled into the MORE (MedtrOnic Registry for Epilepsy) Registry which is designed to look at the long-term efficacy, quality of life impact and safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with refractory epilepsy.

From Medtronic 17 Mar 2012

Repligen total revenue increases to $7,165,000 for quarter ended December 31, 2011

Repligen Corporation today reported financial results for the quarter and nine-month fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

17 Mar 2012

PCP signaling restricts neural growth during regeneration, homeostasis and development

The genetic pathway that regulates the way cells align themselves relative to each other has been found to act as a "stop sign" that signals organisms when to halt cell growth, according to new research published by biologists at the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology in Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences.

16 Mar 2012

Eight European research institutes partner to provide training on systemic neuroscience

Eight European research institutes, including Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), and three commercial partners have joined forces in an EU project to provide young academics with an outstanding research environment in the field of systemic neuroscience.

16 Mar 2012

NEJM publishes results from Teva's laquinimod Phase III study on RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced the publication of results from the laquinimod Phase III ALLEGRO study in the March 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

16 Mar 2012

Depression increases risk of death in PCI patients

Depression increases the risk of death in patients who have a coronary stent implanted. After seven years of follow up, depressed patients were 1.5 times more likely to have died than non-depressed patients. The findings were independent of age, gender, clinical characteristics, anxiety and the distressed (Type D) personality.

16 Mar 2012

$Health Canada grants license to Medtronic DBS Therapy for refractory epilepsy$

Health Canada grants license to Medtronic DBS Therapy for refractory epilepsy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has received from Health Canada a license for Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for refractory epilepsy patients.

From Medtronic 16 Mar 2012

Abbott initiates enrollment in two HUMIRA Phase 3 trials for moderate to severe HS

Abbott today announced the initiation of two Phase 3 clinical trials designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an investigational use of HUMIRA (adalimumab) in adult patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa.

16 Mar 2012

Women with retinopathy more likely to have cognitive problems

People with mild vascular disease that causes damage to the retina in the eye are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills because they may also have vascular disease in the brain, according to a study published in the March 14, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Mar 2012

Mutated ATRX gene associated with advanced-stage neuroblastoma

Certain mutations of the gene ATRX were associated with age at diagnosis in children and young adults with advanced-stage neuroblastoma, a cancer that grows in parts of the nervous system, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Mar 2012

Researchers identify first gene mutation associated with chronic, often fatal form of neuroblastoma

Researchers have identified the first gene mutation associated with a chronic and often fatal form of neuroblastoma that typically strikes adolescents and young adults. The finding provides the first clue about the genetic basis of the long-recognized but poorly understood link between treatment outcome and age at diagnosis.

14 Mar 2012

FTY720 improves locomotor recovery in mice with SCI

A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury.

13 Mar 2012

JAK-STAT inhibitors reverse MS-like disease in mice

A new class of drugs completing clinical trials soon for rheumatoid arthritis should be examined as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, according to the authors of a University of Alabama at Birmingham study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

13 Mar 2012

Reviva to initiate enrollment in RP503 phase 2 study for schizophrenia

Reviva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announced enrollment of patients in its phase 2 clinical study of RP503 for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

13 Mar 2012

DNDi commences Oxaborole SCYX-7158 Phase I clinical trial for sleeping sickness

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) has commenced a Phase I clinical trial in healthy adults in Paris, France, to determine the safety and tolerability of a promising oral drug candidate Oxaborole SCYX-7158, to treat human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, or sleeping sickness) for stage 1 and stage 2 of the disease.

12 Mar 2012

Allon advances into second phase of work in preclinical PD model

Allon Therapeutics Inc. announced today the completion of its first phase of work in a preclinical Parkinson's disease model and advancement into the second phase of work. Both phases are funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and carried out by Prof. Marie-Francoise Chesselet's lab at the University of California Los Angeles.

12 Mar 2012

Connect during MS Awareness Week

Multiple sclerosis is a life altering disease that affects each person in a unique and different way. MS destroys connections, divides minds from bodies, pulls people from their lives and away from one another. Therefore, it's only fitting that connections would be its greatest enemy.

12 Mar 2012

CB2 receptor involved in regulating impulsive behaviour

A new study lead by the Neuroscience Institute of Alicante reveals how manipulating the endocannabinoid system can modulate high levels of impulsivity. This is the main problem in psychiatric illnesses such a schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.

8 Mar 2012