Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

ABCC9 gene also influences duration of sleep in humans

A collaborative European study led by LMU researchers has shown that ABCC9, a known genetic factor in heart disease and diabetes, also influences the duration of sleep in humans.

24 Nov 2011

MC3R gene plays an important role in maintaining steady weight

Against the backdrop of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have made an important new discovery regarding a specific gene that plays an important role in keeping a steady balance between our food intake and energy expenditure. The study may help scientists better understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.

24 Nov 2011

Two-drug combination may alleviate radiation sickness in people

A combination of two drugs may alleviate radiation sickness in people who have been exposed to high levels of radiation, even when the therapy is given a day after the exposure occurred, according to a study led by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston.

24 Nov 2011

Neuralstem initiates spinal cord neural stem cell trial in ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the first patient to receive stem cells in the cervical (upper back) region of the spine was treated on Friday in its ongoing trial to test the safety of its spinal cord neural stem cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

23 Nov 2011

Bioengineering delivers innovative solutions to diagnose and repair TBI

Bioengineering -- the application of engineering principles to understand and treat medical conditions -- is delivering innovative solutions for diagnosing and repairing damage to the brain caused by a traumatic injury.

23 Nov 2011

CWRU receives NHLBI grant to study sleep apnea as possible cause of AF

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $3.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to study sleep apnea as a possible cause of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most commonly diagnosed type of arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm.

22 Nov 2011

PAREXEL implements fMRI technology in early phase CNS drug development

PAREXEL International, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it has enhanced its central nervous system (CNS) capabilities for clinical development through the implementation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology in its Early Phase units.

From Parexel 22 Nov 2011

Study examines link between early-stage Alzheimer's and lower BMI

Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study examines this relationship between Alzheimer's disease and BMI.

22 Nov 2011

FDA accepts Otsuka's aripiprazole depot formulation NDA for review

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that a new drug application (NDA) for Otsuka's investigational once-monthly aripiprazole depot formulation for the indication of maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review.

22 Nov 2011

New way to enhance effects of anandamide in the body

UC Irvine and Italian researchers have discovered a new means of enhancing the effects of anandamide - a natural, marijuana-like chemical in the body that provides pain relief.

22 Nov 2011

Medical case report on a traumatic tiger attack on a child

Exotic animals—wild animals unsuited to domestication—are increasingly housed in domestic settings. This sometimes leads to traumatic attacks suffered by owners or visitors. An example of a tiger attack on a child is described in the November issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

21 Nov 2011

Australia's TGA grants market authorisation for Pierre Fabre Médicament's milnacipran to treat fibromyalgia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia's regulatory body for therapeutic products, granted Pierre Fabre Médicament's milnacipran market authorisation for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

21 Nov 2011

Positive preliminary results from Alnylam's ALN-TTR01 Phase I clinical trial for TTR-mediated amyloidosis

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive preliminary results from its Phase I clinical trial with ALN-TTR01, an RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR) for the treatment of TTR-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR).

21 Nov 2011

Scientists solve mystery behind why people with defective hemoglobin do not contract malaria

Why do people with a hereditary mutation of the red blood pigment hemoglobin not contract severe malaria? Scientists in the group headed by Prof. Michael Lanzer of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital have now solved this mystery.

19 Nov 2011

Shire, Shionogi enter agreement to co-develop and co-commercialize ADHD medicines in Japan

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that it has entered into an agreement with Shionogi & Co. Ltd. of Japan to co-develop and co-commercialize certain of Shire's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medicines in Japan.

19 Nov 2011

FDA Commissioner revokes approval of Genentech's Avastin for treatment of mBC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the FDA Commissioner is revoking the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of mBC in the United States.

18 Nov 2011

Tonix to initiate TNX-102 PK and BA study for fibromyalgia

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies for challenging disorders of the central nervous system, including fibromyalgia syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, will initiate a comparative pharmacokinetic and bioavailability study of TNX-102, a novel dosage oral formulation of cyclobenzaprine for the treatment of FM, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the Company's initial Investigational New Drug Application.

18 Nov 2011