Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

The retina reveals deadly secrets of malaria

Looking at the retina in the eyes of patients with cerebral malaria has provided scientists with a vital insight into why malaria infection in the brain is so deadly.

15 Jan 2009

Repressive protein plays unexpected role in odor adaptation

New research provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms that allow experience to influence behavior.

15 Jan 2009

New model system may better explain regulation of body weight

A new mathematical model of the physiological regulation of body weight suggests a potential mechanism underlying the difficulty of losing weight, one that includes aspects of two competing hypotheses of weight regulation.

15 Jan 2009

Scientists explain genetic disease first discovered in Quebec 24 years ago

Scientists at the MUHC and McGill University have identified a gene essential for the uptake of vitamin B12 in human cells.

15 Jan 2009

Midlife caffeine intake lowers risk of late-life dementia

Midlife coffee drinking can decrease the risk of dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life.

15 Jan 2009

Pediatric vaccine propels sharp drop in meningitis cases

A pediatric vaccine with University of Rochester roots has proven to be highly successful at reducing cases of bacterial meningitis across all age groups.That is the conclusion of a seven-year study, the results of which appeared today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Jan 2009

Discovery of first gender-linked susceptibility gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease

In the Jan. 11 online edition of Nature Genetics, they report the results of their two-stage genome-wide association study of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The research showed that women who inherited two copies of a variant in the PCDH11X gene, found on the X chromosome, are at considerably greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

12 Jan 2009

Relapses more frequent in patients diagnosed with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis

Patients who develop multiple sclerosis before age 18 appear to experience more relapses of symptoms than those diagnosed with the disease as adults, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Neurology.

12 Jan 2009

Work pressure linked to stroke in Japanese men

Japanese men in high-stress jobs appear to have an increased risk of stroke compared with those in less demanding positions, according to a report in the January 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

12 Jan 2009

Missing DNA the culprit in epilepsy?

An international team of scientists have identified a genetic risk factor for epilepsy which may lead to a better understanding of what causes the seizures and the development of new treatments for the condition.

12 Jan 2009

Discovery of new molecule in blood-pressure control system

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have discovered that the nerve cells controlling heart rate and blood pressure synthesize a molecule known to be critically important for proper nervous system growth.

8 Jan 2009

Deep brain stimulation helps advanced Parkinson's disease patients

Patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA.

6 Jan 2009

New insight into critical molecular mechanisms involved in aggressive childhood cancer

A new study reveals critical molecular mechanisms associated with the development and progression of human neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in young children.

5 Jan 2009

Researchers link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging

Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).

1 Jan 2009

All VX nerve agent munitions destroyed in U.S.

The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) marked the destruction of all VX nerve agent munitions at its destruction sites on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008.

30 Dec 2008

Scientists reverse brain birth defects using stem cell therapy

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells.

29 Dec 2008

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy damages offspring's white matter - brain's connective network

One part of the prenatal brain that may be particularly sensitive to alcohol's effects is white matter, nerve fibers through which information is exchanged between different areas of the central nervous system.

22 Dec 2008

Carbon nanotubes show promise in emerging field of neuro-engineering and neuroprosthetics

Research done by scientists in Italy and Switzerland has shown that carbon nanotubes may be the ideal "smart" brain material.

22 Dec 2008

FDA approves Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) to prevent gastrointestinal stromal tumor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for a new indication – keeping cancer from growing in patients following surgical removal of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor or GIST.

21 Dec 2008

New understanding of ion channels in the body

A discovery by Canada-U.S. biophysicists will improve the understanding of ion channels, akin to little 'nano-machines' or 'nano-valves' in our body, which when they malfunction can cause genetic illnesses that attack muscles, the central nervous system and the heart.

18 Dec 2008