Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Link between small birth size and changes to the CV system that predispose to disease in later life

Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls.

22 Jul 2008

Discovery of cells for spinal-cord repair

A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries.

22 Jul 2008

Discovery of new anatomical path through which the brain and spleen communicate

In a major step in understanding how the nervous system and the immune system interact, scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have identified a new anatomical path through which the brain and the spleen communicate.

21 Jul 2008

Shared gene expression alterations in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be involved in the predisposition to both disorders.

17 Jul 2008

New ways of exploiting medicinal uses of cannabis

Research exploring new ways of exploiting the full medicinal uses of cannabis while avoiding unwanted side-effects will be presented to pharmacologists Tuesday, 15 July by leading scientists attending the Federation of European Pharmacological Societies Congress, EPHAR 2008.

From The University of Manchester 15 Jul 2008

New center for protein therapeutics formed by UB pharmaceutical scientists

Pharmaceutical researchers at the University at Buffalo have joined forces with scientists from several of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to tackle fundamental research questions that need to be answered to advance development of promising protein-based drugs.

15 Jul 2008

Quick formula could forecast which cancers chemo could kill

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have coined a simple formula that predicts how well a certain chemotherapy will work for targeting brain and other nervous system cancers. The formula, which publishes mid-July in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, is pegged to two important proteins that compose such hard-to-kill tumors - one of which, ironically, makes them so drug-resistant in the first place.

15 Jul 2008

Huntington's disease brain damage linked to overactive immune response in the bloodstream

The damage to brain tissue seen in Huntington's disease may be caused by an overactive immune response in the bloodstream and the brain, according to new findings from two teams of researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle and University College London. The findings will be published online July 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

14 Jul 2008

Incorrectly cleaved protein leads to schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease that strikes an average of 4,000 Belgians every year. The causes of this psychiatric disorder are not yet clear.

14 Jul 2008

Susceptibility to pain is affected by premature birth and also genetics

Scientists in US and UK laboratories have made key discoveries into the elusive nature of pain in children and adults. The results, presented at the Forum of European Neurosciences Monday will help guide the future management and treatment of pain.

14 Jul 2008

Does sleep help us change or clarify our mind?

When we have to make a difficult decision, or work through an idea, it's often best to 'sleep on it' and come back to it fresh the next day. Swiss scientists have discovered that sleep can have lasting consequences on brain function by stimulating new brain connections that strengthen the learning processes and directly influence our actions.

14 Jul 2008

Common genetic variations increase risk of life-long nicotine addiction for young smokers

Common genetic variations affecting nicotine receptors in the nervous system can significantly increase the chance that European Americans who begin smoking by age 17 will struggle with life-long nicotine addiction. Published July 11 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, this research - led by scientists at the University of Utah together with colleagues from the University of Wisconsin - highlights the importance of preventing early exposure to tobacco through public health policies.

13 Jul 2008

Transgenic tomatoes as edible vaccine carriers for Alzheimer's disease

The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer's disease, according to HyunSoon Kim from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) in Korea and colleagues from Digital Biotech Inc. and the Department of Biological Science at Wonkwang University.

8 Jul 2008

Researchers detail types of genes necessary for brain

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development. Details of the screen and its novel methodology are published July 4th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

8 Jul 2008

Japanese encephalitis damages the brain in two ways

Japanese encephalitis (JE), commonly known as brain fever, is one of the prevalent mosquito-borne encephalitis in India and entire South East (SE) Asia.

8 Jul 2008

Researchers reveal types of genes necessary for brain development

4 Jul 2008

Statins have unexpected effect on pool of powerful brain cells

Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells important to brain health as we age, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia.

3 Jul 2008

New insight into role of statins in dementia

3 Jul 2008

Caffeine could help prevent multiple sclerosis

A new study is suggesting that having several cups of coffee a day could halt the development of multiple sclerosis (MS).

2 Jul 2008

Neuroscientists pinpoint how neural activity boosts blood flow to the brain

New research from Harvard University neuroscientists has pinpointed exactly how neural activity boosts blood flow to the brain. The finding has important implications for our understanding of common brain imaging techniques such as fMRI, which uses blood flow in the brain as a proxy for neural activity.

26 Jun 2008