Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

How does THC work?

Marijuana and its main psychoactive component, THC, exert a plethora of behavioral and autonomic effects on humans and animals.

9 Oct 2007

Central nervous system infections after heart transplants

Central nervous system infections develop infrequently following heart transplants but are a significant predictor of death, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the December 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Oct 2007

Experts urge women to eat plenty of fish while pregnant

Experts in the United States are contradicting government recommendations and warnings regarding fish and other seafood in the diets of pregnant and breast-feeding women.

7 Oct 2007

OxyContin drug company sued for millions

A private company in the United States is being sued by a number of counties in the state of Kentucky over the potent painkilling drug OxyContin.

7 Oct 2007

Discovery offers hope of halting motor neurone disease progression

Scientists have discovered a causal link between the gene for a small protein involved in the formation of blood vessels and the development of some forms of motor neurone disease.

4 Oct 2007

New targeted approach to pain management

Imagine an epidural or a shot of Novocain that doesn't paralyze your legs or make you numb, yet totally blocks your pain.

4 Oct 2007

Neural prosthetic devices

MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm to help create prosthetic devices that convert brain signals into action in patients who have been paralyzed or had limbs amputated.

4 Oct 2007

Brain protocols feature methods for neuroscience research

Research in the field of neuroscience is constantly expanding to provide knowledge about biological mechanisms that underlie our ability to experience and interact with the world around us.

2 Oct 2007

Wilmot Cancer Center adds gastrointestinal, brain cancer experts

Three specialists in gastrointestinal and brain cancers recently joined the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center to meet the growing need in the Rochester and Upstate New York region.

1 Oct 2007

Study of bone marrow stem cells in multiple sclerosis

A new pilot clinical trial to test bone marrow stem cell therapy with a small group of patients with multiple sclerosis has started at Frenchay Hospital.

27 Sep 2007

Research at Rice may help explain aspects of synesthesia

A research team led by Rice University Psychology Professor Tony Ro has published its findings that may help to explain the phenomenon known as synesthesia, in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway.

27 Sep 2007

Biologists link Huntington's disease to health benefits in young

For years researchers in neurology have believed that people with Huntington's disease have more children than the general population because of behavioral changes associated with the disease that lead to sexual promiscuity.

26 Sep 2007

Simulation reveals how body repairs balance after damage

Your body goes to a lot of trouble to make sure you stay upright. But when the brain's neural pathways are impaired through injury, age or illness, muscles are deprived of the detailed sensory information they need to perform the constant yet delicate balancing act required for normal movement and standing.

26 Sep 2007

Music training may offer benefits for literacy skills

Music training, with its pervasive effects on the nervous system's ability to process sight and sound, may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than learning phonics, according to a new Northwestern University study.

25 Sep 2007

Use of energy drinks in conjunction with alcohol popular among Italian university students

Energy drinks - known for their stimulant effects on the central nervous system - have become more and more popular among young people in recent years.

25 Sep 2007

Lymph nodes can be crucial for spreading low doses of infective prion agents

Lymph nodes can be crucial for spreading low doses of infective prion agents - the pathogens responsible for conditions such as scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - into the nervous system, according to new research published in the online open access journal BMC Veterinary Research.

25 Sep 2007

Ventrolateral nucleus of the thalamus plays role in sensory perception

The ventrolateral nucleus (VL) of the thalamus is connected to the cerebellum and motor cortex and therefore thought to be involved in motor function.

25 Sep 2007

Acupuncture effective for treating low back pain

Six months of acupuncture treatment appears to be more effective than conventional therapy in treating low back pain, according to a study in the September 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, although the study suggests that both sham acupuncture and traditional Chinese verum acupuncture appear to be effective in treating low back pain.

25 Sep 2007

Acupuncture appears better for back pain than drugs and exercise

If you are one of the millions struggling to cope with lower back pain acupuncture might provide some welcome relief.

24 Sep 2007

Stress and cardiovascular health

The importance of a healthy lifestyle to reduce stress in order to manage risk factors associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes is emphasised in a Review in this week's edition of The Lancet.

24 Sep 2007