Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Disrupted memory pathways uncovered in epilepsy patients

A study in rats, backed up by results in patients, has revealed how interictal epileptiform discharges may lead to memory impairments in patients with epilepsy.

29 Apr 2016

People with TBI may have long-term sleep disturbances

People who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may still have sleep problems a year and a half after being injured, according to a study published in the April 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition, people with TBI may also be unaware of just how much their sleep is disturbed.

28 Apr 2016

New study reveals increased risk of dementia in patients with rosacea

A new study has uncovered an increased risk of dementia--in particular Alzheimer's disease--in patients with rosacea. Importantly, the risk was highest in older patients and in patients where rosacea was diagnosed by a hospital dermatologist. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.

28 Apr 2016

More neurological resources needed to manage Zika virus infections

WFN Zika-Info-Service: World Federation of Neurology establishes Work Group on Zika virus to support international efforts - Lack of neurological resources in countries most concerned by the virus.

28 Apr 2016

Study highlights significant burden of migraine on family activities

The debilitating pain and disability of migraine also attacks the emotional, social and financial fabric of a family, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, affiliated with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Vedanta Research, the Mayo Clinic and Allergan plc. The findings were published today in Volume 91, Issue 5 of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

28 Apr 2016

Traumatic brain injury has lasting effect on sleep

Sleep-wake disturbances are a persistent problem in people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury and one that is underestimated by patients, study data indicate.

28 Apr 2016

Patients with impaired consciousness show uncontrolled communication between resting-state networks

An international research team has investigated interactions in different states of consciousness and has discovered that patients with severely impaired consciousness show a pathological or uncontrolled communication between resting-state networks.

28 Apr 2016

Researchers develop new quantitative assessment of motor control in kids with cerebral palsy

Children with cerebral palsy frequently undergo invasive surgeries -- lengthening tendons, rotating bones, transferring muscles to new locations -- in hopes of improving their physical ability to walk or move.

28 Apr 2016

Study reveals new function for CACNA1C gene in psychiatric diseases

A new study shows the death of newborn brain cells may be linked to a genetic risk factor for five major psychiatric diseases, and at the same time shows a compound currently being developed for use in humans may have therapeutic value for these diseases by preventing the cells from dying.

27 Apr 2016

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Researchers testing the potential positive effects of "micro-injury" by brief insertion of a small needle into the hippocampal region of mice modeled with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have found that the procedure not only stimulated the hippocampus into regenerative activity, but also reduced β-amyloid plaques, a hallmark of AD.

27 Apr 2016

Innovations in pre-clinical MRI: an interview with Priv. Doz. Dr. Dominik von Elverfeldt

To me the most exciting aspect of pre-clinical imaging is its broad range, from very basic science up to applied science. You deal with a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology and of course medicine, as the aim is the translation of research to humans.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 27 Apr 2016

Updated guidance on botulinum toxin formulations for four indications

The American Academy of Neurology has issued an update to its 2008 guidelines on the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm and migraine headache.

27 Apr 2016

Study sheds light on mechanism of empty memories in epileptic patients

Between seizures and continually, brain cells in epileptic patients send signals that make "empty memories," perhaps explaining the learning problems faced by up to 40 percent of patients. This is the finding of a study in rats and humans led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and published April 25 in Nature Medicine.

26 Apr 2016

Rituximab outperforms fingolimod after natalizumab switch

Rituximab is more effective and better tolerated than fingolimod for patients with multiple sclerosis needing to switch from natalizumab due to JC-virus antibody positivity, research suggests.

26 Apr 2016

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

25 Apr 2016

Why don’t MS patients always engage with specialists? An interview with Dr Anita Rose

The recent survey you ask about was conducted by the MS Trust in 2012. It revealed that nearly one fifth of respondents had seen neither an MS specialist nurse (MSSN) nor a neurologist in the past year, and so will not have received the comprehensive annual review recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

25 Apr 2016

UK research allays fears over dramatic increases in dementia incidence

Research conducted in the UK has found a 20% drop in the incidence of dementia over the past 2 decades, leading to an estimated 41,000 fewer cases per year in people aged 65 years and older than previously expected.

22 Apr 2016

Rituximab drug more effective than fingolimod for patients with highly active multiple sclerosis

A new study indicates that rituximab is more effective than fingolimod for preventing relapses in patients with highly active multiple sclerosis switching from treatment with natalizumab.

22 Apr 2016

Study finds low prevalence of vascular risk among Southwest US population

In a newly published, pilot study in the journal Ethnicity & Disease, researchers report a relatively low prevalence of vascular risk among participants of the Southwest Heart Mind Study, especially among those treated for hypertension and hyperlipidemia despite overweight and obesity.

22 Apr 2016

Spatial navigation task used to access cognitive map skills can detect preclinical Alzheimer's disease

Long before Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed clinically, increasing difficulties building cognitive maps of new surroundings may herald the eventual clinical onset of the disorder, finds new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

22 Apr 2016