Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Cause of amyloid beta pathology may be more versatile than previously known

Accumulation of the substance amyloid beta in the brain impairs the memory and cognitive ability in people with Alzheimer's. New findings from Lund University in Sweden show that the cause of amyloid beta pathology might be more versatile than previously known. Researchers believe that these new findings may be of significance to the development of new medications.

8 Mar 2016

Research provides important new insights into beginning stages of primary progressive aphasia

The recent ability to peer into the brain of living individuals with a rare type of language dementia, primary progressive aphasia (PPA), provides important new insights into the beginning stages of this disease -- which results in language loss -- when it is caused by a buildup of a toxic protein found in Alzheimer's disease.

8 Mar 2016

Researchers identify how Zika virus may cause microcephaly in fetuses

Working with lab-grown human stem cells, a team of researchers suspect they have discovered how the Zika virus probably causes microcephaly in fetuses. The virus selectively infects cells that form the brain's cortex, or outer layer, making them more likely to die and less likely to divide normally and make new brain cells.

7 Mar 2016

Young adults with hostile attitudes may experience memory and thinking problems decades later

Young adults with hostile attitudes or those who don't cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to a study published in the March 2, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Mar 2016

FSU researchers make major breakthrough in Zika virus research

Florida State University researchers have made a major breakthrough in the quest to learn whether the Zika virus is linked to birth defects with the discovery that the virus is directly targeting brain development cells and stunting their growth.

7 Mar 2016

Drinking more coffee may reduce risk of multiple sclerosis

Drinking a lot of coffee every day--more than 900 ml (30 fluid ounces) or around six cups--is linked to a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2016

Pregnant women with acute migraine more likely to experience adverse birth outcomes

Women who have acute migraine attacks that are severe enough to prompt them to seek care may be more likely to have complications when giving birth, including preterm delivery, preeclampsia and low birthweight. Women 35 and older were seven times more likely to have these complications.

4 Mar 2016

Botulinum toxin A injections combat neuropathic pain

Botulinum toxin A injections have a sustained beneficial effect in patients with neuropathic pain, shows a randomised trial.

3 Mar 2016

UT Southwestern teams up with seven universities to develop new technologies to improve memory function

UT Southwestern Medical Center has joined a consortium of seven leading universities to develop new technologies to improve memory in people with traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease.

3 Mar 2016

Common blood test could help predict risk of second stroke

A new discovery about ischemic stroke may allow to doctors to predict a patient's risk of having a second stroke using a commonly performed blood test and their genetic profile.

3 Mar 2016

Childhood emotional abuse linked to adult migraine risk

Children who are emotionally abused may be more likely to experience migraines as young adults, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016. The link between migraine and abuse was stronger for emotional abuse than for physical or sexual abuse in the study.

3 Mar 2016

RRE validated in multinational stroke cohort

The Recurrence Risk Estimator for ischaemic stroke has been validated in a prospective, multinational study.

2 Mar 2016

Research shows nighttime lights may affect sleeping habits

If your neighborhood is well-lit at night, you may not be sleeping well, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

2 Mar 2016

Surprising bone health findings in women with restless legs syndrome

Contrary to the researchers' expectations, a study shows that women with restless legs syndrome have increased bone mineral density in some sites.

2 Mar 2016

Cardiac drug combats muscle cramps in ALS

A phase II study shows that the sodium channel blocker mexiletine has no specific safety concerns in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and, moreover, markedly reduces muscle cramps.

1 Mar 2016

Discovery could lead to better therapies for people with obsessive compulsive disorder

Research led by investigators in veterinary and human medicine has identified genetic pathways that exacerbate severity of canine compulsive disorder in Doberman pinschers, a discovery that could lead to better therapies for obsessive compulsive disorder in people.

27 Feb 2016

New drug shows promise against Huntington's disease

A drug that would be the first to target the cause of Huntington's disease (HD) is effective and safe when tested in mice and monkeys, according to data released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

27 Feb 2016

Comorbid neuropathologies have major impact on cognition

Cognitive impairment is most likely to affect people with multiple types of brain pathology, irrespective of which particular pathologies they have, a study shows.

26 Feb 2016

Medical scientists examine potential new tool for helping prevent stroke, heart attack

Medical scientists just vetted a potentially powerful new tool for helping prevent stroke and heart attack. In a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers show that a drug reduced the risk of stroke or heart attack by almost a quarter in patients who had previously suffered a stroke or mini-stroke.

26 Feb 2016

New review suggests solutions that can help ease chronic pain in women

Women often suffer silently when in pain, whether it's caused by pregnancy discomfort or creaky knees. Yet there are a variety of solutions that can help relieve women of chronic pain, from exercise to identifying triggers, suggests a new review of research related to women and pain by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

26 Feb 2016