Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Best management unclear for patients needing carotid revascularisation

Research highlights the vulnerability of patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis to stroke while awaiting revascularisation.

19 Jan 2016

Anticholinesterase offers a ‘steadying hand’ to PD patients

The dementia drug rivastigmine may reduce the risk of falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease by improving gait stability, findings from the phase II ReSponD trial show.

19 Jan 2016

Weight loss may mark rapid Parkinson’s disease progression

Weight loss in patients with early Parkinson’s disease is associated with worsening motor function, research shows.

19 Jan 2016

Researchers identify protein that could protect against toxic degeneration of cells in ALS

J. Gavin Daigle, a PhD candidate at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Graduate Studies, is the first author of a paper whose findings reveal another piece of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) puzzle.

19 Jan 2016

Taking up new mental challenges may help maintain cognitive vitality

One of the greatest challenges associated with the growing numbers of aged adults is how to maintain a healthy aging mind. Taking up a new mental challenge such as digital photography or quilting may help maintain cognitive vitality, say researchers reporting in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.

18 Jan 2016

Oral drug rivastigmine could help prevent falls in people with Parkinson’s

Scientists have discovered that a commonly prescribed dementia drug could hold the key to helping prevent debilitating falls for people with Parkinson’s.

18 Jan 2016

Graph theoretical analysis may help predict recovery of motor function after stroke

Graph theoretical analysis is proving to be helpful in understanding complex networks in the brain. Investigators in the Republic of Korea used a graph theoretical approach in examining the changes in the configuration of the two hemispheres of the brain in 12 patients after stroke.

18 Jan 2016

Metamaterials could reduce MRI scanning times by more than 50%

A group of researchers from Russia, Australia and the Netherlands have developed a technology that can reduce Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning times by more than 50%, meaning hospitals can drastically increase the number of scans without changing equipment.

18 Jan 2016

New materials promise safer, faster MRI scans

Scientists have found a way to increase the resolution of MRI scanners, while at the same time making the procedure quicker and safer for the patient.

14 Jan 2016

UCLA discovery could lead to new therapies for autism

UCLA scientists have discovered that an overlooked region in brain cells houses a motherlode of mutated genes previously tied to autism. Recently published in Neuron, the finding could provide fresh drug targets and lead to new therapies for the disorder, which affects one in 68 children in the United States.

13 Jan 2016

New UTMB study reveals link between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease

A new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston fills an important gap in understanding the link between traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

13 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal secondary structure of Lewy bodies in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients

Lewy bodies had been considered to be a key element of pathogenesis for Parkinson's disease. Although structural analysis for Lewy bodies with an electron microscope had been performed, it had no secondary structural information of proteins, which is important for the development of drugs.

13 Jan 2016

New mechanism of differentiation may offer novel therapeutic approaches to blood malignancies, solid tumors

In humans the differentiation of stem cells into hundreds of specialized cell types is vital. Differentiation drives development from fertilized egg to a newborn, and it underlies the continuous replacement of the 5 billion cells that die every hour in an adult. On the downside, mutations in differentiation pathways of different cell types can be drivers of cancers.

13 Jan 2016

Scientists identify unusual regulator of body weight, metabolic syndrome

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered an unusual regulator of body weight and the metabolic syndrome: a molecular mechanism more commonly associated with brain cells. Lowering levels of P75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR)--a receptor involved in neuron growth and survival--protected mice fed a high-fat diet from developing obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

12 Jan 2016

NUS researchers develop EsoGlove that helps patients restore hand functions

Patients who have lost their hand functions due to injuries or nerve-related conditions, such as stroke and muscular dystrophy, now have a chance of restoring their hand movements by using a new lightweight and smart rehabilitation device called EsoGlove developed by a research team from the National University of Singapore.

12 Jan 2016

3 out of 4 young adults with stroke symptoms delay trip to hospital

Up to three hours after a person experiences the first symptom of a stroke is often referred to as the "golden window." That's the period of time doctors say is crucial for patients to get to a hospital to receive medical care in order to restore blood flow to the brain and minimize or reverse damage.

11 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal specific enzyme responsible for sensing energy source that fuels growth of cancer cells

An international research team formed by a University of Cincinnati cancer researcher has shown for the first time that a specific enzyme is responsible for sensing the available supply of GTP, an energy source that fuels the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. The research underscores the enzyme's potential to become a therapeutic target for future cancer drugs.

11 Jan 2016

Johns Hopkins researchers show that stroke may increase brain plasticity, recovery in some cases

Using mice whose front paws were still partly disabled after an initial induced stroke, Johns Hopkins researchers report that inducing a second stroke nearby in their brains let them “rehab” the animals to successfully grab food pellets with those paws at pre-stroke efficiency.

8 Jan 2016

Early promise for cannabis extract treatment in epilepsy

A preliminary, open-label study suggests that cannabidiol may be a useful adjunctive treatment in adults and children with intractable epilepsy.

7 Jan 2016

Failure to accurately assess optic nerve drives IIH overdiagnosis

Researchers put overdiagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) down to inaccurate ophthalmoscopic examination in headache patients and wrongly suspecting the condition in young obese women with headaches.

7 Jan 2016