Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Mitoxantrone drug users more likely to develop colorectal cancer

The multiple sclerosis (MS) drug mitoxantrone may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the May 11, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Mitoxantrone suppresses the immune system.

12 May 2016

Scientists find tau protein as better marker of Alzheimer's disease

A buildup of plaque and dysfunctional proteins in the brain are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. While much Alzheimer's research has focused on accumulation of the protein amyloid beta, researchers have begun to pay closer attention to another protein, tau, long associated with this disease but not studied as thoroughly, in part, because scientists only recently have developed effective ways to image tau.

12 May 2016

Dementia risk high after ICH

A large study shows that nearly a third of patients who survive an intracerebral haemorrhage will go on to develop dementia within 4 years.

11 May 2016

Eating seafood once a week may protect against age-related memory loss

Eating a meal of seafood or other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids at least once a week may protect against age-related memory loss and thinking problems in older people, according to a team of researchers at Rush University Medical Center and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

11 May 2016

Genetic variations that increase PKC alpha activity may influence development of Alzheimer's disease

In Alzheimer's disease, plaques of amyloid beta protein accumulate in the brain, damaging connections between neurons.

11 May 2016

ENCHANTED results challenge reduced alteplase dose in Asian stroke patients

A reduced dose of alteplase has failed to prove itself noninferior to the standard dose in a predominantly Asian population of patients with ischaemic stroke.

11 May 2016

Depression course predicts dementia risk

Patients with late-life depression have an increased risk of dementia if their symptoms increase over time, whereas a single episode of depression, even if severe, does not carry a significant risk, study findings indicate.

10 May 2016

Survey finds variability among physicians when treating stroke patients

A physician has to make many quick decisions when confronted with a stroke patient. Should treatment be intensive or comfort-based, or somewhere in between?

9 May 2016

Implantable brain device shows promising results in animal study

An implantable brain device that literally melts away at a pre-determined rate minimizes injury to tissue normally associated with standard electrode implantation, according to research led by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

6 May 2016

Newborn screen for Niemann-Pick disease type C ready for piloting

Researchers have developed a bile acid-based test that they believe could help screen for Niemann-Pick disease type C in newborns.

6 May 2016

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report the first documentation that suppressing a key cell-signaling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease reduces pathogenesis. Oral administration of AZD1480 — one of the JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors generally known as Jakinibs — lessened the destructive inflammation and nerve cell degradation in the area of the brain affected by Parkinson's.

4 May 2016

Lund study shows transplanted nerve cells can survive for many years in diseased human brain

In the late 1980s and over the 1990s, researchers at Lund University in Sweden pioneered the transplantation of new nerve cells into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. The outcomes proved for the first time that transplanted nerve cells can survive and function in the diseased human brain. Some patients showed marked improvement after the transplantation while others showed moderate or no relief of symptoms.

4 May 2016

Real risk of rebound syndrome following fingolimod cessation for MS

Rebound syndrome following cessation of fingolimod for multiple sclerosis occurs at a clinically relevant rate, shows research, prompting the need for further study on how best to sequence and discontinue such drugs.

4 May 2016

Cerebellar not cerebral atrophy predicts poor anti-NMDAR encephalitis outcome

Diffuse cerebral atrophy in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis does not necessarily mean irreversible brain damage, whereas progressive cerebellar atrophy may indicate a poor long-term prognosis, researchers report.

4 May 2016

Feeding breast milk during first month of life may spur brain growth in preterm infants

Feeding premature babies mostly breast milk during the first month of life appears to spur more robust brain growth, compared with babies given little or no breast milk.

30 Apr 2016

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