Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Study looks at long-term consequences of heavy smoking on dementia

Heavy smoking in midlife is associated with a 157 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and a 172 percent increased risk of developing vascular dementia, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Oct 2010

Alzheimer’s risk raised 157% with smoking: Study

A Kaiser Permanente study reported this Monday that heavy smoking in midlife more than doubles the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease. This study is one of the first of its kind to examine the long-term consequences of heavy smoking on Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia explained the study's principal investigator, Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. The research is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Oct 2010

H70 study provides data on cognitive symptoms that predict dementia

Today´s 70-year-olds do far better in intelligence tests than their predecessors. It has also become more difficult to detect dementia in its early stages, though forgetfulness is still an early symptom, reveals new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, based on the H70 study.

25 Oct 2010

UCSF scientists receive grants to refine embryonic stem cell-based strategies for neurological diseases

UCSF scientists have received two grants from the California Institutefor Regenerative Medicine to refine their human embryonic stem cell-based strategies for treating neurological diseases and liver failure. The goal of the grants is for researchers to make significant strides toward the development of potential therapies within the next three years.

25 Oct 2010

Arena's NDA receives Complete Response Letter for lorcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) regarding Arena's New Drug Application (NDA) for lorcaserin. Lorcaserin is intended for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, in patients who are obese

25 Oct 2010

Motherhood helps women grow their grey matter: Study

According to the latest research motherhood helps women grow their grey matter. The study was conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland and it showed that the brains of new mothers substantially gained in nerve cells while they coped with the steep learning curve of dealing with a newborn. Also in a bizarre way, mothers who ‘gushed’ the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the brain.

24 Oct 2010

New epilepsy drugs give more options, but make treatment decisions more complex: Epilepsy specialist

A dozen new epilepsy drugs are giving doctors and patients more options, but making treatment decisions more complex, a Loyola epilepsy specialist reports in the journal Neurologic Clinics.

22 Oct 2010

New findings provide new clues on pathogenetic mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Pathological protein deposits linked to Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy can be triggered not only by the administration of pathogenic misfolded protein fragments directly into the brain but also by peripheral administration outside the brain.

22 Oct 2010

Talecris announces publication of PROLASTIN-C study results for AAT deficiency in BML journal

Talecris Biotherapeutics today announced the publication of results from a study showing that PROLASTIN-C (Alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor [Human]) (A1PI) is as effective as PROLASTIN (Alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor [Human]) in raising levels of alpha-1 protein in patients with alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency.

22 Oct 2010

Scientists discover new cell that may limit inflammation in CNS

Scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute have recently made discoveries about a type of cell that may limit inflammation in the central nervous system - a finding that could have important implications in the treatment of brain disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The research, led by Barrow's Fu-Dong Shi, MD, PhD, was published in the August 2010 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, and simultaneously highlighted in Nature.

22 Oct 2010

Morphotek receives DOD contract to support mAb therapies against pathogenic strains

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., announced today that it has been awarded a contract for $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to support the continuing development of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies against staphylococcal-derived toxins and pathogenic staphylococcal strains.

22 Oct 2010

Snoring may destroy grey matter

A new Australian study has found that snoring and troubled nights could be a warning of brain damage occurring while sleeping. The team looked at brain scans of 60 people, aged in their mid-40s and recently diagnosed with a common sleep disorder – obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea often affects overweight and the obese and leads to snoring. Results showed “decreased amount of grey matter” when compared to healthy sleepers.

21 Oct 2010

Venn Life Sciences acquires French CRO

Venn Life Sciences a multinational Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) announced today that it has acquired French CRO, DCI.

21 Oct 2010

Report finds shortage of Mass. physicians is getting worse

The Boston Herald: "The state's physician shortage is getting worse -- with many practices closed to new patients and a critical need for doctors in key specialties, according to a Massachusetts Medical Society report released today. ... The most acute need is for primary-care physicians who practice family or internal medicine. The study called the shortages in those two key areas 'critical.'

21 Oct 2010

European Commission grants Ipsen's OBI-1 orphan drug status for treatment of hemophilia

Ipsen announced today that the European Commission has granted orphan drug status for OBI-1 for the treatment of hemophilia. Expected to enter pivotal clinical trials before the end of this year, OBI-1 is designed to treat individuals with hemophilia who have developed inhibitory antibodies (inhibitors) against human Factor VIII (hFVIII).

20 Oct 2010

Neuralstem updates Phase I human clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells for ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

20 Oct 2010

New approaches to explore causes of autoimmunity and immune deficiency diseases

A newly identified regulatory process affecting the biology of immune system T cells should give scientists new approaches to explore the causes of autoimmunity and immune deficiency diseases.

20 Oct 2010

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that enrollment has begun in a new double-blind sham surgery-controlled Phase 2b study evaluating CERE-120 in Parkinson's disease patients. CERE-120 is a gene therapy product that delivers the neurotrophic factor neurturin to degenerating or dying dopamine neurons. Data from the first Phase 2 clinical trial of CERE-120 are being published later this year in Lancet Neurology (to appear online October 21, 2010).

20 Oct 2010

Acorda announces data of GGF2 preclinical studies for focal ischemic stroke

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc, today announced that data from preclinical studies show that Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2) promoted functional recovery following a permanent focal ischemic stroke.

19 Oct 2010

New ADNI-GO effort enables researchers to study Alzheimer's disease

Volunteers in New York, NY are being sought for a clinical study examining the subtle changes that may take place in the brains of older people many years before overt symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) appear. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are specifically looking for people with the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. The study will follow participants over time, using imaging techniques specifically developed to advance research into changes taking place in the structure and function of the living brain, as well as biomarker measures found in blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

19 Oct 2010