Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Spasticity in flexor muscles of elbow, wrist, and fingers: Botox approved for treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults. Spasticity is common after stroke, traumatic brain injury, or the progression of multiple sclerosis.

10 Mar 2010

FDA approves BOTOX for treatment of increased muscle stiffness in adults with upper limb spasticity

Allergan, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of increased muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist and fingers in adults with upper limb spasticity.

9 Mar 2010

Patients taking warfarin who develop acute stroke more likely to experience brain hemorrhage

Patients already taking warfarin who develop an acute stroke appear more likely to experience a brain hemorrhage following treatment with an intravenous clot-dissolving medication, even if their blood clotting function appears normal, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Mar 2010

Pharmaceutical Institute announces the release of Therapeutic Area Essentials

Pharmaceutical Institute, a leading provider of specialized training solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and a subsidiary of Campbell Alliance, today announced the release of Therapeutic Area Essentials™, a comprehensive suite of more than 155 therapeutic area e-courses covering diagnosis, cause, and treatment for over 40 disease states.

9 Mar 2010

IPG secures investment from Sequoia Capital

Implantable Provider Group, a leading provider of implantable device management, announced today that it has secured an investment from Sequoia Capital. The funding will enable IPG to invest in future growth initiatives.

9 Mar 2010

Study: Effects of testosterone on human behavior in 'pro-social' situation

Is aggression always the best response to a challenge? Testosterone may not necessarily cause aggression but behavior can drive testosterone secretion.

9 Mar 2010

Clinical and scientific advances made in the field of neuro-oncology

Many important clinical and basic scientific advances have been made in the past five years in the field of neuro-oncology, according to an editorial and several articles in the March issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Mar 2010

Scientists show Ritalin boosts cognitive abilities by enhancing brain plasticity

Doctors treat millions of children with Ritalin every year to improve their ability to focus on tasks, but scientists now report that Ritalin also directly enhances the speed of learning.

8 Mar 2010

Presentation of results from open-label extension study of Xenazine

Lundbeck Inc. today announced the presentation of results from an open-label extension study of Xenazine- (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease (HD). Data from this study demonstrated that after an 80-week treatment period, subjects treated with Xenazine experienced a statistically significant reduction in chorea score (p< 0.0001) as measured using the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) compared with baseline.

6 Mar 2010

NAF to hold third annual Ataxia Investigators Meeting in Rosemont

The National Ataxia Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Chicago program in pathobiology and translational neuroscience, will hold its third annual Ataxia Investigators Meeting March 9-11, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, in Rosemont, Ill. A three-day meeting for patients, caregivers and families will follow at the same location.

6 Mar 2010

Thymosin beta 4 improves neurological functional outcome

REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC. announced that a research team from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI reported that Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), administered to rats one day after embolic stroke, improved neurological functional outcome compared to control animals.

6 Mar 2010

Opexa Therapeutics reports net loss of $1,433,922 for year ended December 31, 2009

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing Tovaxin®, a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), today reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2009 and provided an update on its progress.

5 Mar 2010

Phase 1 clinical study of ISIS-SOD1Rx in patients with Lou Gehrig's disease commenced

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 study of ISIS-SOD1Rx in patients with an inherited, aggressive form of Lou Gehrig's disease also known as familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

5 Mar 2010

HMS study suggests new targets for treating Angelman syndrome

Angelman Syndrome is a rare but serious genetic disorder that causes a constellation of developmental problems in affected children, including mental retardation, lack of speech, and in some cases, autism. Over a decade ago, researchers found that AS was caused by mutation in a single gene, but no one had been able to explain how this defect resulted in the debilitating neurological symptoms of the disease.

5 Mar 2010

KAPIDEX to be marketed as DEXILANT in the U.S.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. announced today that KAPIDEX™ (dexlansoprazole) will be marketed in the United States under the new product trade name DEXILANT™ (dexlansoprazole). The product is indicated for heartburn associated with symptomatic non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the healing of erosive esophagitis (EE) and the maintenance of healed EE.

5 Mar 2010

Risk of MS increases by many folds following infection with EBV: Study

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

5 Mar 2010

Natus Medical reports increased revenue for 2009 fourth quarter

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009, Natus reported revenue of $51.6 million, compared to $43.4 million reported in the comparable quarter of the previous year. Net income was $4.3 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with net income of $6.3 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2008.

4 Mar 2010

Childhood absence epilepsy: Comparative clinical trial of widely used anti-seizure drugs

The first comprehensive comparative effectiveness clinical trial of three widely used anti-seizure drugs for childhood absence epilepsy - the most common form of epilepsy in kids - has established an evidence-based approach for initial drug therapy.

4 Mar 2010

New chemical classes of preclinical compounds identified for Alzheimer’s disease

In an announcement today, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Medisyn Technologies, Inc. said they have identified new chemical classes of preclinical compounds that may eventually lead to the first effective management of toxic amyloid aggregation and accumulation in the brain— an abnormal biological process long suspected by many researchers to be a major culprit in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

4 Mar 2010

Study indicates ocular shingles may increase stroke risk

Having a shingles infection that affects the eyes may increase the risk of stroke, according to new research published in the March 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2010