Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

A better education means dementia comes later but when it does it's faster

According to new research a high level of education delays a decline in memory as people age, but once the decline begins it occurs faster.

24 Oct 2007

More educated people who develop dementia lose their memory faster

People with more years of education lose their memory faster than those with less education in the years prior to a diagnosis of dementia, according to a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, published in the October 23rd issue of the medical journal Neurology.

22 Oct 2007

Oral medication restores missing protein in boys with muscular dystrophy

PTC124, an oral medication that changes the way muscle cells interpret genetic information, holds promise as a treatment for some patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the Muscular Dystrophy Association ( http://www.mda.org/ ) announced today.

19 Oct 2007

Mayo Clinic clarifies diagnosis for primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV)

Mayo Clinic has clarified the methods of diagnosis and optimal management of a rare and little-understood blood vessel disease of the brain and spinal cord that often leads to stroke or death.

19 Oct 2007

Big breasts a pain for some women

Women with macromastia, a condition of having abnormally large breasts, often experience symptoms of neck pain, numbness, tingling, and pain and weakness in one or both hands.

17 Oct 2007

Existing drugs may be useful in treating brain tumors

Scientists have shown how developing brain tumors can turn an encounter with a signaling molecule from a fatal experience for the tumor cells into a cue for their own growth and multiplication.

17 Oct 2007

Optical coherence tomography helps track multiple sclerosis

A five-minute eye exam might prove to be an inexpensive and effective way to gauge and track the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis, potentially complementing costly magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain shrinkage - a characteristic of the disease's progression.

16 Oct 2007

Once-a-day epilepsy drug lamotrigine effective for partial seizures

The epilepsy drug lamotrigine is effective in controlling partial seizures when taken once a day as an added therapy, according to a study published in the October 16, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Oct 2007

Familial multiple sclerosis appears more severe than non-familial

Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of a large group of patients with multiple sclerosis has provided the first evidence that those with a history of MS in their families show more severe brain damage than patients who have no close relatives with the disease.

15 Oct 2007

Cigarette smoking may accelerate disability in multiple sclerosis

Persons with multiple sclerosis who smoke risk increasing the amount of brain tissue shrinkage, a consequence of MS, and the subsequent severity of their disease, new research conducted at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) at the University at Buffalo has shown.

15 Oct 2007

Six years advance warning of Alzheimer's

One of the most distressing aspects of Alzheimer's disease is the difficulty in determining whether mild memory problems are the beginning of an inevitable mental decline.

15 Oct 2007

Simple blood test 90% accurate in predicting Alzheimer's

A new blood test which has been developed by scientists in California may enable doctors to predict just who is likely to develop the the degenerative brain disease Alzheimer's.

15 Oct 2007

Professional welders risk losing their sense of smell

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that professional welders who work in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation may be at risk for loss of sense of smell. The study appears in Neurology .

12 Oct 2007

Pioneering approach to cardiovascular care

Thousands of heart patients in the Greater New York region will receive top quality, comprehensive cardiac care in an innovative cardiovascular program in which physicians at a major academic medical center will receive incentive payments based on 60 performance measures for outpatient and inpatient care.

12 Oct 2007

Patients with mild cognitive impairment have difficulty making medical decisions

New research from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) indicates that patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), considered a pre-cursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD), have diminished skills in making important medical decisions compared to healthy adults.

12 Oct 2007

Researchers identify brain circuits used in sensation of touch

The ability to tactually recognize fine spatial details, such as the raised dots used in braille, is especially important to those who are blind.

11 Oct 2007

Trial of repeated antibiotic therapy for Lyme diseases

Findings from the first placebo-controlled study of chronic cognitive impairment after treated Lyme disease (also known as chronic Lyme encephalopathy) demonstrate that patients report moderate cognitive impairment, physical dysfunction comparable to patients with congestive heart failure, and fatigue comparable to patients with multiple sclerosis.

10 Oct 2007

$Accentia announces investigational new drug application for Revimmune for refractory MS$