Newsline — Friday, August 3, 2012 13:00
Thomson Reuters Teams with CHDI Foundation to Build Tools for Huntington’s Disease Research
UCLA Scientists Discover Molecule in Brain that Inhibits Stroke Recovery
Friday, August 3, 2012 8:00
Researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified a molecule in the brain that blocks the formation of new connections between neurons following a stroke, thus limiting the brain’s recovery. In a mouse model, the researchers showed that blocking this molecule, ephrin-A5, induces axonal sprouting — the growth of new connections between the brain’s neurons or cells — which promotes functional recovery. For more information, click here to read the full release
Study Locates a Genetic Cause of Glioblastoma
Thursday, August 2, 2012 13:37
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have found that certain cases of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, are the results of the fusion of two adjacent genes. The study also reveals that drugs that targeting the protein produced by this genetic aberration can dramatically slow the growth of glioblastomas in mice. The findings appear in the online edition of the journal Science. “Our findings are doubly important,” says study leader Antonio Iavarone, MD, professor of pathology and neurology at CUMC, and a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. “From a clinical perspective, we have identified a druggable target for a brain cancer with a particularly dismal outcome. From a basic research perspective, we have found the first example of a tumor-initiating mutation that directly affects how cells divide, causing chromosomal instability. This discovery has implications for the understanding of glioblastoma, as well as others types of solid tumors.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
Slow Gait, Short Stride Linked to Increased Risk of Cognitive Decline
Thursday, August 2, 2012 8:00
Researchers at Mayo Clinic report that walking problems such as a slow gait and short stride are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. Their findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 14–19. For the study, the researchers measured the stride length, cadence and velocity of more than 1,341 participants through a computerized gait instrument at two or more visits roughly 15 months apart. They discovered that participants with lower cadence, velocity and length of stride experienced significantly larger declines in global cognition, memory and executive function. For more information, click here to read the full release.
During Neurosurgery Outreach Month, AANS Reminds Young Athletes, Parents, Coaches about Concussion Awareness
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 14:13
For millions of children in North America, back to school also means a return to organized competitive sports, whether they are playing football, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading or even practicing for sports in other seasons. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) continues to stress the importance of concussion awareness and prevention as school-age children head back to their respective fields of play. It is important that children, parents, coaches and administrators all take the proper precautions and are aware of the potentially devastating effects that head and spinal cord injuries can have when participating in these sports. As part of Neurosurgery Outreach Month this August, the AANS continues to remind all those involved in youth sports to “make concussion awareness a part of your playbook.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
Johns Hopkins Researchers Discover Means of Treating Parkinson’s Patients with New and Previously Failed Drugs
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 10:07
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, along with colleagues nationwide, report that they have used adult stem cells to generate the type of human neuron specifically damaged by Parkinson’s disease (PD) and used various drugs to stop the damage. Their experiments on cells in the laboratory, reported in the July 4 issue of Science Translational Medicine, could speed up the search for new drugs to treat the incurable neurodegenerative disease; their research also may lead them back to better ways of using medications that failed in previous clinical trials. “Our study suggests that some failed drugs should actually work if they were used earlier, and especially if we could diagnose PD before tremors and other symptoms first appear,” says one of the study’s leaders, Ted M. Dawson, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Research Reveals Link Between Diabetes and Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease
Tuesday, July 31, 2012 8:00
Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), along with scientists from Northwestern University, have discovered direct experimental evidence that diabetes is linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The study used an experimental model that shows potential as an important new tool for investigations of Alzheimer’s, as well as drugs being developed to treat the disease. The research results appears online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. UMDNJ researchers Peter Frederikse, PhD; and Chinnaswamy Kasinathan, PhD; collaborated with William Klein, PhD, at Northwestern University, to build on prior studies from the Klein lab and others that point out close links between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Working with Claudine Bitel and Rajesh Kaswala, students at UMDNJ, the researchers tested whether untreated diabetes would offer a physiological model of Alzheimer neuropathology. For more information, click here to read the full release.
High School Students Compete in International Brain ‘Olympics’
Monday, July 30, 2012 13:00
A record number of National Brain Bee Champions from Wales, Italy, India, Kenya, Canada, Germany, Romania, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. met in Cape Town, South Africa, July 21-22 to compete in the 14th annual International Brain Bee Championship — the “Olympics” of neuroscience for high school students ages 14-18. Topics included brain functions such as sensations, intelligence, emotions, movement and consciousness, as well as brain dysfunctions such as Alzheimer’s, autism, and addictions, in addition to research techniques and medical technology. The lead kept changing during this intense five-part competition, which included a neuroanatomy laboratory exam with real human brains, a diagnosis section with patient actors, a neurohistology test, case studies and a question-and-answer section. In the end, Australia’s Teresa Tang won by a one percent margin to be named 2012 World Brain Bee Champion. A student at Brisbane High School who represented Queensland, Tang enjoys working with artificial intelligence, and her career goals include neuroscience research and computers. Second place went to Ionut Flavius Bratu of Romania;…
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Johns Hopkins Researchers Discover Link Between Two Biological Risk Factors for Schizophrenia
Monday, July 30, 2012 8:00
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they have found a cause-and-effect relationship between two well-established biological risk factors for schizophrenia that previously were thought to be independent of one another. The findings could lead to the development of better drugs for the treatment of the cognitive dysfunction associated with schizophrenia and possibly other mental illnesses. Researchers have long studied the role played in the brain’s neurons by the Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene — a mutation with one of the strongest links to an increased risk of developing the psychiatric illness. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Wireless, Musical Glove Improves Sensation, Motor Skills in Spinal Cord Injury Patients
Friday, July 27, 2012 13:00
Researchers at Georgia Tech have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for those suffering from paralyzing spinal cord injury (SCI). The invention has been used successfully by individuals with limited feeling or movement in their hands as a result of tetraplegia. Participants had sustained their injuries more than a year before the study — a time frame when most rehab patients see very little improvement for the remainder of their lives. Remarkably, the device was put to use primarily while the patients were going about their daily routines. For more information, click here to read the full release.