Newsline — Friday, July 20, 2012 8:55
Researchers Identify Biomarkers that Aid in the Understanding of Schizophrenia
Memory-binding Process Helps People Understand Concepts, Make Decisions
Thursday, July 19, 2012 13:00
Psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin reveals that when humans learn, their brains relate new information with past experiences to derive new knowledge. The study — led by Alison Preston, assistant professor of psychology and neurobiology — finds that this memory-binding process lets people better understand new concepts and make future decisions. This discovery could lead to improved teaching methods and treatments for degenerative neurological disorders such as dementia. For more information, click here to read the full release.
‘Insulating’ Brain Cells Vital to Neuron Survival, May Contribute to ALS if Damaged
Thursday, July 19, 2012 10:17
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they have discovered that the central nervous system’s oligodendroglia cells, long thought to simply insulate nerves as they “fire” signals, also turn out to be vital to the survival of neurons. Damage to these insulators appears to contribute to brain injury in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The discovery, which is described in the online journal Nature, suggests that a previously unknown and unexpected function of these cells is to provide nutrition to the principal brain cells, neurons. This new pathway may prove to be an important and novel therapeutic target for ALS and other diseases that attack the body’s nerve fibers, such as multiple sclerosis. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Stress Management Program May Prevent New Disease Activity in MS Patients
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 13:00
New research reveals that taking part in a stress management program may help prevent new disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings appear in the July 11, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study involved 121 people with MS. Half underwent a stress management program, meeting with a therapist for 16 individual, 50-minute sessions over the course of five to six months. They learned about problem-solving skills, relaxation, increasing positive activities and how to enhance their social support. Participants also could choose optional sessions on topics such as fatigue management, anxiety reduction, pain management and insomnia treatment. After the treatment ended, they were followed for another five to six months. The remaining patients were put on a waiting list as a control group. After 10 months, they attended a five-hour workshop on stress management. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Blood-Brain Barrier More Permeable in Adults than in Newborns, Post-Stroke
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 8:00
The ability of substances to pass through the blood-brain barrier is increased after an adult stroke, but not after a neonatal stroke, reports a new study the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) that will appear in the July 11, 2012, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. These findings may have major implications for drug development, as well as for the treatment of neonatal stroke, researchers say. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research to Host International Alzheimer’s Conference, Conduct Alzheimer’s Research
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 13:00
The number of Canadians afflicted with Alzheimer’s and related dementias will increase from about 480,600 in 2008 to 1,125,000 by 2038, it is estimated. For this reason, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is leading a massive research effort that aims to identify the mechanisms that lead to the disease, delay the onset and the progression, and improve the quality of life of those living with Alzheimer’s, as well as their caregivers. In addition, July 14-19, 2012, Canada will host the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver. For more information, click here to read the full release.
SUNY Downstate Receives Grant to Develop Mobile Phone Apps
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 8:00
SUNY Downstate Medical Center is the recipient of an award to develop mobile phone applications for stroke patients and their caregivers. The scientific principal investigator of the $500,000 award, which came from the federally funded Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), is Steven R. Levine, MD, professor of neurology and emergency medicine, and vice chair of neurology at SUNY Downstate. Investigators from Downstate’s College of Medicine and School of Public Health are participating in this study, which is being developed in conjunction with the National Stroke Association and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. The grant team will survey stroke survivors and their caregivers to determine the interest in and preference for smartphone apps that facilitate improved identification and management of risk factors and healthcare needs. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Study Examines Risk of Brain Injury from High School Hockey and Football
Monday, July 16, 2012 14:57
New research suggests that high school hockey and football players can suffer brain injuries from routine blows to the head that occur during games, even in the absence of concussions. If the study is confirmed, it could have “broad implications” for youth sports, according to study author Jeffrey Bazarian, MD, who is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and an expert on concussions. “The challenge is to determine whether a critical number of head hits exists above which this type of brain injury appears, and then to get players and coaches to agree to limit play when an athlete approached that number,” Bazarian says. The results of the study were published online in the journal Magnetic Resonance Imaging. For more information, click here to read the full article from CBS News.
Study of Zebrafish Helps Explain How Spinal Cord Injuries Are Healed
Monday, July 16, 2012 8:00
A former physical therapist who worked in rehabilitation centers with spinal cord injury patients for many years before deciding to switch her focus to the underlying science, Yona Goldshmit, PhD, now is a scientist working with Peter Currie, PhD, at Monash University in Australia. Their focus: the mechanisms of spinal cord repair in zebrafish, which, unlike humans and other mammals, can regenerate their spinal cord after injury. Goldshmit says a protein may be the key difference between regeneration in fish and mammals; she presented this research during the recent International Zebrafish Development and Genetics Conference in Madison, Wis. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Florida Infant to Undergo Hemispherectomy
Friday, July 13, 2012 13:00
Thirteen-month-old Joscelyn Dempsey, who suffers from debilitating seizures as a result of a brain deformity called hemimegalencephaly, is undergoing what her parents once considered an “unthinkable” surgery at Florida Hospital for Children – the removal of half her brain. For more information, click here to read the full release.