Newsline — Friday, May 11, 2012 11:00
Willingness to Work and the Human Brain
American Academy of Neurology Announces New Guidelines for Migraine Prevention
Thursday, May 10, 2012 16:20
Many treatments can help prevent migraine in certain people, yet few candidates for these preventive treatments actually use them, according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The AAN announced new guidelines for migraine prevention, which it co-developed with the American Headache Society, at its 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans; they also were published in the April 24, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Studies show that migraine is underrecognized and undertreated,” says guideline author Stephen D. Silberstein, MD, FACP, FAHS, of Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. “About 38 percent of people who suffer from migraine could benefit from preventive treatments, but only less than a third of these people currently use them.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
University of California Scientists Share New Alzheimer’s Study Results
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 16:18
The neuron-killing pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) — which begins before clinical symptoms appear — requires the presence of both amyloid-beta (a-beta) plaque deposits and elevated levels of an altered protein called p-tau, a new study reports. Without both, progressive clinical decline associated with AD in cognitively healthy older individuals is “not significantly different from zero,” say scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Their research appears in the April 23 online issue of Archives of Neurology. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Study Shows Brain Surgery for Epilepsy Still Not Widely Used
Friday, May 4, 2012 8:00
Ten years ago, a landmark clinical trial in Canada demonstrated the unequivocal effectiveness of brain surgeries for treating uncontrolled epilepsy. However, since then, the procedure has not been widely adopted — in fact, it is dramatically underutilized, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The study, published in this month’s Neurology journal, shows that the number of Americans having the surgery has not changed in the decade since its release, although surgical treatment now is uniformly encouraged by neurology and neurosurgery professional societies. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Research Studies Possible Preventions for Stress-Related Disorders
Thursday, May 3, 2012 8:00
A cellular protein called HDAC6 has been newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain. As such, it may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), say researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Glucocorticoids are natural steroids secreted by the body during stress. A small amount of these hormones helps with normal brain function; however, their excess is a precipitating factor for stress-related disorders. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Project to Examine Link Between Bipolar Disorder and Abnormalities in a Mammal’s Internal Clock
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 9:00
A University of Michigan math professor will lead an international, $1 million project that examines the connection between bipolar disorder and abnormalities in the circadian, or daily, rhythms of a mammal’s internal clock. In humans, this grain-of-rice-sized timepiece is a cluster of 20,000 neurons located right behind the eyes. It’s called the suprachiasmatic nucleas (SCN) of the brain’s hypothalamus and is responsible for keeping our bodies in synch with our planet’s 24-hour day. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Research Shows How Protein Protects Early Brain Cells from DNA Damage
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 14:49
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have rewritten the job description of the protein TopBP1 after demonstrating that it guards early brain cells from DNA damage. Such damage might foreshadow later problems, including cancer. According to research, cells in the developing brain require TopBP1 to prevent DNA strands from breaking as the molecule is copied prior to cell division. In addition, stem cells and immature cells known as progenitor cells that are involved at the beginning of brain development are more sensitive to unrepaired DNA damage than progenitor cells later in the process. Although more developmentally advanced than stem cells, progenitor cells retain the ability to become one of a variety of more specialized neurons. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Study of Professional Boxers Shows Changes in Brain Even Before Symptoms Appear
Monday, April 30, 2012 8:00
When boxers come to Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Charles Bernick, MD, and his colleagues ask them several questions, including: “How many times have you been knocked out cold or gotten a concussion?” Most respond, “Never.” However, when asked how many times they felt dazed or stunned, most say, “Many times.” These results are part of the now year-old Professional Fighters Brain Health Study of 109 fighters — more than have ever been compiled in a single research project. The principal finding of the research, according to Dr. Bernick, is that “there are detectable changes in the brain even before symptoms appear,” such as memory loss or other changes in cognitive function resulting from repeated blows to the head. For more information, click here to read the full article in The New York Times.
Brain of Deceased Marine Who Suffered from PTSD Reveals Degenerative Brain Disease
Friday, April 27, 2012 9:28
After struggling to adjust to civilian life upon his return from two tours of duty in Iraq, a 27-year-old former Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) took his own life. Although this story is a common one, the autopsy of this particular young man’s brain has yielded historic results, shedding light on the epidemic of suicides and other troubles faced by veterans of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Said marine’s brain was physically altered by a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a degenerative condition that typically affects boxers, football players and other athletes who have endured repeated blows to the head. For more information, click here to read the full article in The New York Times.
Brain Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise
Thursday, April 26, 2012 12:09
A potential vaccine for brain cancer led to a nearly 50 percent improvement in survival time among patients suffering from glioblastoma multiforme — the same cancer that killed Sen. Edward Kennedy. The vaccine, made from brain cancer patients’ own tumor cells, is known as HSPPC-96. It was tested in a phase 2 clinical trial involving approximately 40 patients with recurrent glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer that usually kills patients within 15 months of diagnosis. For more information, click here to read the full article.