Newsline — Wednesday, December 28, 2011 9:00
Elderly Can Be Trained to Respond As Quickly as Young Adults to Some Brain Tasks
Researchers Discover Gene Responsible for Hereditary Brain Disorder
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 11:00
A global team of neuroscientists, led by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., have discovered the gene responsible for a brain disorder that may be much more common than thought. As reported in the Dec. 25 online issue of Nature Genetics, the researchers say they identified 14 different mutations in the gene CSF1R that lead to development of hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids (HDLS) — a devastating disorder of the brain’s white matter that leads to death in people ages 40-60. People who inherit the abnormal gene always develop HDLS, and until now, a definite diagnosis required examination of brain tissue at biopsy or autopsy. Based on these findings, a genetic diagnosis now will be possible without need for a brain biopsy or autopsy. According to the team’s senior investigator, neurologist Zbigniew K. Wszolek, M.D., a significant number of people who tested positive for the abnormal gene in this study had been diagnosed with a wide range of other conditions. These individuals were related to a patient known to have HDLS, so their genes…
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Study Points Out Risk Factors Linked to Blindness After Spine Surgery
Friday, December 23, 2011 9:00
A new study identifies six risk factors associated with blindness or partial blindness that can occur following major spine surgery: 1) male sex, 2) obesity, 3) use of a surgical frame that places the head lower than the heart, 4) length of the surgery, 5) amount of blood loss and 6) use of certain fluids that replace lost blood. The study will appear in the January 2012 issue of Anesthesiology. Ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) — which involves injury to the optic nerve located directly behind the eyeball — is a rare complication (with the highest incidence reported as one in 1,000 spine operations). But it is a devastating complication for patients, and a frustrating one for anesthesiologists, spine surgeons and ophthalmologists, as it is known to unexpectedly occur in even healthy patients of all ages. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Surgical Techniques for Spinal Cervical Fusion Vary
Thursday, December 22, 2011 9:00
The technique surgeons use to perform surgery on patients with degenerative disc disease of the cervical (upper) spine may depend on what part of the country they live in, according to a study published in the January issue of Spine, conducted by Dr. Kevin J. McGuire of Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston, and his colleagues. Persistent regional variations indicate the need for solid scientific research on the techniques and outcomes of cervical spine surgery, the report states. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Johns Hopkins Researchers Discover That SIRT1 Gene Can Delay Onset of HD
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 0:00
By working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that the SIRT1 gene, which is linked to slowing the aging process in cells, also appears to dramatically delay the onset of Huntington’s Disease (HD) and slow the neurodegenerative disorder’s progression. In humans, HD is a rare, fatal disorder caused by a mutation in a single gene and characterized by progressive brain damage. Symptoms typically first appear in midlife and include jerky twitch-like movements, coordination difficulties, psychiatric disorders and dementia. Although the gene responsible for HD was identified in 1993, much remains unknown about the biology of the disease. There is no cure, and there are no effective treatments. For more information, click here to read the full release.
High Levels of Tau Protein Linked to Poor Recovery After Brain Injury
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 14:00
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Fondazione IRCCS Ca Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, Italy, have linked high levels of tau protein in fluid bathing the brain to poor recovery after head trauma “We are particularly interested in finding ways to predict prognosis after traumatic brain injury,” said Senior Author David L. Brody, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at Washington University. “Right now, it’s very hard to tell who is going to live, who is going to die, who is going to have severe disability and who is going to recover well.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
Physicians at Jefferson Hospital to Use New Immunotherapy on Brain Tumor Patients
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 8:00
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience (JHN) physicians are tackling a particularly aggressive brain cancer that even surgery, chemotherapy and radiation often fail to treat with a promising new immunotherapy to attack a patient’s tumor with their own cancer cells. Starting as soon as January 2012, the first of 12 patients diagnosed with a malignant astrocytoma from a clinical trial led by David W. Andrews, MD, co-director of JHN’s Brain Tumor Center of the Kimmel Cancer Center, will receive a “cancer Trojan horse” that could substantially shrink their tumors and possibly extend their lives. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Drug Candidate May Halt Decline of Alzheimer’s Sufferers
Monday, December 19, 2011 14:00
A new drug candidate may be the first capable of stopping the devastating mental decline of Alzheimer’s disease, based on the results of a study recently published on www.plosone.org. The drug, referred to as J147, improved memory and prevented brain damage caused by the disease when given to mice with Alzheimer’s. Developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the compound could be tested for treatment of the disease in humans in the near future. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Magnetic Stimulation of the Brain May Aid in Recovery of Certain Stroke Patients
Monday, December 19, 2011 8:00
Magnetic stimulation of the nerve cells in the brain may speed up recovery from hemispatial neglect, a condition in which patients wake up and are unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of their bodies, according to a new study. The findings were published in the Dec. 13 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Hemispatial neglect is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain. The current treatment for the condition involves attention and concentration training using computer and pencil-and-paper tasks, which is inadequate, according to researchers. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Researchers Discover Hyper-active Protein in the Brain
Friday, December 16, 2011 14:00
Scientists have pinpointed a protein that allows brains tumors to invade healthy brain tissue, according to work published this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine at www.jem.org. According to researchers, 40–60 percent of a common but deadly type of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have mutations in a gene that encodes a protein known as an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). These mutations result in hyper-activation of the protein. For more information on these findings, click here to read the full release.