Newsline — Tuesday, April 15, 2014 13:00
Findings Could Improve Understanding of Neuropsychiatric Diseases
Anti-psychotic Meds Offer Hope Against Brain Cancer
Tuesday, April 15, 2014 9:00
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine discovered in a recent study that FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing capability against the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. The findings from the study, published in the journal Oncotarget, used a technology platform called shRNA to test how each gene in the human genome contributed to glioblastoma growth. According to the authors of the study, shRNAs function like molecular erasers, and can be designed for every gene in the human genome. If a certain gene is required for glioblastoma growth, and the shRNA erases the function of that gene, the cancer cell will either stop growing or die. One surprising finding from the study showed that many genes required for glioblastoma growth are also required for dopamine receptor function. Abnormal dopamine regulation is associated with Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The research team tested the effects of dopamine antagonists against glioblastoma and found that drugs used to treat those diseases also exert significant anti-tumor effects in both…
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Critical Role of One Gene to Brain Development
Monday, April 14, 2014 13:00
A gene linked to intellectual disability is critical to the earliest stages of the development of human brains, new research from University of Adelaide has shown. Mutations of the gene known as USP9X have been shown to cause disruptions to normal brain cell functioning and are associated with intellectual disability, epilepsy and autism. Moreover, these mutations can be inherited from one generation to the next. According to Dr. Lachlan Jolly, senior co-author from University of Adelaide’s Neurogenetics Research Program, USP9X is involved in creating the brain’s base network of nerve cells, “USP9X controls both the initial generation of the nerve cells from stem cells, and also their ability to connect with one another and form the proper networks,” he says. “We hope that by learning more about genes such as USP9X, we will create new opportunities to understand brain disorders at a much deeper level than currently known.” To read more about this study, click here.
Blood Test May Help Identify, Monitor Concussion
Monday, April 14, 2014 9:00
According to a recent study that appeared online in JAMA Neurology, a new blood test may help indicate the severity of concussion, as well as length of patient recovery time. Swedish researchers say they have found a way to test for total tau (T-tau) protein, which is released when the brain is injured. T-tau levels are instrumental in diagnosing a concussion and predicting return to play for athletes. “We have a biomarker [indicator] that is elevated in the blood of players with a concussion,” said lead researcher Dr. Pashtun Shahim, from the department of neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal. “The level of T-tau within the first hour after concussion correlates with the number of days you have symptoms. We can use this biomarker to both diagnose concussion and to monitor the course of concussion until the patient is free of symptoms.” To read more about this study, click here.
Reducing Wait Times Could Improve Spinal Cord Stimulator Success for Chronic Pain
Friday, April 11, 2014 13:00
According to a retrospective analysis presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 2014 annual meeting, success rates soared to 75 percent for patients who waited less than two years for a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implant, compared with 15 percent for patients whose implants happened 20 years after the onset of pain. The authors of the study noted that fewer than 50 percent of patients currently report long-term success with SCS for the treatment of chronic pain. The study included 443 patients who received SCS. Beginning with initial pain diagnosis, researchers examined points of delay to referral for implantation by primary care physicians and specialists. The effects on pain duration related to gender, age, referring specialty, and their interactions were also analyzed. The results of the study showed the mean time from symptom onset to implantation was 5.12 years. Neurosurgeons were found to be the quickest to make a referral, whereas non-implanting anesthetists were most likely to delay implantation, taking up to 2.15 years longer than a neurosurgeon to refer a patient. The study…
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Scientists Create Detailed Picture of Membrane Protein
Friday, April 11, 2014 9:00
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have created the most detailed 3D picture yet of a membrane protein linked to learning, memory, anxiety, pain and brain disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and autism. The research — which focuses on the mGlu1 receptor — promises to have a major impact on new drug discovery efforts. The mGlu1 receptor, which helps regulate the neurotransmitter glutamate, belongs to a category of molecules known as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs reside in the cell membranes and sense various molecules outside the cell, including odors, hormones, neurotransmitters and light. After binding these molecules, GPCRs trigger a specific response inside the cell. More than one-third of therapeutic drugs target GPCRs — including allergy and heart medications, drugs that target the central nervous system, and anti-depressants. Using a combination of techniques, including X-ray crystallography, structure-activity relationships, mutagenesis, and full-length dimer modeling, the research team achieved a high-resolution image of mGlu1 as well as a deeper understanding of the receptor’s function and pharmacology. The findings now provide a solid platform…
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Study Identifies New Insight Into the Nature of Memory Storage
Thursday, April 10, 2014 13:00
Researchers from New York University have found new insight into the temporal nature of how we store our memories, which could potentially offer a pathway for treating cognitive-related diseases. The findings, published in the journal Neuron, pinpoint the brain activity that helps explain why we remember some events as having occurred closer together in time and others further apart. During the study, researchers asked participants to look at a series of pictures while their brain activity was being monitored. The participants viewed objects and faces that were separated in time, with each one paired with a picture of a scene. Participants were then asked to imagine a scenario in which either the object or the face played a role in the scene they just viewed. The process was designed to encode a series of memories in the participants. Later, the participants performed a retrieval test in which they were asked to indicate how far apart in time the two items were when they were encoded into their memories. The results of the study showed a…
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Postsurgical Pain Control Linked to Patient Satisfaction with Hospital Experience
Thursday, April 10, 2014 9:00
According to research presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 2014 annual meeting, postsurgical pain scores were highly correlated with reports of overall patient satisfaction during hospital stays. The goal of the research was to clarify the relationship between pain control after surgery and the answers provided by patients on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Symptoms (HCAHPS). The HCAHPS is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives on the care they receive in the hospital and is filled out at the time of discharge. The study highlights the crucial role that pain management plays in the acute post-operative setting, which can not only shape a patient’s perception of pain management, but also the wider perception of their hospitalization. Researchers examined HCAHPS responses from 2,933 surgical patients and found a statistically robust relationship when retrospectively compared to patient pain scores as assessed via the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) visual analog scale. Further analyses of the data showed patients who had surgery related to spine, non-spine orthopedics, and obstetrics and…
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Lack of Sleep Predicts Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk in Obese Adolescents
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 13:00
A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that obese adolescents who do not get enough sleep could be increasing their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Lack of sleep and obesity have previously been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adults and young children. However, the association is not as clear in adolescents — an age group known for both lack of sleep and also for a 30 percent obesity prevalence in the U.S. During the study, the adolescent participants were fitted with a physical activity monitor, worn 24 hours a day, for seven days, to measure typical patterns of physical activity and sleep. Researchers found that even after controlling for factors that could impact cardiometabolic risk — such as body mass index and physical activity — low levels of sleep remained a significant predictor of cardiometabolic risk in obese teens. The results of the study suggest that objective sleep assessment may be a useful screening tool to help identify at-risk adolescents. However, the study…
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Biomarkers of Cell Death in Alzheimer’s Reverse Course After Symptom Onset
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 9:00
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine that three promising biomarkers have been identified to potentially detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. The levels of markers of neuronal injury increase in the spinal fluid for a decade or more before the onset of dementia. However, new research shows that they later reverse course, decreasing as symptoms of memory loss and cognitive decline appear. Two of the biomarkers, tau and p-tau, are structural proteins that form the neurofibrillary tangles seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients; the third is a neuronal calcium sensor called VILIP-1. As expected, levels of the biomarkers increased over time in participants who had not yet developed dementia. However, researchers were surprised to find that in most participants who had dementia, levels of the three biomarkers decreased over time. It’s speculated that increasing levels of the biomarkers prior to dementia likely reflect an intense stage of cell death, while decreasing levels as dementia begins indicate a slowing of this…
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