Newsline — Tuesday, January 21, 2014 13:00
Remission from Depression Much Slower in Adults Who Were Abused in Childhood
Veterans’ Brain Injuries Examined By Researchers
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 9:00
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine are investigating the effects of repeated combat-related blast exposures on the brains of veterans. Mild traumatic brain injuries can cause problems with cognition, concentration, memory and emotional control. Scientists are using advanced MRI technology and psychological tests to investigate the structural and biological impact of repeated head injury and to assess how these injuries affect cognitive functions. Final results of the study have not yet been published, but researchers hope it will lead to more scientifically valid diagnostic techniques that could potentially allow for detection of both the underlying brain injury and its severity. To read more about this study, click here.
Behavioral Interventions Help Cancer Patients Struggling with Sleep Issues
Monday, January 20, 2014 13:00
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported that cancer patients who are struggling with sleep issues as a result of pain or side effects from treatment can undergo two behavioral interventions for relief. Between 36 to 59 percent of patients with cancer experience disturbed sleep and insomnia during and after the completion of cancer treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can help to combat these problems. When assessed three months after completing an eight-week treatment period, researchers found that patients who had been treated with CBT-I and MBSR experienced a reduction in insomnia severity across both groups. To find out more on the results of the study, click here.
Primary Care Practitioners Hesitate to Prescribe Antidepressants for Depressed Teens
Monday, January 20, 2014 9:00
A recent study published in the January issue of Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics reported that Pediatric primary care practitioners (PCPs) are reluctant to prescribe antidepressant medications to adolescent patients — even those with severe depression. However, the study also found that the rate at which physicians prescribe antidepressants is correlated to their level of depression knowledge. Providers who scored higher on a test of depression knowledge were about 70 percent more likely to recommend antidepressants. In contrast, those who felt a higher sense of burden when seeing patients with a mental health-related problem were less likely to say they would prescribe antidepressants. To read more about the findings in this study, click here.
Ultrasound Technology Used for Boosting Brain Activity
Friday, January 17, 2014 13:05
A recent study from Virginia Tech’s Carilion Research Institute found that ultrasound waves directed to a specific region of the brain can modulate activity to heighten sensory perception in humans. Scientists delivered focused ultrasound to an area of the cerebral cortex that processes sensory information received from the hand and then stimulated the median nerve (a major nerve that runs down the arm into the carpal tunnel) by placing a small electrode on the wrists of volunteers. Brain responses were recorded using electroencephalography, or EEG. Then, just before stimulating the nerve, ultrasound was delivered to the targeted brain region. Scientists observed that volunteers became better at detecting differences in sensations after undergoing two different neurological tests. To read more about the results of this study, click here.
Scientists Identify Mutated Gene that Causes Rare Brain Tumor Type
Friday, January 17, 2014 9:05
Researchers from Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have identified a mutated gene that causes a type of tenacious brain tumor. The mutated gene — known as BRAF — was found in almost all samples of tumors called papillary craniopharyngiomas, which occur mainly in adults. The second type of craniopharyngioma, called adamantinomatous, typically affects children. Previously, repeated surgeries and radiation were the only options to treat craniopharyngiomas. However, as a result of this discovery scientists can potentially develop drug therapies. To find out more about this study, click here.
Study Shows Caffeine’s Enhancing Effects on Long-term Memory
Thursday, January 16, 2014 13:00
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a double-blind study on participants who did not regularly drink caffeinated products and found that caffeine has a positive effect on long-term memory, at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed. Until now, caffeine’s effects on long-term memory had not been examined in detail, although its cognitive-enhancing effects have always been known. Researchers used a challenging memory-recognition test to determine a deeper level of retention in participants and plan to use brain-imaging techniques in the future to figure out the underlying reasons for enhancement. To find out more about the results, click here.
Sodium May Be Key Regulator for Drugs Used to Treat Some Brain Diseases
Thursday, January 16, 2014 9:00
Findings published in a recent study conducted by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute show how sodium acts as a regulator for drugs used to treat brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. The results of the study allow for potential new therapies for a variety of diseases along fewer side effects. Currently, many approved drugs such as morphine and oxycodone target opioid receptors, which use a variety of pathways to transmit chemical signals in the brain. However, none of them modulates just one pathway in the brain — a likely reason why opioid medications are associated with abuse and addiction. With the use of a new technique that allowed scientists to create the first-ever high-resolution 3-D crystal structure of the delta-opioid receptor, their findings suggest that it is possible to create a drug that targets specific pathways inside that receptor based on the location of sodium found there, which could allow for an improved class of drugs. To read more about this study, click here.
Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme May Be Improved by Immunotherapy Treatment
Wednesday, January 15, 2014 13:00
In a recent study, researchers investigated the safety and efficacy of a vaccine called heat-shock protein peptide complex-96 (HSPPC-96) for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common brain malignancy with a universally poor prognosis. Immunotherapy treatment offers the promise of improved outcomes for patients with GBM by providing a nontoxic alternative to conventional treatment options such as chemotherapy. To read more about the results of this research, click here.
Study Results Provide New Insight Into Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Wednesday, January 15, 2014 9:00
A recent study led by a research team from the National University of Singapore identified a possible new route for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). With no known cure for SMA currently available, the new discovery gives a strong boost to the fight against SMA, a genetic disease that attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord. The disease has been found to be caused by a defect in the SMN gene, a widely-used gene responsible for normal motor functions in the body. The findings of the study have the potential to advance the understanding of how this gene leads to neuron degeneration and how it can lead to new therapeutic strategies. To read more on this study, click here.