Newsline — Thursday, April 11, 2013 13:00
UCLA Uses Brain Imaging Tool, Stroke Risk Test to Determine Early Cognitive Decline
Six-Year-Old Cured of Deadly Brain Malformation
Thursday, April 11, 2013 9:00
Six-year-old Haylie Howe was born with Galen malformation, a rare brain condition in which the brain is without the blood vessels that keep blood rushing to low-pressure veins. With extra blood pooled in areas of Haylie’s brain, areas of her brain were not get the blood they needed, causing her heart to work overtime to contend with the pressure. After a series of embolization procedures, Howe has been cured of the ailment, one that was almost always fatal only decades ago. Click here to read the full story.
Scientists Unearth New Clues on the Development of Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 13:00
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found evidence that a type of cell in the central nervous system plays a role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal degenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As reported in Nature Neuroscience, the findings offer promise for discovering a means to slow the disease’s progress. Click here to read the full article.
Can Brain Games Make You Smarter? Probably Not, Scientists Say
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9:00
Ten years ago, a series of studies revealed that brain games can boost memory and intellectual ability, making intelligence (once thought to be a fixed quality) as changeable as a muscle. These findings offered breakthroughs in treating traumatic brain injuries and other ailments. Two European scientists now have found that memory training games may yield improvement only in the task at hand, improvements that likely do not transfer to other measures of intelligence. Click here to read more from The New Yorker.
Reducing Antipsychotic Drugs as a Treatment for Dementia in the Elderly
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 13:00
A new evidence review from The Cochrane Review reports that most elderly individuals with dementia can be weaned off antipsychotic drugs successfully, removing the occurrence of negative side effects and decreasing the risk of stroke. Click here to read the full story.
Hunger May Protect the Brain Against Alzheimer’s
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 9:00
Hunger pangs may protect against Alzheimer’s disease, one study has found. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine have demonstrated that feelings of hunger can reduce Alzheimer’s disease’s pathology in mice. These findings may prove hormonal hunger signals could serve as a means to combat Alzheimer’s. Click here to read the full story.
Dementia Cases, Cost of Care Expected to Skyrocket
Monday, April 8, 2013 13:00
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has reported that the cost of caring for Americans with dementia is at least as high as treatments from heart disease or cancer, and is likely even more costly. It also is noted that dementia’s treatment costs and the number of its sufferers are expected to skyrocket, likely to increase by more than double within thirty years. Click here to read more.
President Obama Launches Ambitious Brain Research Initiative
Monday, April 8, 2013 9:00
President Barack Obama will include a large-scale, multi-year brain research project as part of his 2014 budget request to Congress. The $100-million program, known as the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, seeks to map the functions of hundreds of neurons simultaneously while they work at the speed of thought. For more information, click here to read the full article.
A Link Between Cold Sores and Cognitive Decline?
Friday, April 5, 2013 13:00
There is said to be a link between the virus that causes cold sores and viruses like it and cognitive problems. A study published in the Medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology found that those who had been exposed to pathogens like herpes simplex 1 were more likely to have cognitive problem than individuals with lower levels of infection in their blood. Researcher believe that while further study is necessary, results could lead to ways lower risk factors for those more likely to experience cognitive impairment. For more information, click here to read the full story.
Tumor or Damaged Tissue? Doctor Uses Brain Chemicals to Identify Growth
Friday, April 5, 2013 9:00
Doctors are seeking a way to determine whether a brain tumor is growing again after removal surgery. After a patient developed a mass after having a tumor removed, Robert L. Kagan, MD, used MR spectroscopy to determine whether the mass was cancerous or tissue damage cause by post-operative radiation. The ratio of various chemicals in the brain led to a diagnosis. For more information, click here to read the full story.