Newsline — Monday, April 27, 2015 13:00
New Imaging Tool Targets Degenerative Diseases
Study of Thousands of Brains Reveals Tau as Driver of Alzheimer’s Disease
Monday, April 27, 2015 9:00
In findings recently published in the journal Brain, researchers from Mayo Clinic revealed that, by examining more than 3,600 postmortem brains, the progression of the dysfunctional tau protein drives the cognitive decline and memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid, the other toxic protein that characterizes Alzheimer’s disease, builds up as dementia progression, but is not the primary culprit, according to researchers. During the study, researchers were able to simultaneously look at the evolution of amyloid and tau using neuropathologic measures. “Imagine looking at the rings of a tree — you can identify patterns, like the changing seasons and the aging of the tree, when viewing the tree’s cross-section,” the study’s lead author said. “Studying brains at different stages of Alzheimer’s gives us a perspective of the cognitive impact of a wide range of both amyloid and tau severity, and we were very fortunate to have the resource of the Mayo brain bank, in which thousands of people donated their postmortem brains, that have allowed us to understand the changes in tau and amyloid that occur…
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D May Affect Serotonin Levels
Friday, April 24, 2015 9:00
According to a study recently published in the FASEB Journal, conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, serotonin could potentially be the missing link between why Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids improve symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders. Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. Many clinical disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression share as a unifying attribute: low brain serotonin. “In this paper we explain how serotonin is a critical modulator of executive function, impulse control, sensory gating, and pro-social behavior,” said a lead researcher of the study. “We link serotonin production and function to Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting one way these important micronutrients help the brain function and affect the way we behave.” The paper further suggests that optimizing intakes of Vitamin D, Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic…
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Antioxidant Therapy May Have Promising Potential in Concussion Treatment
Thursday, April 23, 2015 13:00
Oral use of antioxidants may be able to reduce long-term effects of concussions by using readily available treatments. Researchers from West Virginia University presented their findings regarding an innovative rat study at the 2015 American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Annual Meeting. Compared to rats that received only basic concussion treatment, rats treated with lipoic acid supplementation exhibited considerably less impulsive behavior in maze testing, which implied that the extent of brain damage was reduced. “Concussions can contribute to long-term changes within the brain and these changes are the result of cell death, which may be caused by oxidative stress,” said the author of the study. “This study shows that antioxidants such as lipoic acid can reduce the long-term deficits when given after a concussion.” Future research will refine treatment methods to determine the extent to which antioxidants are applicable and in what types of concussions. To learn more about this study, click here.
Brain Imaging Links Language Delay to Chromosomal Deletion in Children
Thursday, April 23, 2015 9:00
Children born with a DNA abnormality on chromosome 16, already linked to neurodevelopmental problems, show measurable delays in processing sound and language, according to a research team of radiologists and psychologists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Autism Research. By strengthening the case that the deleted gene disrupts a key biological pathway, the research may lay the foundation for future medical treatments for specific subtypes of autism, along with cognitive and language disabilities. During the study, researchers examined children with copy number variants — either deletions or disruptions of DNA — at the genetic site 16p11.2. Previously, research has shown that this location on chromosome 16 was associated with a subset of autism spectrum disorder, with language impairments and developmental delays. Researchers used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which detects magnetic fields in the brain. As each child heard a series of tones, the MEG machine analyzed changing magnetic fields in the child’s brain, measuring an auditory processing delay called the M100 response latency. In children with the deletion, the researchers found a significant delay —…
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Steroids Rapidly Restore Blood-Brain Barrier Function after Blasts
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 13:00
A researcher from Columbia Engineering has led the first study to determine underlying biological mechanisms that promote functional recovery of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after a blast injury. The study, published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, details the creation of test shock models which were used to determine how various treatments aided in immediate recovery on a cellular level. Final findings concluded that treatment with dexamethasone provided the fastest BBB recovery, healing at nearly three times the natural rate. “Our research should stimulate renewed clinical interest in developing glucocorticoid therapies to treat blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) and other disorders of the central nervous system,” the author of the study said. “We may be able to improve outcomes in brain-injured soldiers and civilians,” he continued, “and reduce the length of their mandatory rest periods before returning to duty, making the difference between requiring only days rather than weeks or longer to recover.” These findings could lead to proactive drug treatments that could be administered in the field immediately following blast injuries….
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Nano-robotic Agents Open the Blood-brain Barrier
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 9:12
Research conducted by scientists at the University of Montreal, Polytechnique Montréal, and CHU Sainte-Justine recently found that magnetic nanoparticles can open the blood-brain barrier and deliver molecules directly to the brain. Currently, 98 percent of therapeutic molecules are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. “The barrier is temporary opened at a desired location for approximately 2 hours by a small elevation of the temperature generated by the nanoparticles when exposed to a radio-frequency field,” explained first author of the study and co-inventor of the technology. “Our tests revealed that this technique is not associated with any inflammation of the brain. This new result could lead to a breakthrough in the way nanoparticles are used in the treatment and diagnosis of brain diseases.” Although the technology was developed using murine models, and has not yet been tested in humans, researchers are confident that future research will enable its use in people. To read more about this study, click here.
Family Income, Parental Education Related to Brain Structure in Children and Adolescents
Tuesday, April 21, 2015 13:00
A wide-scale study on brain development of children from various socioeconomic classes reports that the stimulation provided by financially-stable families is heavily tied to long-term development potential. The study, conducted by the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Columbia University Medical Center, was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Based on a larger study, brain surface area of participants (between the ages of three and 20) was measured with regard to the educational and financial background of their parents, in order to determine how upbringing impacted physical brain development. Rather than a biological link, researchers determined that increased brain development in affluent children was purely a result of environmental factors such as engagement, nutrition and physical health. “Family income is linked to factors such as nutrition, health care, schools, play areas and, sometimes, air quality,” said the author of the study. “Future research may address the question of whether changing a child’s environment — for instance, through social policies aimed at reducing family poverty — could change the trajectory of brain development…
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Evidence of Gadolinium Deposits in Brain Tissue Following Contrast-enhanced MRIs Found
Tuesday, April 21, 2015 9:00
In a study recently published in the journal Radiology, researchers from Mayo Clinic found direct evidence of gadolinium deposits in neuronal tissues following intravenous administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents used in MRI exams. During the study, researchers identified patients who had donated their bodies to medical research and had undergone multiple gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI exams during the lifetime. Brain tissue samples from these patients were then compared to donors who had never received a gadolinium contrast agent. The patients exposed to the gadolinium contrast had measurable quantities of gadolinium deposited in their brain tissue, whereas those never exposed to gadolinium had none. Researchers were able to directly measure gadolinium concentrations and visualize patterns of deposition in brain tissues. “Given that these agents are administered millions of times every year, this is an important discovery,” said study’s author. “Despite evidence that trace amounts of gadolinium are depositing in neural tissues, there is currently no data to suggest that its harmful to patients.” Although research demonstrates the deposits in brain tissue, no specific symptoms or diseases have…
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Stent Vs. Medication Comparison Outcome for Intracranial Arterial Stenosis
Friday, April 17, 2015 13:00
A study reports that the use of balloon-expandable stents in symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis resulted in an increased risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) when compared to traditional clopidogrel and aspirin treatments. Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin/Froedtert Hospital published a detail-intensive study in JAMA that analyzed 112 patients who utilized three specified treatments in order to analyze strokes that occured within thirty days of stent installation, with the purpose of determining if rates were increased compared to the control group. Overall rates of stroke occurrence with a stent was 24.1 percent compared to the 9.4 percent in the traditional treatment group. Overall chances of death or disability were also found to be higher in the stent group. “These findings do not support the use of a balloon-expandable stent for patients with intracranial arterial stenosis,” the authors concluded. To learn more about this study, click here.