Newsline — Friday, March 6, 2015 9:00
Alternative DNA Repair Mechanism Could Provide Better Neuroblastoma Treatment
Deep Brain Imaging Reveals Separate Function for Nearly Identical Neurons
Thursday, March 5, 2015 9:00
Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine recently used novel deep-brain imaging techniques to link the activity of individual, genetically similar neurons to particular behaviors of mice. Specifically, for the first time ever, scientists observed as one neuron was activated when a mouse searched for food while a nearly identical neuron next to it remained inactive; instead, the second neuron only became activated when the mouse began eating. The research, published in the journal Cell, suggests that manipulating an entire genetically defined subtype of neurons to treat a condition, such as binge-eating, might be too broad of an approach. Drug developers might have to focus on one type of cell within the subset in order to avoid potentially serious side effects. “Traditional imaging techniques wouldn’t allow us to record this kind of activity,” said the study’s lead author. “For the first time, we can view specific, genetically defined neurons in the lateral hypothalamus as they light up while the mice search out food, eat and drink.” The findings suggest that targeting…
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Low-frequency DBS Improves Parkinson’s Symptoms
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 9:00
According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, Parkinson’s disease patients treated with low-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) show significant improvements in swallowing dysfunction and freezing of gait compared to the typical high-frequency treatment. The study provides a new route for treating Parkinson’s patients with these difficult-to-treat and sometimes life-threatening symptoms. DBS is often the major treatment that alleviates symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that cannot be adequately controlled by medications. Route DBS typically uses high-frequency 130Hz impulse; however, this has been ineffective at improving swallowing issues and freezing of gait, symptoms which can lead to disability and mortality in Parkinson’s patients. The research team found that 60Hz stimulation reduced airway aspiration issues by 57 percent and swallowing difficulty by 80 percent, as well as significantly reduced freezing of gait and axial symptoms, when compared to 130Hz stimulation. Patients continued on 60Hz treatment and benefits persisted when assessed six weeks later. To read more about this study, click here.
Scientists Find Gene Vital to Central Nervous System Development
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 9:00
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that helps regulate how well nerves of the central nervous system are insulated — healthy insulation is vital for the speedy propagation of nerve cell signals. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, may have implications for human diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, in which the insulation is lost. The research focused on a gene called Gpr56, which manufactures a protein of the same name. During the study, researchers found that when the protein Gpr56 is disabled, there are too few oligodendrocytes to provide insulation for all of the axons. Still, the axons looked normal. In the relatively few axons that were insulated, the myelin also looked normal. However, the researchers observed many axons that were bare, and not wrapped in any myelin at all. Without Gpr56, the cells responsible for applying the insulation failed to reproduce themselves sufficiently, according to the study’s senior author. In a companion paper in the same issue of Nature Communications, researchers from Harvard University…
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Discovery on Spinal Injury Reveals Unknown Immune Response
Monday, March 2, 2015 9:00
Researchers from the department of neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have newly discovered a beneficial immune response that occurs after injury to the central nervous system (CNS). By harnessing this response, researchers and physicians may be able to develop new and better treatments for brain and spinal cord injuries, develop tools to predict how patients will respond to treatment and learn how to better treat degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and Lou Gehrig’s disease. The newly discovered immune response occurs independently of the process that typically sparks the immune system into action. In that process, the body identifies and attacks substances known as antigens, such as bacteria and viruses. “What we have shown is that the injured central nervous system talks to the immune system in a language that hasn’t been previously recognized in this context,” said the University of Virginia’s direction of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia. “It sends ‘danger signals’ and activates the immune system very rapidly. These danger signals cause immune cells…
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Brain Scans Predict Effectiveness of Talk Therapy to Treat Depression
Monday, March 2, 2015 1:00
New research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine discovered common neural patterns in those who would benefit heavily from therapy to treat major depression, according to a study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The study followed 23 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder who had not yet received treatment, who were then scanned using a resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) in order to view the processes of known neuron networks while the brain was not being engaged or challenged. Each subject was mapped for their unique neuron group activity, effectively creating a profile of their general brain activity. A 12-week program was then introduced using behavioral-activation talk-therapy, focused on immediate symptom concerns such as everyday function and health. Upon finishing the program, those who displayed the most progress shared two connectivity patterns within the anterior insular cortex, associated with focus control and the orbital frontal cortex, which is tasked with assigning positive or negative values to events. “In the future, we will be able to use non-invasive brain imaging technology to match…
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SuperAger Brains Distinctly Different Than Those of Peers
Friday, February 27, 2015 9:00
In a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine compared so-called “SuperAger” brains (people age 80 and older who have memories as sharp as people 30 years younger) to people of similar ages and found the “brain signature” of the SuperAgers have a thicker anterior cingulate cortex, significantly fewer tanglers — a primary marker of Alzheimer’s disease — and a substantial supply of von Economo neurons, which are linked to higher social intelligence. “Identifying the factors that contribute to the SuperAgers’ unusual memory capacity may allow us to offer strategies to help the growing population of ‘normal’ elderly maintain their cognitive function and guide future therapies to treat certain dementias,” said the study’s lead author. During the study, MRI imaging and an analysis of the SuperAger brains (post mortem) showed the anterior cingulate cortex — the area responsible for intellectual function — of 31 SuperAgers was not only significantly thicker than the same area in 21 similarly-aged individuals with normal cognitive performance, it was also larger…
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New Epigenetic Tools Could Rewrite Our Understanding of Memory and More
Thursday, February 26, 2015 17:00
During the past decade, advances in research have made clear that epigenetic mechanisms play a particular active role in the brain. For example, scientists have discovered that it is impossible to form and store new memories without epigenetic tags. Others have shown that epigenetic dysregulation is involved in many neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression and addiction. “Just about any neuronal phenomenon can be related to the central epigenetic programming of cell differentiation or cell function or information storage,” said a University of Alabama (UAB) professor, whose lab is investigating the effects of epigenetics in learning, memory and addiction. Now, an emerging set of molecular tools is giving scientists the ability to manipulate the epigenome in unprecedented ways. In two recent review papers, published in the journal Dialogues in Clinical Neurosciences, UAB researchers reported on precision epigenetic “editing” techniques, which can add and erase epigenetic marks at specific locations throughout the genome. Researchers are using the tools to gain a deeper understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease; further discoveries using these…
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Sleeping on Stomach May Increase Risk of Sudden Death in Epilepsy
Thursday, February 26, 2015 13:00
In a recent study published in the journal Neurology, researchers from the University of Chicago found that stomach sleepers with epilepsy may be at a higher risk for sudden unexpected death, drawing parallels to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). “Sudden unexpected death is the main cause of death in uncontrolled epilepsy and usually occurs unwitnessed during sleep,” said the study’s lead author. During the study, researchers reviewed 25 studies that included 253 sudden unexpected death cases where body position was recorded. The results of the study found that 73 percent of the cases, people died positioned on their stomachs, whereas 27 percent died in other sleep positions. Additionally, in a subgroup of 88 people, researchers found that those younger than age 40 were four-times more likely to be found on their stomachs at the time of sudden death, in comparison to people over age 40. “We’re not sure why this was more common in younger people,” the author said. “Similar to infant SIDS cases, adults often have an impaired ability to wake up after a…
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Certain Forms of Birth Control May Promote Brain-tumor Growth
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 9:00
In a recent study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers from Odense University Hospital and the University of Denmark found that women taking hormonal contraceptives — those containing estrogen, progestin or combination of both — showed higher rates of glioma development. The study raises questions about the connection between oral contraceptives and brain cancer, but should not yet be interpreted as a reason for women to stop taking birth control. Using data from Denmark’s national registries of health records, cancer cases and prescriptions, researchers focused on women from age 15 to 49 diagnosed with glioma, and then analyzed whether they were prescribed contraceptives, and for how long. Results of the study showed that overall, women who had used hormonal contraceptives at any point in their lives had a 50-percent higher risk of developing the brain tumors, compared to those who had not used them. Women who used the birth control for more than five years nearly doubled their risk of cancer. Additionally, women using progestin-only birth control had a slightly higher risk of developing…
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