Myelin News and Research

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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

The sympathetic nervous system can modulate action of defense cells in autoimmune disease

The results of a study conducted in Brazil suggest that the sympathetic nervous system - the part of the autonomous nervous system that controls responses to danger or stress - can modulate the action of defense cells in patients with autoimmune diseases.

16 Dec 2019

Study advances understanding of mechanisms involved in functional neurological disorder

Individuals with functional neurological disorder have symptoms not explained by traditional neurological conditions, including limb weakness, tremor, gait abnormalities, seizures and sensory deficits.

27 Nov 2019

Researchers discover molecular underpinnings of Alexander disease

Scientists have known that genetic mutations leading to the production of a defective protein called GFAP cause Alexander disease (AxD), a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that can present during infancy, adolescence, or adulthood.

21 Nov 2019

Blocking a molecule could delay the progression of multiple sclerosis

Over 77,000 Canadians are living with multiple sclerosis, a disease whose causes still remain unknown. Presently, they have no hope for a cure.

14 Nov 2019

Study shows how myelinated mammalian nerves propagate nerve impulses at high frequencies

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers, for the first time ever, have achieved patch-clamp studies of an elusive part of mammalian myelinated nerves called the Nodes of Ranvier.

6 Nov 2019

Celiac disease may now be curable with biodegradable nanoparticles

A phase 2 trial just concluded shows that people with celiac disease may now be able to hope for a cure, through a treatment that makes the immune system tolerant towards gluten. This could eventually make it possible for such individuals to eat gluten-containing foods without fear.

22 Oct 2019

New treatment shows promise to reverse celiac disease

Results of a new phase 2 clinical trial using technology developed at Northwestern Medicine show it is possible to induce immune tolerance to gluten in individuals with celiac disease. The findings may pave the way for treated celiac patients to eventually tolerate gluten in their diet.

22 Oct 2019

Autism spectrum disorder could be triggered by low placental steroid levels

A recent experimental study has shown that one reason for the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be the deficit of a placental steroid hormone called allopregnanolone. The reason is that this hormone plays a critical role in the normal development of the brain in fetal life.

21 Oct 2019

Insufficient placental steroid may increase autism spectrum disorder risk

A study in experimental models suggests that allopregnanolone, one of many hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy, is so essential to normal fetal brain development that when provision of that hormone decreases or stops abruptly - as occurs with premature birth - offspring are more likely to develop autism-like behaviors.

20 Oct 2019

Neuroscientists to introduce new approach to assess brain damage in Parkinson's patients

TSU neuroscientists and their colleagues from SibSMU plan to introduce a new approach to studying brain damage in patients with Parkinson's disease

18 Oct 2019

Rapid and sensitive tracking of fat molecules in the body

Fats have earned a bad name as the source of all that is wrong with our hearts and blood vessels, not to mention our appearance. The dysfunctional handling of lipids or fats in the body is deeply involved in a multitude of metabolic upsets, such as obesity and cancer.

14 Oct 2019

New study blames vascular rather than nerve injury for concussion

Brain concussion occurs when the soft cottage cheese-like brain tissue is slammed against the hard skull surface, sustaining transient and reversible injury which causes brain dysfunction for a period.

14 Oct 2019

New study could change the way traumatic brain injuries are treated

Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, can be caused by anything from sports injuries to battlefield trauma.

14 Oct 2019

Researchers shed light on abnormal neuronal activities caused by myelin impairment

The neural circuit basis for motor learning tasks when myelination is impaired has been illuminated for the first time by an international collaboration of university research teams.

11 Oct 2019

UVA researchers uncover key contributor to multiple sclerosis

Cells that scientists have largely ignored when studying multiple sclerosis are actually key contributors to MS development, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine shows.

8 Oct 2019

Antibody that targets CXCR6 prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mouse model

Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder, is known to be driven by "helper" T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord. A new study from Boston Children's Hospital pinpoints the specific subgroup of helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface, called CXCR6, that marks them.

4 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover the cause of a rare fatal nerve disease

A new study has revealed the cause of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher syndrome and how simply adding a chemical that binds to iron, so it can be removed from the cell, enables the sick cells to grow back.

4 Oct 2019

New smartphone app can help detect early signs of eye diseases in children

A Baylor University researcher's prototype smartphone app -- designed to help parents detect early signs of various eye diseases in their children such as retinoblastoma, an aggressive pediatric eye cancer -- has passed its first big test.

4 Oct 2019

Eating fish in pregnancy could improve attentiveness in children

A study published on October 3, 2019, in the International Journal of Epidemiology shows that babies whose mothers ate more seafood in the first three months of pregnancy showed greater attention capacity at eight years of age.

3 Oct 2019

New insight into cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

The nervous system is the body’s control center, which is extremely fast in decoding messages from the different nerves in the body. This network should be intact and healthy. When something is wrong with the network, it affects the brain’s main functions.

1 Oct 2019