Neurodegeneration News and Research

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Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.

Tocotrienol form of vitamin E prevents neural cell death and rescues the brain after stroke injury

Blocking the function of an enzyme in the brain with a specific kind of vitamin E can prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke, new research suggests.

12 Jan 2010

Amicus Therapeutics presents corporate outlook for 2010 at Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Amicus Therapeutics today outlined the Company's three key strategic priorities and presented a corporate outlook for 2010 at the 28th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

12 Jan 2010

New technique may help researchers to test amyloid hypothesis in AD development

Current Alzheimer's disease (AD) research indicates that accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein plaques in the brain is central to the development of AD.

11 Jan 2010

Key molecular switch linked to HD identified

Scientists have identified a key molecular switch that may drive the onset of Huntington's disease (HD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that leads to severe disruptions in muscle coordination and cognitive function. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, enhances the understanding of HD pathogenesis and may direct new strategies for treating this devastating brain disease.

24 Dec 2009

Potential new therapeutic option for prevention of PD-associated neuropathology

Scientists have identified a synergistic interaction that disrupts normal intracellular transport mechanisms and leads to the accumulation of neuron-damaging clumps of protein associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a specific loss of neurons in the midbrain and brainstem. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, identifies a new potential therapeutic option for preventing PD-associated neuropathology.

24 Dec 2009

IKK phosphorylate: A double-edged sword in Huntington's disease

The kinase IKK phosphorylates the protein mutated in Huntington's disease to promote its removal and neuron survival, but IKK may be a double-edged sword that increases neurotoxicity in later stages of the disease. The study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, will be published online December 21 in the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

22 Dec 2009

Findings may help develop new antiviral drugs for influenza

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Mount Sinai), the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk) and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) have identified 295 human cell factors that influenza A strains must harness to infect a cell, including the currently circulating swine-origin H1N1.

22 Dec 2009

iRGD peptide found to enhance both cancer detection and treatment

Researchers at Burnham Institute for Medical Research at University of California, Santa Barbara have identified a peptide (a chain of amino acids) that specifically recognizes and penetrates cancerous tumors but not normal tissues.

8 Dec 2009

NRR to be available exclusively on OvidSP online search and discovery platform to all Ovid customers

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its presence in China's healthcare information market, Ovid, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health and a global leader in electronic scientific, medical, and academic information research solutions, is pleased to announce an agreement with Neural Regeneration Research (NRR), an English-language monthly journal dedicated to presenting peer-reviewed, evidence-based scholarly research in stem cells and regeneration.

1 Dec 2009

Neurotoxic heavy metal can slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way to a new type of therapy.

1 Dec 2009

Study reveals that ghrelin can increase resistance to Parkinson's disease

Ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach, may be used to boost resistance to, or slow, the development of Parkinson's disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

25 Nov 2009

Antioxidant found in vegetables can protect cells from damage caused by infection and injury

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a dietary antioxidant found in such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower protects cells from damage caused by chemicals generated during the body's inflammatory response to infection and injury. The finding has implications for such inflammation-based disorders as cystic fibrosis (CF), diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegeneration.

17 Nov 2009

Normal synaptic activity in nerve cells protects brain from Huntington's disease

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.

16 Nov 2009

Lipid that accumulates in brain cells drives cell death, says research

The lipid that accumulates in brain cells of individuals with an inherited enzyme disorder also drives the cell death that is a hallmark of the disease, according to new research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators.

13 Nov 2009

Researchers identify mouse gene that reduces the accumulation Alzheimer's plaques and tangles

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) and colleagues have identified a novel mouse gene (Rps23r1) that reduces the accumulation of two toxic proteins that are major players in Alzheimer's disease: amyloid beta and tau. The amyloid and tau lowering functions of this gene were demonstrated in both human and mouse cells.

12 Nov 2009

Aethlon Medical begins collaborative biomarker program to study neurodegenerative disease

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AEMD) announced today that it has initiated a collaborative biomarker discovery program with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine and the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI).

3 Nov 2009

Clinical data on the validation set 'Alzheimer patients versus healthy controls' for AclarusDx presented

ExonHit Therapeutics yesterday presented clinical data on the validation set “Alzheimer patients versus healthy controls” for AclarusDx™ (formerly EHT Dx21), its blood-based diagnostic test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), at the 2nd Conference of Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) in Las Vegas, USA.

30 Oct 2009

Long-term effects of statin therapy could lead to transient or permanent cognitive impairment

Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, statins have also been reported to potentially lower the risks of other diseases, such as dementia. However, a study in the October Journal of Lipid Research finds that similar statin drugs can have profoundly different effects on brain cells -both beneficial and detrimental.

29 Oct 2009

HBO treatments may improve neurological outcome after traumatic brain injury

Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. (HTDS:PK), http://www.htdsmedical.com announced that researchers in its Slavica BioChem division have reported new positive results of experiments in which the potential beneficial effects of Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) after traumatic brain injury have been explored.

22 Oct 2009

iPierian to participate in $3.7 million NIH grant awarded to The Johns Hopkins University

iPierian, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on changing the paradigm of drug discovery and development through the application of cellular reprogramming, today announced that it has been selected to participate in a $3.7 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grand Opportunities (GO) grant awarded to The Johns Hopkins University.