Myelin News and Research

RSS

Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Researchers explore potential of neural stem cells to repair brain damage

Scientists have long believed that healthy brain cells, once damaged by radiation designed to kill brain tumors, cannot regenerate. But new Johns Hopkins research in mice suggests that neural stem cells, the body’s source of new brain cells, are resistant to radiation, and can be roused from a hibernation-like state to reproduce and generate new cells able to migrate, replace injured cells and potentially restore lost function.

13 Aug 2013

Transmembrane protein NG2 controls orientation of cell migration toward the wound

When the central nervous system is injured, oligodendrocyte precursor cells migrate to the lesion and synthesize new myelin sheaths on demyelinated axons. Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Cell Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have now discovered that a distinct protein regulates the direction and movement of OPC toward the wound. The transmembrane protein NG2, which is expressed at the surface of OPCs and down-regulated as they mature to myelinating oligodendrocytes, plays an important role in the reaction of OPC to wounding.

1 Aug 2013

Statins: A class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may help treat Rett Syndrome

Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs found in millions of medicine cabinets, may help treat Rett Syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature Genetics. The Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) funded this work with generous support from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK and Rett Syndrome Research & Treatment Foundation.

30 Jul 2013

Study sheds light on how cells regenerate protective sheaths around nerve fibres in the brain

Multiple sclerosis treatments that repair damage to the brain could be developed thanks to new research.

22 Jul 2013

Reciprocal communication between different cell types contributes to neuronal integrity

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have discovered a new form of communication between different cell types in the brain. Nerve cells interact with neighboring glial cells, which results in a transfer of protein and genetic information. Nerve cells are thus protected against stressful growth conditions.

16 Jul 2013

Chromosomal deletion associated with changes in brain's white matter and delays language acquisition

A chromosomal deletion is associated with changes in the brain's white matter and delayed language acquisition in youngsters from Southeast Asia or with ancestral connections to the region, said an international consortium led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine.

28 Jun 2013

Study shows risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome after vaccination is extremely low

Patients are not at increased risk of Guillain-Barr- syndrome in the six-week period after vaccination with any vaccine, including influenza, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

25 Jun 2013

Study shows absence of gene leads to early onset of more serious disease in MS animal model

Scientists led by a UCSF neurology researcher are reporting that they have identified the likely genetic mechanism that causes some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to quickly progress to a debilitating stage of the disease while other patients progress much more slowly.

25 Jun 2013

Research findings could lead to new potential treatment for multiple sclerosis

Myelin, the fatty coating that protects neurons in the brain and spinal cord, is destroyed in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Researchers have been striving to determine whether oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin, can be stimulated to make new myelin. Using live imaging in zebrafish to track oligodendrocytes in real time, researchers reporting in the June 24 issue of the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell discovered that individual oligodendrocytes coat neurons with myelin for only five hours after they are born. If the findings hold true in humans, they could lead to new treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis.

25 Jun 2013

New research finding raises questions about common mutant forms of JC polyomavirus

The JC polyomavirus is clearly opportunistic. It infects half the population but lethally destroys brain tissue only in immunocompromised patients - and it may be outright sneaky, too. Even as a new research paper allays fears that common mutant forms of the virus are the ones directly responsible for the disease's main attack, that same finding raises new questions about what the mutants are doing instead.

14 Jun 2013

Acrolein offers potential tool to reduce symptoms of spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis

A medical test previously developed to measure a toxin found in tobacco smokers has been adapted to measure the same toxin in people suffering from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, offering a potential tool to reduce symptoms.

14 Jun 2013

Drug used to control Type II diabetes can help repair spinal cords of mice suffering from inherited disease

A drug used to control Type II diabetes can help repair the spinal cords of mice suffering from the inherited disease adrenoleukodystrophy which, untreated, leads eventually to a paralysis, a vegetative state and death.

10 Jun 2013

Breastfeeding good for babies' brains

A new study by researchers from Brown University finds more evidence that breastfeeding is good for babies' brains.

6 Jun 2013

New approach in treating multiple sclerosis

In his article, "Pathoetiology of multiple sclerosis: are we barking up the wrong tree?", Peter K. Stys of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, argues that while the majority of the medical research community currently approaches MS as an autoimmune disease (much like Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis), for which the trigger is the immune system attacking a particular part of the nervous system, the features of the disease are equally well explained by approaching MS as a neurodegenerative disease (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's), which is followed by an immune reaction to damage.

5 Jun 2013

Scientists pinpoint genetic traits of cells that give rise to gliomas

A multi-institutional team of researchers have pinpointed the genetic traits of the cells that give rise to gliomas - the most common form of malignant brain cancer. The findings, which appear in the journal Cell Reports, provide scientists with rich new potential set of targets to treat the disease.

4 Jun 2013

Genetically engineered immune cells appear to promote healing in mice infected with MS-like disease

Genetically engineered immune cells seem to promote healing in mice infected with a neurological disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), cleaning up lesions and allowing the mice to regain use of their legs and tails.

1 Jun 2013

Diachisis can occur during subacute phase of ischemic stroke, find USF researchers

While the effects of acute stroke have been widely studied, brain damage during the subacute phase of stroke has been a neglected area of research. Now, a new study by the University of South Florida reports that within a week of a stroke caused by a blood clot in one side of the brain, the opposite side of the brain shows signs of microvascular injury.

21 May 2013

UC Davis scientists detect novel molecular target for multiple sclerosis

Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis, UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.

17 May 2013

Progenitor cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain

By monitoring the behavior of a class of cells in the brains of living mice, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins discovered that these cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain, where they transform into cells that insulate nerve fibers and help form scars that aid in tissue repair.

10 May 2013

IDIBELL signs patent licensing agreement with Minoryx

The Bellvittge Biomedical Research Institute has signed a licensing agreement with the Spanish biotechnology company Minoryx of a patent for the treatment of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare serious neurodegenerative disease which has no effective treatment.

8 May 2013

Myelin News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers explore potential of neural stem cells to repair brain damage

Transmembrane protein NG2 controls orientation of cell migration toward the wound

Statins: A class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may help treat Rett Syndrome

Study sheds light on how cells regenerate protective sheaths around nerve fibres in the brain

Reciprocal communication between different cell types contributes to neuronal integrity

Chromosomal deletion associated with changes in brain's white matter and delays language acquisition

Study shows risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome after vaccination is extremely low

Study shows absence of gene leads to early onset of more serious disease in MS animal model

Research findings could lead to new potential treatment for multiple sclerosis

New research finding raises questions about common mutant forms of JC polyomavirus

Acrolein offers potential tool to reduce symptoms of spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis

Drug used to control Type II diabetes can help repair spinal cords of mice suffering from inherited disease

Breastfeeding good for babies' brains

New approach in treating multiple sclerosis

Scientists pinpoint genetic traits of cells that give rise to gliomas

Genetically engineered immune cells appear to promote healing in mice infected with MS-like disease

Diachisis can occur during subacute phase of ischemic stroke, find USF researchers

UC Davis scientists detect novel molecular target for multiple sclerosis

Progenitor cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain

IDIBELL signs patent licensing agreement with Minoryx

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News