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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Study focuses on psychiatric, cognitive symptoms emerging at early stages of Huntington's disease

Psychiatric and cognitive symptoms emerge at an early stage in Huntington's disease. However, research so far has mainly focused on movement impairment, a symptom associated with the more advanced stages of the disease.

7 Sep 2021

Can molecular mimicry impact fertility in female COVID-19 patients?

There exists a possibility that COVID-19 can also affect the reproductive function in the body, which can lead to infertility in infected patients. A study published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology explored the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on reproductive functions and fertility.

30 Aug 2021

Study finds a new line of drugs to stimulate myelin repair in multiple sclerosis

In the nearly 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis, the fatty substance that insulates the nerves of the central nervous system—called myelin—is damaged.

24 Aug 2021

Restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases linked to TDP-43 protein

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43.

4 Aug 2021

New research may offer clues to why MS patients develop progressive disability

Did you know multiple sclerosis (MS) means multiple scars? New research shows that the brain and spinal cord scars in people with MS may offer clues to why they developprogressive disability but those with related diseases where the immune system attacks the central nervous system do not.

19 Jul 2021

Study offers a deeper understanding of the molecular basis for schizophrenia

A study conducted by a group of Brazilian researchers contributes to a deeper understanding of the molecular basis for schizophrenia, and potentially to the development of more specific and effective treatments for the disease.

8 Jun 2021

Study reveals how HIV prevents the maturation of myelin-making brain cells

It's long been known that people living with HIV experience a loss of white matter in their brains. As opposed to "gray matter," which is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, white matter is made up of a fatty substance called myelin that coats neurons, offering protection and helping them transmit signals quickly and efficiently.

2 Jun 2021

Simple sugar could play a key role in the development of progressive MS

Multiple sclerosis, or MS for short, manifests itself slightly differently in each person - which is why some call it "the disease of a thousand faces."

12 May 2021

Damage to the white matter is more predictive of cognitive impairment after brain injury

A new University of Iowa study challenges the idea that gray matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function.

7 May 2021

Tiny 3D brain models could accelerate drug research for multiple sclerosis

Tiny 3-D models that mimic vital aspects of the human nervous system have been developed in a step that could accelerate drug research for neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

3 May 2021

Researchers create new, open-access tool for assessing infant brain health

Researchers have created a new, open-access tool that allows doctors and scientists to evaluate infant brain health by assessing the concentration of various chemical markers, called metabolites, in the brain. The tool compiled data from 140 infants to determine normal ranges for these metabolites.

29 Apr 2021

Stem cell therapy can repair brain damage and improve memory function in mice

A one-time injection of an experimental stem cell therapy can repair brain damage and improve memory function in mice with conditions that replicate human strokes and dementia, a new UCLA study finds.

21 Apr 2021

Researchers develop a classification scheme for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Researchers in the Department of Neurology at Tohoku University, which is led by professor Masashi Aoki, have developed a classification scheme for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, a rare autoimmune disease that until recently was thought to be a type of multiple sclerosis (MS).

15 Apr 2021

Pigs’ brain size and digestive system are excellent analogs for human newborns

Before humans can benefit from new drug therapies and nutritional additives, scientists test their safety and efficacy in animals, typically mice and rats.

14 Apr 2021

UCL scientists use AI to identify three new multiple sclerosis subtypes

Scientists at UCL have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify three new multiple sclerosis (MS) subtypes. Researchers say the groundbreaking findings will help identify those people more likely to have disease progression and help target treatments more effectively.

6 Apr 2021