Central Nervous System News and Research

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Researchers use optogenetics to treat chronic pain

The finger prick from a thorn generates an immediate sensory response. In that instant, neurons at the injury site fire an electrical signal along a nerve fiber to the central nervous system. Our brain notes to avoid further encounters with thorns and the painful insult subsides.

18 Apr 2018

Researchers identify new Listeria species in Costa Rica

Listeria costaricensis is the official name given to the new bacterial species described by investigators from the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC) and the WHO-collaborating center on Listeria at Institut Pasteur.

17 Apr 2018

Post-surgical opioids can prolong pain for more than three weeks, study shows

Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 Apr 2018

Biomarker panel can guide future therapeutic decisions for glioma patients

In an article published April 10th in the journal Cell Reports, researchers at the University of São Paulo describe a biomarker panel that could tell physicians which patients diagnosed with glioma, a type of brain cancer, will tend to progress to a more aggressive form of the disease in the event of relapse.

10 Apr 2018

New method to rapidly assess severity of head injuries could improve patient care

A new way to rapidly assess levels of consciousness in people with head injuries could improve patient care.

10 Apr 2018

New point-of-care test accelerates diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis

A new research-based point-of-care test has been developed in Finland for detecting the Lyme neuroborreliosis spread by ticks.

5 Apr 2018

New fluorescent probe identifies cancer stem cells

Cells with stem-cell characteristics appear to be especially important in the formation and metastasis of tumors. Scientists have now developed a universal fluorescent probe for these "cancer stem cells". As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this dye also selectively kills off the cells.

4 Apr 2018

Researcher finds that shape of misfolded proteins may contribute to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease may have more in common than their effects on the functions of the brain and spinal cord. And finding that common thread could lead to a treatment that could work for all three.

2 Apr 2018

SLU researchers turn off excruciating chemo pain in animal model

In a recent paper published in the journal Pain, Saint Louis University researchers describe their success in an animal model in turning off the excruciating pain that often accompanies a colorectal cancer drug.

26 Mar 2018

Mother's stress during pregnancy changes brain connectivity in-utero

The time babies spend in the womb is far from idle. The brain is changing more rapidly during this time than at any other time in development. It is an active time for the fetus to grow and explore, and of course connect to its mother.

26 Mar 2018

Mutations found in bassoon gene may help explain cause of rare brain disorder

Newly discovered gene mutations may help explain the cause of a disease that drastically impairs walking and thinking.

23 Mar 2018

Immune cells can repopulate in the retina after elimination, mice study shows

Immune cells called microglia can completely repopulate themselves in the retina after being nearly eliminated, according to a new study in mice from scientists at the National Eye Institute.

21 Mar 2018

Researchers explain link between 2 key Alzheimer's proteins

It's a paradox of Alzheimer's disease: Plaques of the sticky protein amyloid beta are the most characteristic sign in the brain of the deadly neurodegenerative disease. However, many older people have such plaques in their brains but do not have dementia.

21 Mar 2018

New study identifies key role for particular gene in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome

In a new study of one of the most common genetic causes of autism, neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have identified a specific molecular mechanism that appears to undermine the ability of neurons in affected mice to properly incorporate changes driven by experience.

20 Mar 2018

Study shows structural variations in the brain of transgender individuals

Researchers at the University of São Paulo's Medical School in Brazil used magnetic resonance imaging to complete the first study conducted in Latin America to investigate brain volumes in transgender individuals.

14 Mar 2018

Researchers identify B immune cells that promote axon myelination in developing neurons

Neurons are specialized cells of the nervous system that communicate using electrical signals, which propagate down long, wire-like projections called axons. The conduction of these signals requires myelin, a fatty substance that surrounds axons in much the same way that plastic coating surrounds an electrical wire.

13 Mar 2018

Large number of genes associated with intelligence discovered

A large genome study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Harvard University has found over 500 genes that can be attributed to intelligence. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

13 Mar 2018

Surprise discovery may lead potential treatment for multiple sclerosis

A surprise finding by medical scientists may lead to the development of a possible treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

9 Mar 2018

Adolescent, young adult cancer survivors have stronger social networks than non-cancer peers

Survivors of adolescent and young adult cancer often have stronger social networks than their non-cancer peers, according to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital researchers, who hope to translate that support into better lives for the nation's growing population of cancer survivors.

9 Mar 2018

New study examines origin of cryptococcosis within the central nervous system

A particular fungal infection is responsible for more than 220,000 cases of cryptococcosis worldwide each year in people with HIV and AIDS, with nearly 181,000 of those resulting in death.

8 Mar 2018