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Breakdown of myelin may be the cause of Huntington's disease

Last month, Dr. George Bartzokis, director of the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic, suggested in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia that the breakdown of a type of myelin that develops late in life promotes the buildup of toxic amyloid plaques long associated with Alzheimer's disease.

16 Jun 2007

Simple test predicts a person's risk for developing dementia within six years with 87 percent accuracy

The test, developed in the study by the researchers, is a 14-point index combining medical history, cognitive testing, and physical examination. It requires no special equipment and can be given in a clinical setting such as a doctor's office or at a patient's bedside.

16 Jun 2007

New genetic cause for Joubert syndrome

An international study by researchers at Seattle Children?s Hospital Research Institute, the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands has identified a new genetic cause for Joubert syndrome (JS).

15 Jun 2007

In vivo imaging of siRNA delivery and silencing in tumors

Using magnetic nanoparticles labeled with dye molecules, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a delivery vehicle capable of transporting antitumor small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules into cells.

14 Jun 2007

Nanoprobes with near-infrared persistent luminescence for in vivo imaging

In a new take on use of luminescent nanoparticles as cancer imaging probes, a team of investigators from several research institutes in Paris, France, has developed new metal-containing nanoparticles that emit light for several hours after they are initially excited.

14 Jun 2007

Trial shows nanoparticle-enabled thermal therapy safe for treating cancer

Several types of metal nanoparticles are capable of converting energy, such as that carried by near-infrared light or an oscillating magnetic field, into heat at a level high enough to kill tumors.

14 Jun 2007

Hybrid gold-dendrimer nanoparticles target and image tumors

Dendrimer nanoparticles, made of spherical, highly branched polymers, have shown promise as drug delivery vehicles capable of targeting tumors with large doses of anticancer drugs.

14 Jun 2007

Researchers create first 3-D optical images of human breast cancer in patients based on tissue fluorescence

Fluorescence diffuse optical tomography, or FDOT, relies on the presence of fluorophore molecules in tissue that re-radiate fluorescent light after illumination by excitation light of a different color.

14 Jun 2007

Mild cognitive disorder often an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease

Using new MRI techniques to analyze tissue composition and structure in the brain, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging successfully detected mild cognitive disorder (MCI), a condition in which patients suffer mild memory problems and is often an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

14 Jun 2007

Myelin and Huntington's disease

14 Jun 2007

Early results from Alzheimer's neuroimaging studies could speed research

Disease researchers may be able to reduce the time and expense associated with clinical trials, according to early results from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a public-private research partnership organized by the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jun 2007

Dual-imaging technique improves functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery

Brain specialists associated with the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and University Hospital say the ability to incorporate in real time two high-tech imaging tools into the operating room can improve the functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery.

14 Jun 2007

Combining brain scans and behavioral tests aids early identification of at-risk readers

Taken together, functional brain scans and tests of reading skills strongly predict which children will have ongoing reading problems.

14 Jun 2007

Can brain exercises improve thinking and concentration?

Can a fitness program for your brain improve thinking and concentration the way lifting weights can increase muscle strength?

14 Jun 2007

Blood pressure drop during bypass surgery linked to increased risk of cognitive decline

Patients whose mean arterial blood pressure drops during bypass surgery may be at risk for early difficulties in thinking, learning and memory, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the August 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

14 Jun 2007

Standards for the use of ultrasound to measure narrowing of the carotid artery may be too aggressive

These standards, used by the majority of vascular laboratories around the country since the early 1980s, were based on the use of angiography, a medical imaging technique in which an X-ray picture is taken to visualize the inner opening of blood filled structures.

8 Jun 2007

Mouse hibernation hormones described

A key hormone enables starving mice to alter their metabolism and “hibernate” to conserve energy, revealing a novel molecular target for drugs to treat human obesity and metabolic disorders, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

8 Jun 2007

Causes and treatment of degenerative disk disease

Back pain can interfere with normal activities. One of the most common causes is degenerative disk disease. Fortunately, there is help.

8 Jun 2007

Novel pathways and markers for diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder

Looking into the brain is yielding vital clues to understanding, diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, according to findings being presented at the Seventh International Conference on Bipolar Disorder.

8 Jun 2007

Researchers track how spores break out of dormant state

Tapping into the unknown world of awakening dormant bacterial spores, researchers have revealed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) the alterations of spore coat and germ cell wall that accompany the transformation from a spore to a vegetative cell.

5 Jun 2007