Motor Neurons News and Research

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New findings could shed light on pathologies in brain signaling

Our day-to-day lives can be seen as a series of complex motor sequences: morning routines, work or school tasks, actions we take around mealtimes, the rituals and habits woven through our evenings and weekends.

6 Mar 2020

Blue light illuminates key ALS pathologies in zebrafish

A joint research group in Japan has succeeded in reproducing key ALS symptoms in a small tropical fish by remote controlling a disease-associated protein molecule using light illumination.

26 Feb 2020

Two new grants will help researchers to study neurotechnology, drug delivery system

Two grants will fund interdisciplinary research at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, including a look at how neurons and muscle cells communicate with each other and also to develop a drug delivery system for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

23 Feb 2020

Unexpected findings could lead to new therapeutic intervention for ALS

A therapeutic intervention for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, could be on the horizon thanks to unexpected findings by University of Arizona researchers.

11 Feb 2020

Research uncovers protective role of astrocytes in sporadic motor neuron disease

Support cells in the nervous system help protect motor neurons in the early-stages of sporadic motor neuron disease, according to new research from the Crick and UCL.

10 Feb 2020

UK-wide trial aims to find treatments that can slow or reverse MND

Hundreds of people living with motor neurone disease are being invited to take part in one of the UK's most comprehensive clinical trials in a generation.

16 Jan 2020

Study identifies molecular 'bridge' between ALS-causing genes

The enzyme Gemin3 was identified as the molecular 'bridge' between genes whose mutation or disruption causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to a new study in Nature's Scientific Reports from scientists at the University of Malta.

16 Jan 2020

Researchers impart new ability to control paralyzed hands via artificial neural connection

Restoration of lost motor function after stroke is typically accomplished after strenuous rehabilitation therapy lasting for over months. However, new research published by a group led by Yukio Nishimura, the project leader of the Neural Prosthesis Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science showed that an artificial neural connection (ANC) successfully allowed a new cortical site, previously unassociated with hand movements, to regain control of a paralyzed hand in a matter of minutes.

7 Jan 2020

Research findings may one day help keep ALS at bay

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine on December 23, 2019, shows how to silence a defective gene responsible for the degeneration of the motor neurons in Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in adult mice. This could help prevent disease progression if the condition is already symptomatic, and even suppress the illness if it has not yet started.

23 Dec 2019

Magnetic nano-sized disks could restore function for Lou Gehrig’s disease patients

For decades the renowned English physicist Stephen Hawking lived with a motor neuron disease until his death last year.

5 Dec 2019

Common drug for nerve pain could help restore upper limb function after spinal cord injury

Long-term treatment with gabapentin, a commonly prescribed drug for nerve pain, could help restore upper limb function after a spinal cord injury, new research in mice suggests.

3 Dec 2019

Consortium launches ambitious project to transform the treatment of pain

In an effort to address the critical public health need for new, safer and more effective medicines to treat pain, a consortium based at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School has launched an ambitious project titled STOP PAIN (Safe Therapeutic Options for Pain and Inflammation).

2 Dec 2019

Self-destructive mitochondria may set the stage for neurodegeneration in ALS

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new phenomenon in the brain that could explain the development of early stages of neurodegeneration seen in diseases such as ALS, which affects voluntary muscle movement such as walking and talking.

18 Nov 2019

Adult SMA patients treated with Nusinersen show improvement in motor function

A study published in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases presents the first evidence of mild improvement or stabilization of motor and respiratory function in adults with spinal muscular atrophy type 3 (SMA3) treated with Nusinersen, which was the case even in patients who have had the disease for 20 years or more.

11 Nov 2019

Scientists discover gene mutation involved in paraplegia and epilepsy

Researchers have made an important discovery that could help scientists understand the cause of paraplegia and epilepsy.

1 Nov 2019

TDP-43 study could speed up the diagnosis and treatment of ALS

A new study suggests that TDP-43 may be used as a biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

30 Oct 2019

Some plant foods causing paralysis, death, in malnourished populations

There are a lot of plants eaten for food that may also contain toxins that harm the brain and the nervous system, when present in amounts that cross the limit of individual tolerance. This happens when such toxin-containing foods are the chief or only source of nutrition.

26 Oct 2019

Salk scientists receive NIH funding to map brain circuitry for movement

A team of Salk scientists led by Professor Martyn Goulding has been awarded $14.3 million over five years by the National Institutes of Health to create a high-resolution atlas of how the mouse brain generates and controls skilled forelimb movements, such as reaching and grasping.

18 Oct 2019

Nervous system plays a role in age-related weakness

Aging is an inevitable and a normal process of life. As people grow older, they lose muscle mass caused by age-related sarcopenia. In older adults, the maintenance of muscle mass and strength contribute to mobility which impacts quality of life. One of the reasons why older adults become frail is because of age-related muscle weakness.

10 Oct 2019

Newly discovered molecular process could speed up recovery from nerve injuries

Twenty million Americans suffer from peripheral nerve injuries, which can be caused by traumas such as combat wounds and motorcycle crashes as well as medical disorders including diabetes.

3 Oct 2019