Encephalopathy News and Research

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Improper Z-RNA recognition contributes to pathogenesis of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome

Like DNA, RNA molecules contain information through unique combinations of four different nucleotides. However, through a molecular process called RNA editing, chemical changes can be made to adenosine nucleotides that convert them to a nucleotide called inosine by enzymes known as adenosine deaminases (ADARs).

21 Oct 2021

MRI study suggests link between SARS-CoV-2 and brain lesions in COVID-19 patients with pneumonia

New research suggests pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is linked to viral-induced changes in the brain. MRI scans revealed 57.9% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected patients had recent brain lesions.

20 Oct 2021

Rewarming after cooling therapy increases the odds of seizures in oxygen-deprived newborns

Oxygen-deprived newborns who undergo cooling therapy to protect their brains are at an elevated risk of seizures and brain damage during the rewarming period, which could be a precursor of disability or death, a new study by a team of researchers led by a UT Southwestern pediatrician suggests.

19 Oct 2021

Study suggests hospitalized COVID-19 patients have elevated Alzheimer's-related biomarkers

Neurological symptoms have been widely reported in patients with COVID-19 and in those who have recovered from it. A new study led by Thomas Wisniewski of New York University Grossman School of Medicine, USA, finds that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are more likely to have elevated biomarkers levels indicative of age-related neurodegeneration.

8 Sep 2021

Atomic-level imaging of infectious prions reveals new therapeutic targets for untreatable diseases

The highest-ever resolution imaging of an infectious prion provides the first atomic-level data of how these abnormal proteins are assembled to cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in people and animals - and how they can be potentially targeted by new therapies.

24 Aug 2021

Researchers unravel pathomechanisms involved in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

ME (Myalgic Encephalopathy), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), can be a debilitating disease. It frequently presents after an infection, and key features are long-lasting fatigue and worsening of symptoms after exertion.

23 Aug 2021

Research finds associations between COVID-19 and persistent cognitive deficits

Much has been learned about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, questions remain about the long-term impact of the virus on our bodies and brains.

29 Jul 2021

UK study finds brain or nerve complications in 1 in 20 of children hospitalized with COVID-19

Although the risk of a child being admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is small, a new UK study has found that around 1 in 20 of children hospitalized with COVID-19 develop brain or nerve complications linked to the viral infection.

16 Jul 2021

About 4 in 100 COVID-19 hospitalized children may develop neurological complications, a study finds

In a recently published article in The Lancet’s Child & Adolescent Health, scientists have described in detail neurological and psychiatric manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children. As mentioned in the study, an estimated prevalence of infection-related neurological complications and pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome in hospitalized children and adolescents is about 3.8 cases per 100 patients.

15 Jul 2021

New study reveals how heparan sulfate promotes amyloid deposition in various organs

Amyloid diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type-2 diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, involve pathologic deposits of normally soluble proteins or peptides as insoluble amyloid fibrils. When this happens in vital organs, such as the brain, kidney, liver and heart, it causes organ damage and, if left untreated, death. Unfortunately, the available treatment options are very limited.

29 Jun 2021

Study examines effect of sorafenib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Oncotarget published "Insulin-like growth factor 1/Child-Turcotte-Pugh composite score as a predictor of treatment outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib" which reported that this study investigated the association of the IGF/CTP score with overall survival and progression-free survival of HCC patients treated with sorafenib.

28 Jun 2021

First insights into human prion disease could help tackle neurodegenerative diseases

Surface features of human prions have been identified for the first time, which may provide key information into treatments of neurodegenerative diseases.

18 Jun 2021

Study finds new clues to explain how Alzheimer’s disease spreads in the brain

Case Western Reserve University researchers studying prions - misfolded proteins that cause lethal incurable diseases - have identified for the first time surface features of human prions responsible for their replication in the brain.

18 Jun 2021

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae. According to research, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients often suffer from neurological disorders like strokes, lost taste or smell, memory loss, confusion, and delirium.

13 Jun 2021

Study identifies new drug to halt dementia in athletes after repeated head injuries

A world-first international study led by the University of South Australia has identified a new drug to stop athletes from developing dementia after sustaining repeated head injuries in their career.

7 Jun 2021

Direct action of SARS-CoV-2 on organs may lead to exacerbated inflammatory response in pediatric patients

Besides common symptoms such as fever, cough and respiratory distress, some children have an atypical form of COVID-19 known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), characterized by persistent fever and inflammation of several organs, such as the heart and intestines, as well as the lungs to a lesser extent.

1 Jun 2021

Study reveals potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have revealed a potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study in fruit flies, and rat and human brain tissue, published today in eLife.

1 Jun 2021

Chemists use new technique to manufacture pharmaceutical cholesterol from plant-based materials

Chemists at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have, in collaboration with colleagues from CordenPharma, succeeded for the first time in manufacturing pharmaceutical cholesterol from plant-based materials using a highly-effective technique.

29 May 2021

New insights into white matter changes may offer novel targets for prevention, therapies

ince 2008, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and VA Boston Healthcare System have studied Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain disease associated with repetitive head impacts that has been diagnosed after death in the brains of American football players and other contact sport athletes as well as members of the armed services.

25 May 2021

Most COVID-19 patients have neurological symptoms

In a new study, published in the journal JAMA Network, University of Pittsburgh researchers for the Global Consortium Study of Neurologic Dysfunction in COVID-19 found that neurological manifestations were prevalent among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The patients were also at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality.

17 May 2021