Nerve News and Research

RSS

Taurine could boost effectiveness of existing multiple sclerosis therapies

New research suggests that administering taurine, a molecule naturally produced by human cells, could boost the effectiveness of current multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies.

8 Dec 2017

IUPUI researchers receive $1.8 million grant to develop potential treatments for hydrocephalus

No drug treatment exists for hydrocephalus, the buildup of fluid known as "water on the brain" that can occur at any age.

8 Dec 2017

Study identifies mechanism that could explain early link between sound input and cognitive function

Some expectant parents play classical music for their unborn babies, hoping to boost their children's cognitive capacity. While some research supports a link between prenatal sound exposure and improved brain function, scientists had not identified any structures responsible for this link in the developing brain.

7 Dec 2017

Study reveals connection between restless sleep and Parkinson's disease

A study published in the neurological journal, The Lancet Neurology, has identified that patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) have a dopamine deficiency in the brain and suffer from a form of brain inflammation. They are subjected to increased risks of developing dementia or Parkinson's disease as they grow older.

7 Dec 2017

Using atraumatic needles for lumbar punctures decreases risk of complications

The type of needle used during a lumbar puncture makes a significant difference in the subsequent occurrence of headache, nerve irritation and hearing disturbance in patients, according to a study by Hamilton medical researchers.

7 Dec 2017

Patients with RBD sleep disorder have risk of developing Parkinson's disease in future

Researchers from Aarhus University have discovered that patients with the RBD sleep behavior disorder lack dopamine and have a form of inflammation of the brain. This means that they are at risk of developing Parkinson's disease or dementia when they grow older.

5 Dec 2017

New small-molecule drug restores brain function, memory in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers has shown that a new small-molecule drug can restore brain function and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

5 Dec 2017

Less invasive therapy relieves low back pain, study states

According to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, most patients who had undergone image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment for sciatica and low back pain were pain-free.

4 Dec 2017

Blood test could provide low-cost alternative to MRI for monitoring disease activity in MS

A blood test to monitor a nerve protein in the blood of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may help predict whether disease activity is flaring up, according to a study published in the November 29, 2017, online issue of Neurology Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Nov 2017

Nerve cell findings provide unique insights into neuromuscular conditions

The findings relate to a type of cell connection that allows electrical and chemical messages to flow from nerve to muscle cells, enabling motion.

29 Nov 2017

Marriage may reduce the risk of dementia, study says

An amalgamation of the available evidence published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that marriage may decrease the risk of developing dementia.

29 Nov 2017

Study highlights need to focus on all opioid prescribers to curb epidemic

A cross-section of opioid prescribers that typically do not prescribe large volumes of opioids, including primary care physicians, surgeons and non-physician health care providers, frequently prescribe opioids to high-risk patients, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Nov 2017

Researchers solve 3D structure of primary optogenetic tool

An international team of researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Institut de Biologie Structurale, and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics has determined the 3-D structure of channelrhodopsin 2, a membrane protein widely used in optogenetics to control nerve cells with light.

28 Nov 2017