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Findings indicate potential therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer’s and other diseases

A team of scientists from Japan recently achieved more efficient degradation of the human serum albumin protein - an important protein in the blood - via high-intensity infrared irradiation, by attaching a zinc metal complex to the protein.

1 Jun 2020

Anesthetic drug Ketamine uses serotonin receptors to relieve depression

Ketamine is a drug used to induce general anesthesia. It has also been found to act rapidly to relieve depression that has failed to respond to two other rounds of medication. A new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry in May 2020 reports the mechanism of action of the drug, which was hitherto unknown. This could help find new ways to treat this debilitating and sometimes fatal condition.

31 May 2020

How COVID-19 affects the nervous system

A new paper published in the journal JAMA Neurology in May 2020 discusses the presentation and complications of COVID-19 with respect to the nervous system.

31 May 2020

Researchers show how ketamine fights difficult-to-treat depression

The anaesthetic drug ketamine has been shown, in low doses, to have a rapid effect on difficult-to-treat depression.

31 May 2020

Study solves the longstanding mystery of anesthesia

Surgery would be inconceivable without general anesthesia, so it may come as a surprise that despite its 175-year history of medical use, doctors and scientists have been unable to explain how anesthetics temporarily render patients unconscious.

30 May 2020

Cancer drug nilotinib found to be safe and well-tolerated in Alzheimer's disease clinical trial

A Georgetown University Medical Center clinical trial investigating the cancer drug nilotinib in people with Alzheimer's disease finds that it is safe and well-tolerated, and researchers say the drug should be tested in a larger study to further determine its safety and efficacy as a potential disease-modifying strategy.

29 May 2020

Changes in gut mucus are linked to brain disorders

Mucus is the first line of defense against bad bacteria in our gut. But could it also be part of our defense against diseases of the brain?

29 May 2020

Study shows how toxic protein leads to neuronal death and dementia

Toxic versions of the protein tau are believed to cause the death of neurons of the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

29 May 2020

Study reveals how flies make survival decisions

Many insects process visual information to make decisions about controlling their flying skills and movements- flies must decide whether to pursue prey, avoid a predator, maintain their flight trajectory or land based on their perceptions.

29 May 2020

Study provides groundwork for restoring nerve-muscle connection in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles.

28 May 2020

Two marine molecules show potential to treat Alzheimer's disease

An interdisciplinary research study of the University of Barcelona identified two potential candidates to treat Alzheimer's disease. These are two marine molecules, meridianine and lignarenone B, able to alter the activity of GSK3B activity, a protein associated with several neurodegenerative diseases.

28 May 2020

Studies advance the understanding of sensory disconnection during sleep and anesthesia

During sleep and under anesthesia, we rarely respond to such external stimuli as sounds even though our brains remain highly active.

28 May 2020

Fluctuating estrogen levels could make alcohol more rewarding to women

Fluctuating estrogen levels may make alcohol more rewarding to female mice, according to new research in JNeurosci. Untangling the involved signaling pathways could unveil sex-based treatments for alcohol use disorders.

28 May 2020

Research provides new evidence for potential blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer's

A potential blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases seems even more promising thanks to new research from a Massachusetts General Hospital-led study.

27 May 2020

Molecular pair offers hope for development of new Parkinson's treatment

A promising molecular pair has offered hope that could lead to the development of a new treatment to slow down Parkinson's disease, a study by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Harvard University has found.

27 May 2020

New NIH grant will help Pennington Biomedical scientists to study metabolic diseases

A new federal grant will allow young scientists to delve into the mechanisms of emotional eating and preeclampsia and other disorders not considered "classic" metabolic diseases.

26 May 2020

New study reveals complex role of immune-system molecule in Huntington's disease

More than a decade before people with Huntington's disease show symptoms, they can exhibit abnormally high levels of an immune-system molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which has led many researchers to suspect IL-6 of promoting the eventual neurological devastation associated with the genetic condition.

26 May 2020