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Texas researcher receives U.S. patent for new class of compounds that protect against TBI

A researcher in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio received a U.S. patent Dec. 31 for his discovery that a class of compounds is protective against traumatic brain injury.

13 Jan 2014

Transplanting self-donated Schwann cells aids hind limb functional recovery

A study carried out at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for "The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis" has found that transplanting self-donated Schwann cells (SCs, the principal ensheathing cells of the nervous system) that are elongated so as to bridge scar tissue in the injured spinal cord, aids hind limb functional recovery in rats modeled with spinal cord injury.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers identify first biomarker that appears to be associated with duration of delirium

Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research have identified the first biomarker that appears to be linked to the duration of delirium.

16 Dec 2013

UCI MIND researchers receive grant to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines

Researchers at UC Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders have received a two-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop and study patient-derived stem cell lines.

9 Dec 2013

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings reported in Nature suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify new mechanism that causes neurodegeneration

As we age, our body rhythms lose time before they finally stop. Breaking the body clock by genetically disrupting a core clock gene, Bmal1, in mice has long been known to accelerate aging , causing arthritis, hair loss, cataracts, and premature death.

26 Nov 2013

Neuroscientists discover new role played by common but mysterious class of brain cells

Stanford University School of Medicine neuroscientists have discovered a new role played by a common but mysterious class of brain cells.

26 Nov 2013

Study suggests potential new treatment for seizures

A study out today in the journal Nature Medicine suggests a potential new treatment for the seizures that often plague children with genetic metabolic disorders and individuals undergoing liver failure. The discovery hinges on a new understanding of the complex molecular chain reaction that occurs when the brain is exposed to too much ammonia.

17 Nov 2013

Study reveals that glial cells are integral to brain function

New research by scientists at UC San Francisco shows that one of the brain's fundamental self-protection mechanisms depends on coordinated, finely calibrated teamwork among neurons and non-neural cells knows as glial cells, which until fairly recently were thought to be mere support cells for neurons.

23 Oct 2013

Research findings show how flawed transport gene contributes to autism

Researchers say it's clear that some cases of autism are hereditary, but have struggled to draw direct links between the condition and particular genes. Now a team at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has devised a process for connecting a suspect gene to its function in autism.

1 Oct 2013

NIH announces $45 million grant to find effective interventions for Alzheimer's

The National Institutes of Health announced on Wednesday the award of a new research grant to discover, characterize and validate complex molecular networks and candidate genes that influence susceptibility to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.

19 Sep 2013

NIEHS grant renewal opens next chapter in 18-year research effort into brain injury biomarker

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant extension to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to fund research into the function of a biomarker for brain injury called Translocator Protein 18 kDa, better known as TSPO, in order to better understand its function in brain injury and inflammation and discover targets for therapy.

17 Sep 2013

Research: Treatment with antioxidants may help reduce behavioral issues linked to NF1

New research in mouse models suggests that treatment with antioxidants may help reduce behavioral issues linked to the genetic nervous system disorder Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and an associated condition called Costello syndrome.

12 Sep 2013

One-time treatment slows onset and progression of ALS, study finds

Studies of a therapy designed to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis suggest that the treatment dramatically slows onset and progression of the deadly disease, one of the most common neuromuscular disorders in the world.

10 Sep 2013

Combined transplantation provides potential new therapy for repair of spinal cord injury

Following spinal cord injury, astrocyte proliferation and scar formation are the main factors inhibiting the regeneration and growth of spinal cord axons, leading to motor and sensory function loss below the level of spinal cord injury.

10 Sep 2013

Researchers find key mechanism behind Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease affects more than 26 million people worldwide. It is predicted to skyrocket as boomers age-nearly 106 million people are projected to have the disease by 2050.

7 Sep 2013

Study suggests Braintone has neuroprotective effects on ischemia-induced brain damage

Recently, the importance of the neurovascular unit, which is comprised of neurons, endothelial cells and astrocytes, has received great attention in the field of stroke, because stroke affects not only neurons, but also astrocytes and microvessels.

17 Aug 2013

Brain tumor cells in arrested development contribute to cell variety that protects cancer

A program that pushes immature cells to grow up and fulfill their destiny as useful, dedicated cells is short-circuited in the most common and deadly form of brain tumor, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

8 Aug 2013

Astrocytes can protect brain tissue and reduce disability due to stroke

One of regenerative medicine's greatest goals is to develop new treatments for stroke. So far, stem cell research for the disease has focused on developing therapeutic neurons - the primary movers of electrical impulses in the brain - to repair tissue damaged when oxygen to the brain is limited by a blood clot or break in a vessel. New UC Davis research, however, shows that other cells may be better suited for the task.

24 Jul 2013

NIH awards $1.7M grant to develop effective treatments for brain disorders

Ten percent of Americans experience a seizure in their lifetime, with three million diagnosed with epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder. Anticonvulsant medications can mitigate the hyperactivity of neurons that leads to seizures, but not without severe side effects, including cognitive impairment.

23 Jul 2013