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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Study identifies potential biomarker for onset, progression of MS

An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine identifies Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) as a novel biomarker for the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).

27 Sep 2017

Long-lasting effects of traumatic childhood experiences may be due to impaired neural connections

Researchers from the McGill Group for Suicide Studies, based at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry, have just published research in the American Journal of Psychiatry that suggests that the long-lasting effects of traumatic childhood experiences, like severe abuse, may be due to an impaired structure and functioning of cells in the anterior cingulate cortex.

25 Sep 2017

Novel gene therapy can inhibit, reverse multiple sclerosis in mouse models

Multiple sclerosis can be inhibited or reversed using a novel gene therapy technique that stops the disease's immune response in mouse models, University of Florida Health researchers have found.

21 Sep 2017

Biodegradable nanoparticle injected after spinal cord injury limits damage

After a spinal cord injury, a significant amount of secondary nerve damage is caused by inflammation and internal scarring that inhibits the ability of the nervous system to repair itself.

5 Sep 2017

Japanese scientists uncover new genetic marker for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complicated disease that often appears in early adulthood. Although scientists have not traced the genetic causes, more than 80% of schizophrenia cases are considered to have a hereditary cause.

5 Sep 2017

Study identifies promising drug candidate for treating demyelinating diseases

Brain functions are maintained by the neural network. Neural network is formed by the connection between the neurite, and this connection is supported by the wrapping of myelin.

26 Aug 2017

Neuronal firing patterns influence proliferation, differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors

Through their pattern of firing, neurons influence the behavior of the cells that upon maturation will provide insulation of neuronal axons, according to a new study publishing 22 August in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Balint Nagy, Maria Kukley and colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

23 Aug 2017

Researchers shed new light on MS relapse during upper respiratory infections

For most of us, the flu is just the flu. We suffer through it for several days, and eventually bounce back. But for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases, the flu can trigger a cascade of immune responses that result in a full-blown relapse of the disease.

8 Aug 2017

Human gut microbe may help treat autoimmune diseases, say researchers

Mayo Clinic researchers, along with colleagues at the University of Iowa, report that a human gut microbe discovered at Mayo Clinic may help treat autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. The findings appear in Cell Reports.

8 Aug 2017

Wayne State researchers receive $1.9 million NIH grant to better understand rare genetic disorders

A team of Wayne State University researchers recently received a $1.9 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to better understand leukodystrophies (LD) and genetic Leukoencephalopathies (gLE), rare genetic disorders affecting the white matter -- myelin -- in the central nervous system.

21 Jul 2017

Ubiquitous human herpesvirus 6 may play key role in brain diseases like multiple sclerosis

The ubiquitous human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) may play a critical role in impeding the brain's ability to repair itself in diseases like multiple sclerosis.

10 Jul 2017

High-resolution imaging provides new insights into pathological mechanisms of brain diseases

To fully understand brain function and dysfunction, it is important to be able to visualize changes in anatomy and activity in the whole brain.

10 Jul 2017

Body cooling for wheelchair comfort

People with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) are unable to sweat because their body can no longer communicate with their brain. They risk overheating with every revalidation exercise. While this was the main driver for Staels Design, we have since noted that almost every single wheelchair user has issues with heat and moisture.

16 Jun 2017

Researchers use quantum dots to decipher design features for new therapies aimed at MS

Researchers in the University of Maryland Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) Jewell Laboratory are using quantum dots - tiny semiconductor particles commonly used in nanotechnology - to decipher the features needed to design specific and effective therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases.

14 Jun 2017

Common acne medication can slow progress of relapsing-remitting MS, trial shows

A Canadian clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute, at the Cumming School of Medicine, shows that minocycline, a common acne medication, can slow the progress of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who have recently experienced their first symptoms.

1 Jun 2017

Experimental treatment tempers HLH, MS symptoms in mouse models, study shows

Immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis unleash destructive waves of inflammation on the body, causing death or a lifetime of illness and physical impairment.

23 May 2017

SyMRI approach provides myelin maps in scan times of only 5 minutes

It has been a long-standing dream in MRI to move from visualizing tissue contrast differences to directly imaging patient tissue properties. Recent developments within quantitative MRI have provided substantial steps forward in measuring the basic physical properties such as T1 and T2 relaxation times or proton density.

2 May 2017