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Human brain uses several frequency channels for communication

In the brain, the visual cortex processes visual information and passes it from lower to higher areas of the brain. However, information also flows in the opposite direction, e.g. to direct attention to particular stimuli. But how does the brain know which path the information should take? Researchers at the Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience in Frankfurt in Cooperation with Max Planck Society have now demonstrated that the visual cortex of human subjects uses different frequency channels depending on the direction in which information is being transported.

31 Jan 2016

Unobtrusive patch on the forehead provides relief from PTSD

An average of 30 years had passed since the traumatic events that had left them depressed, anxious, irritable, hypervigilant, unable to sleep well and prone to nightmares.

30 Jan 2016

Certain viral infections during pregnancy could cause behavioral changes in offspring

A study published in the journal Science found that activation in pregnant mice of a particular immune response, similar to what may occur with certain viral infections during pregnancy, alters the brain structure of the mouse offspring and causes behavioral changes, reminiscent of those observed in humans with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

30 Jan 2016

Men with ASD have differences in brain connections

Research at King's College London has revealed subtle brain differences in adult males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which may go some way towards explaining why symptoms persist into adulthood in some people with the disorder.

30 Jan 2016

Vestibular test may aid ocular myasthenia gravis diagnosis

Assessing extraocular muscle activity by recording ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials is a promising test for isolated ocular myasthenia gravis, report researchers.

29 Jan 2016

Neuroprotection powers for phenytoin in acute optic neuritis

Selective sodium channel blockade with the anti-epileptic drug phenytoin protects against acute demyelinating optic neuritis, researchers report.

29 Jan 2016

Clinicoradiological syndromes allow rapid recognition of EV71 neurological problems

Severe enterovirus 71 neurological disease in children predominantly involves the spinal cord and brainstem and can be quickly recognised using the World Health Organisation classification of clinicoradiological syndromes, study findings suggest.

29 Jan 2016

Brain's natural plasticity could compensate for inner ear damage

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have described, for the first time, the adult brain's ability to compensate for a near-complete loss of auditory nerve fibers that link the ear to the brain. The findings, published in the current issue of Neuron, suggest that the brain's natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits; however, it does not recover speech intelligibility.

29 Jan 2016

Study could open door for new treatment targets to help Parkinson's disease patients walk more easily

Two secrets of one of the brain's most enigmatic regions have finally been revealed. In a pair of new studies, scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a specific neural circuit that controls walking, and they found that input to this circuit is disrupted in Parkinson's disease.

29 Jan 2016

Halaven (eribulin mesylate) approved for treatment of liposarcoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate), a type of chemotherapy, for the treatment of liposarcoma (a specific type of soft tissue sarcoma) that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or is advanced (metastatic). This treatment is approved for patients who received prior chemotherapy that contained an anthracycline drug.

28 Jan 2016

Researchers developing cryotherapy device to reduce tissue damage

Cold therapy has long been prescribed for those recovering from orthopedic surgery, muscle inflammation and sports-related injuries, with treatments ranging from ice baths to immersion in whole-body cryotherapy chambers.

28 Jan 2016

Stopping disruptions in cellular 'trash removal' may guard against neurodegenerative diseases

Stopping disruptions in cellular "trash removal" brought on by errors in molecular marks on DNA may guard against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.

27 Jan 2016

Opioid medication does not improve physical function in patients with neuropathic pain

Opioids such as morphine, codeine and Tylenol 3 can be effective for treating pain, however, a new University of Alberta study finds that patients with neuropathic pain taking opioids report no improvements in physical functioning compared to those who were not prescribed opioids.

25 Jan 2016

UAB study shows IL-37 protein suppresses inflammatory response after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injuries cause severe functional disabilities in those who sustain them, including paraplegia or tetraplegia, depending on the scale of the injury. This is due to the degeneration of the spinal pathways that carry nerve signals from the brain to the different parts of the body and vice versa, resulting in loss of mobility and sensitivity underneath the injured area.

22 Jan 2016

Researchers explore ways to use light to combat cancer

Immunotherapy is one of the hottest emerging areas of cancer research. After all, using the body's own cells to fight cancer can be more effective and less invasive than flooding the entire system with toxic chemicals.

22 Jan 2016

Dartmouth researchers discover rare natural products that promote regeneration of injured nerve cells

Nerve damage from neurodegenerative disease and spinal cord injury has largely been considered irreversible, but Dartmouth researchers report progress in the effort to synthesize rare natural products that promote regeneration and growth of injured nerve cells.

22 Jan 2016

Findings may explain why type 2 diabetic patients experience smelling problems

In a study in type 2 diabetic rats, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet have identified alterations in specific nerve cells that are important for odor identification. The findings might explain why type 2 diabetic patients often experience smelling problems and potentially open up a new research field to develop preventive therapies against neurodegenerative diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.

21 Jan 2016

Twice-daily stimulation of vagus nerve with gammaCore nVNS device reduces number of migraine attacks

A study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, carried out by Dr. Thomas Kinfe of the University of Bonn, found that twice daily stimulation of the vagus nerve with the hand-held gammaCore nVNS device reduced the number of headache days per month from 14.7 to 8.9 (p<0.001) and the number of monthly migraine attacks from 7.3 to 4.5 (p<0.001).

21 Jan 2016

Researchers reconstruct 3D images of protein structures that link heart muscle cells in working groups

Diseased hearts may be thrown out of rhythm by structural differences -- now visible for the first time -- in protein groups that connect heart muscle cells, according to the authors of a study to be published in the journal Nature Communications online Jan. 20.

20 Jan 2016

Researchers identify protein that could protect against toxic degeneration of cells in ALS

J. Gavin Daigle, a PhD candidate at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Graduate Studies, is the first author of a paper whose findings reveal another piece of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) puzzle.

19 Jan 2016

Nerve News and Research

Human brain uses several frequency channels for communication

Unobtrusive patch on the forehead provides relief from PTSD

Certain viral infections during pregnancy could cause behavioral changes in offspring

Men with ASD have differences in brain connections

Vestibular test may aid ocular myasthenia gravis diagnosis

Neuroprotection powers for phenytoin in acute optic neuritis

Clinicoradiological syndromes allow rapid recognition of EV71 neurological problems

Brain's natural plasticity could compensate for inner ear damage

Study could open door for new treatment targets to help Parkinson's disease patients walk more easily

Halaven (eribulin mesylate) approved for treatment of liposarcoma

Researchers developing cryotherapy device to reduce tissue damage

Stopping disruptions in cellular 'trash removal' may guard against neurodegenerative diseases

Opioid medication does not improve physical function in patients with neuropathic pain

UAB study shows IL-37 protein suppresses inflammatory response after spinal cord injury

Researchers explore ways to use light to combat cancer

Dartmouth researchers discover rare natural products that promote regeneration of injured nerve cells

Findings may explain why type 2 diabetic patients experience smelling problems

Twice-daily stimulation of vagus nerve with gammaCore nVNS device reduces number of migraine attacks

Researchers reconstruct 3D images of protein structures that link heart muscle cells in working groups

Researchers identify protein that could protect against toxic degeneration of cells in ALS

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

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