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Missing part of the brain may play vital role in how people understand the world

A study three years ago sparked a medical mystery when it revealed a part of the brain not found in any present-day anatomy textbooks.

15 Sep 2015

Human Brain Project aims at detailed simulations of human brain

The goal of brain simulations using supercomputers is to understand the processes in our brain. This is a mammoth task: the activity of an estimated 100 billion nerve cells - also known as neurons - must be represented .

14 Sep 2015

Location-dependent pattern in cilia length in mouse nasal cavity affects sensitivity to odors

Like the hairs they resemble, cilia come in all lengths, from short to long. But unlike the hair on our heads, the length of sensory cilia on nerve cells in our noses is of far more than merely cosmetic significance. A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a location-dependent pattern in cilia length in the mouse nasal cavity that affects sensitivity to odors.

14 Sep 2015

UNC scientists create smarter immune cells to treat Parkinson's disease

As a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created smarter immune cells that produce and deliver a healing protein to the brain while also teaching neurons to begin making the protein for themselves.

14 Sep 2015

Scientists elucidate genetic interaction that may prove key to development, progression of glaucoma

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have elucidated a genetic interaction that may prove key to the development and progression of glaucoma, a blinding neurodegenerative disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.

11 Sep 2015

Innovative technologies offer hope to people living with chronic pain

More than 100 million people in this country have pain that won't go away. Many of these chronic pain sufferers fail to get relief from pills, shots and even surgery, while others temporarily trade the pain for side effects such as drowsiness or digestive problems.

11 Sep 2015

Nerve damage caused by leprosy linked to changes in the brain of patients

Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to change both anatomically and functionally in response to changes in the body or in the environment.

10 Sep 2015

Latest ENT research to be presented at AAO-HNSF's annual meeting

The latest research on hearing loss, head and neck cancers, sleep apnea and other otolaryngic topics will be presented in Dallas, TX, September 27-30, at the 2015 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO? of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), the largest annual meeting of ear, nose, throat, head and neck physicians in the world.

9 Sep 2015

Resin contains substances that may cure epilepsy, say Linköping University researchers

Sticky resin from conifers contains substances that could relieve or cure epilepsy. Researchers at Linköping University have synthesized and tested 71 substances known as resin acids, of which twelve are prime candidates for new medicines.

9 Sep 2015

MU researchers identify age-related cause of arterial dysfunction

With the world's elderly population expected to double by 2050, understanding how aging affects the body is an important focus for researchers globally. Cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 cause of death worldwide, often is associated with aging arteries that restrict blood flow. Now, University of Missouri researchers have identified an age-related cause of arterial dysfunction, a finding that could lead to future treatments for some forms of vascular disease.

9 Sep 2015

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed in more than half of Asian Americans

More than half of Asian Americans and nearly half of Hispanic Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Sep 2015

IRIDEX launches novel intra-ocular pressure monitoring device

IRIDEX Corporation today announced that it has added a novel intra-ocular pressure (IOP) monitoring device called a tonometer to its suite of commercial products for the global glaucoma market. The new device comes to IRIDEX through a distribution agreement with Icare Finland Plc, a subsidiary of the Revenio Group Corporation, the creator of the tonometer.

8 Sep 2015

Desmoplasmic melanoma may possess unprecedented burden of gene mutations, say UCSF scientists

A rare, deadly form of skin cancer known as desmoplasmic melanoma (DM) may possess the highest burden of gene mutations of any cancer, suggesting that immunotherapy may be a promising approach for treatment, according to an international team led by UC San Francisco scientists. One of these mutations, never before observed in any cancer, may shield nascent DM tumors from destruction by the immune system and allow further mutations to develop.

7 Sep 2015

Endothelin system offers potential therapeutic target for ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disorder in which cells of the nervous system die, leading to muscle weakness that impacts breathing, movement and other physical functions.

4 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal molecular mechanism that controls remyelination

Researchers in Japan have revealed the molecular mechanism involved in the process of repair to damage of the myelin sheath. In vertebrates, axons extending from nerve cells are covered by insulating sheets called the myelin sheath, made with the cell membranes of oligodendrocytes, enabling fast electrical signaling through saltatory conduction.

4 Sep 2015

Allergan enters into agreement to acquire Aquesys and its XEN45 program

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, and AqueSys, Inc. a private clinical stage medical device company focused on developing ocular implants that reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with glaucoma, today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Allergan will acquire AqueSys in an all-cash transaction.

4 Sep 2015

Children's Hospital Los Angeles receives $2 million to spur research on brain, spinal cord tumors

A life-changing event for a Los Angeles family has resulted in their funding an endowment to support The Kort Family Foundation Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Research Program in the Division of Neurosurgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

3 Sep 2015

Finding better treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

In an effort to find a better treatment for spinal curvature in children and young people, the EU's "StimulAIS" project is focused on electrostimulation of muscles. Fraunhofer scientists worked with partners from industry and research to develop a prototype implant that would do the job.

3 Sep 2015

Diabetes may be linked to buildup of brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Diabetes may be linked to the buildup of tangles or tau in the brain, separate from Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the September 2, 2015, online version of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Sep 2015

Research may lead to improved treatment option for phantom limb pain

Electrical stimulation on the skin surface at the elbow can produce feeling in the hand—including rare "natural" sensations—according to a study just published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.

3 Sep 2015