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LCP molecules can treat prion diseases

Toxic prions in the brain can be detected with self-illuminating polymers. The originators, at Linköping University in Sweden, has now shown that the same molecules can also render the prions harmless, and potentially cure fatal nerve-destroying illnesses.

25 Apr 2012

Honeycomb biodegradable implant may help nerve regeneration: Study

Patients with severely injured limbs often suffer a devastating loss of sensation. The implants, called “nerve guidance conduits” or NGCs were produced by British and German engineers with a laser technique normally used to write complex electrical circuits. Made from a form of biodegradable plastic, they guide regrowing nerve fibres through individual channels to aid recovery. Once the nerves are fully regrown and reconnected, the device dissolves away.

24 Apr 2012

Novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

A research team, led by John Guy, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has pioneered a novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an inherited genetic defect that causes rapid, permanent, and bilateral loss of vision in people of all ages, but primarily males ages 20-40.

24 Apr 2012

Study confirms link between smoking and reduced risk of acoustic neuroma

New research confirms an association between smoking and a reduced risk for a rare benign tumor near the brain, but the addition of smokeless tobacco to the analysis suggests nicotine is not the protective substance.

24 Apr 2012

New device can correct bone deformities in children

Another day, another four turns of the screw. That's just a part of life for people, primarily children, undergoing the long and difficult process of distraction osteogenesis, a method to correct bone deformities that leave one limb shorter than the other.

24 Apr 2012

Brain injury in amateur boxing similar to Alzheimer´s

Olympic boxers can exhibit changes in brain fluids after bouts, which indicates nerve cell damage. This is shown in a study of 30 top-level Swedish boxers that was conducted at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in collaboration with the Swedish Boxing Federation, published in PLoS ONE.

23 Apr 2012

Nano-devices cross blood-brain barrier to deliver drug to treat cerebral palsy

A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have developed nano-devices that successfully cross the brain-blood barrier and deliver a drug that tames brain-damaging inflammation in rabbits with cerebral palsy.

23 Apr 2012

Intrinsically disordered protein responsible for inactivating BK channel

Tiny pores, or channels, embedded in cell membranes are critical to the healthy functioning of cells. Charged atoms, or ions, move through these channels to generate the electrical signals that allow cells to communicate with one another.

23 Apr 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine safe and well tolerated: Study

The herpes zoster vaccine, also known as the shingles vaccine, is generally safe and well tolerated according to a Vaccine Safety Datalink study of 193,083 adults published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

23 Apr 2012

Study shows how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in mouse model

New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction.

23 Apr 2012

SUMO protein regulates transfer of information between nerve cells in the brain

A key protein, which may be activated to protect nerve cells from damage during heart failure or epileptic seizure, has been found to regulate the transfer of information between nerve cells in the brain. The discovery, made by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol and published in Nature Neuroscience and PNAS, could lead to novel new therapies for stroke and epilepsy.

23 Apr 2012

Study describes new method to manufacture nerve guidance conduits

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of assisting nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally, which could improve the chances of restoring sensation and movement in injured limbs.

23 Apr 2012

New technology delivers electrical signals from brain directly to muscles

A new Northwestern Medicine brain-machine technology delivers messages from the brain directly to the muscles -- bypassing the spinal cord -- to enable voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand. The device could eventually be tested on, and perhaps aid, paralyzed patients.

20 Apr 2012

CPMC surgeons successfully reattach forehead and scalp of a 22-year-old Stockton woman

Surgeons at the renowned Buncke Clinic at California Pacific Medical Center, part of the Sutter Health network, have successfully reattached the forehead and scalp of a 22-year-old Stockton woman whose hair was caught in machinery at her workplace. This type of surgery is extremely rare, and has been successfully performed only a handful of times world-wide.

20 Apr 2012

Regenerative medicine research offers hope for the blind

The University College London researchers transplanted immature vision cells directly into the mouse retina. They noted that within weeks the cells began to integrate into the retina and the researchers, led by Prof Robin Ali in the university’s Institute of Ophthalmology, were able to show that vision began to return to the mice.

19 Apr 2012

Soldiers, farmers can have common chronic exposure to nerve impacting chemicals

Soldiers in war zones and farmers tending their fields can have in common chronic exposure to chemicals that impact their nerves.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers describe how they combine two pieces of technology to create neuroprosthesis

An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

19 Apr 2012

Combined, complimentary therapies maximize NSC transplantation benefits for spinal cord repair

Combined, complimentary therapies have the ability to maximize the benefits of neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation for spinal cord repair in rat models, according to a study carried out by a team of Korean researchers who published in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation.

18 Apr 2012

New study recommends intraoperative histological evaluation for Hirschsprung disease treatment

Hirschsprung disease occurs when nerve cells in the colon do not develop normally before birth and the bowel is unable to move its contents along. Severe bowel obstruction and even perforation can then occur. The condition is usually diagnosed within the first months of life, but can be found in older children as well.

18 Apr 2012

Study demonstrates how Parkinson's disease protein can spread in patient's brain

Last year, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that small amounts of a misfolded brain protein can be taken up by healthy neurons, replicating within them to cause neurodegeneration. The protein, alpha-synuclein (a-syn), is commonly found in the brain, but forms characteristic clumps called Lewy bodies, in neurons of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders.

18 Apr 2012