Nerve News and Research

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Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

We all know that if you put your hand over an open flame it's very painful. What you may not know is that, for some people, just lying under a blanket is painful as well. They have neuropathic pain--annoying, chronic pain that comes from a diseased nerve cell rather than a specific stimulus. Feeling phantom pain in a missing limb is another, more famous, example.

26 Sep 2005

CytRx granted "Fast Track" designation for ALS drug

CytRx Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted "Fast Track" designation for the company's leading drug candidate arimoclomol for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

26 Sep 2005

Extreme gene pin-pointed

One teenager likes to snowboard off a cliff. Another prefers to read a book and wouldn't think of trading places. Why these differences exist is a mystery, but for the first time researchers have identified a possible genetic explanation behind risk-seeking behavior.

26 Sep 2005

Aquaporin-4 is the first specific molecule to be defined as a target for the autoimmune response in any form of MS

Researchers have identified a molecular suspect in a disorder similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) that attacks the optic nerve and spinal cord, according to a report presented at the 130th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in San Diego. The protein, called aquaporin-4, is a channel protein that allows water to move in and out of cells.

26 Sep 2005

Surprising immune system cells discovery

Immune system cells are connected to each other by an extensive network of tiny tunnels that, like a building's hidden pneumatic tube system, are used to shoot signals to distant cells.

26 Sep 2005

Possible molecular origin of at least nine human diseases of nervous system degeneration

These neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease, share an abnormal deposit of proteins inside nerve cells. This deposition of protein results from a kind of genetic stutter within the cell's nucleus asking for multiple copies of the amino acid glutamine, a building block of protein structure.

26 Sep 2005

New information about how the brain directs the body to make movements

A University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) study has revealed new information about how the brain directs the body to make movements. The key factor is "noise" in the brain's signaling, and it helps explain why all movement is not carried out with the same level of precision.

26 Sep 2005

PET brain scans of a brain chemical messenger system may prove sensitive enough to help plan brain surgery for epilepsy

When drugs fail to control epilepsy, brain surgery is often the only remaining therapeutic option. However, identifying the correct spot for surgery has traditionally required a separate preliminary -- and inherently risky -- surgical procedure.

26 Sep 2005

Study shows that nursing homes should consider diabetes a significant risk factor for falling

Falling is the leading cause of accidental death for elderly people, and a new study from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion suggests that nursing home residents with diabetes are four times more likely to fall than those who are not diabetic.

26 Sep 2005

Adult human neural stem cells used to successfully regenerate spinal cord tissue

Researchers at the UC Irvine Reeve-Irvine Research Center have used adult human neural stem cells to successfully regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue and improve mobility in mice.

26 Sep 2005

Botox helps explain possible causes of nerve diseases

Botox, used by Hollywood stars to smooth out facial wrinkles, is playing an important role in UQ research to understand how nerve cells communicate with each other.

22 Sep 2005

Definitive multiple sclerosis linkage screen

A cluster of genes on chromosome six is the only one that plays a significant role in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the most complete genetic study to date in the disorder, presented at the 130th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in San Diego.

22 Sep 2005

First clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus

An international team of medical experts led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher has established the first clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a debilitating condition in the brain that often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

21 Sep 2005

Study reveals critical molecular events in the origin of fat cells

A new study reveals critical molecular events in the origin of fat cells. The findings are central to understanding chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, as fat cells produce hormones critical for metabolic control, the researchers said.

21 Sep 2005

Green tea may protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) have found that green tea may offer another potential health benefit - protecting the brain against the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.

20 Sep 2005

Researchers identify three rapid diagnostic methods that can target antibodies commonly found in multiple sclerosis

Yale School of Medicine researchers have identified three rapid diagnostic methods that can target antibodies commonly found in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, greatly improving potential diagnosis and treatment.

20 Sep 2005

Phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of brain

Yale researchers report the first evidence that phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of the brain that can be suppressed with specially designed molecular agents.

20 Sep 2005

First large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers in collaboration with scientists at Perlegen Sciences, Inc. and funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research have produced the first large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease.

19 Sep 2005

Workshop - stem cells in reproduction and in the brain

"Once we have found the factors by which body cells can be re-programmed into stem cells, then therapeutic cloning might become superfluous," said Hans R. Scholer, director of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Munster, Germany, at an international scientific symposium on stem cell research in Kobe, Japan.

10 Sep 2005

Call for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders

Speaking at the BA Festival of Science, at Trinity College, Dublin, Dr Kirstin Goldring from Imperial College London and Charing Cross Hospital is calling for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders.

7 Sep 2005

Nerve News and Research

Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

CytRx granted "Fast Track" designation for ALS drug

Extreme gene pin-pointed

Aquaporin-4 is the first specific molecule to be defined as a target for the autoimmune response in any form of MS

Surprising immune system cells discovery

Possible molecular origin of at least nine human diseases of nervous system degeneration

New information about how the brain directs the body to make movements

PET brain scans of a brain chemical messenger system may prove sensitive enough to help plan brain surgery for epilepsy

Study shows that nursing homes should consider diabetes a significant risk factor for falling

Adult human neural stem cells used to successfully regenerate spinal cord tissue

Botox helps explain possible causes of nerve diseases

Definitive multiple sclerosis linkage screen

First clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus

Study reveals critical molecular events in the origin of fat cells

Green tea may protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease

Researchers identify three rapid diagnostic methods that can target antibodies commonly found in multiple sclerosis

Phantom pain following spinal cord injury is the result of hypersensitive neurons in the thalamic region of brain

First large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease

Workshop - stem cells in reproduction and in the brain

Call for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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