Neuroscience News and Research

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Thymosin beta 4 improves neurological functional outcome after embolic stroke: Researchers

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a research team from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, reported that Thymosin beta 4, administered to rats after embolic stroke, improved neurological functional outcome compared to control animals.

20 Jul 2010

Plea for Federal legislation to ban mercury in vaccines, prevent autism

Two papers in this week's neuroscience journal Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis point to vaccines and heavy metals including mercury as causes of the alarming rise in autism. The Centers for Disease Control now estimate autism to affect one in 110 children, up 40% from just a few years ago.

20 Jul 2010

Eisai's NDA for BANZEL Oral Suspension accepted for FDA review

Eisai Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Eisai's NDA for BANZEL® (rufinamide) Oral Suspension (40 mg/mL).

19 Jul 2010

Visage Imaging releases Amira 5.3 single platform brain imaging tool

Visage Imaging®, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pro Medicus Ltd., is pleased to announce the immediate release of Amira 5.3, a new major version of its market-leading software platform for visualizing, analyzing, and presenting complex 3D and 4D biomedical data.

19 Jul 2010

Olig1 and Olig2 genes are associated with Down syndrome, scientists identify

Down syndrome is a well known cause of mental retardation and other medical problems, including early onset of Alzheimer disease. It has long been known that Down syndrome is associated with an individual having an additional copy of chromosome 21. Research findings reported in the July 18 advanced online publication of Nature Neuroscience have narrowed down the critical genetic elements responsible for some aspects of Down syndrome.

19 Jul 2010

Relationship between music, neurosciences to be discussed in a conference at Edinburgh

The Mariani Foundation for Paediatric Neurology announces "The Neurosciences and Music - IV: Learning and Memory", to be held in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) from 9th to 12th June 2011. The conference is conceived as a continuation of the previous meetings on the relation between music and the neurosciences in which our foundation participated: "The Biological Foundations of Music" (New York, 2000), "The Neurosciences and Music, Mutual Interactions and Implications of Developmental Functions" (Venice, 2002), "The Neurosciences and Music - II, From Perception to Performance" (Leipzig, 2005) and "The Neurosciences and Music - III, Disorders and Plasticity".

17 Jul 2010

GABA disrupts working memory in neurofibromatosis type 1 patients

Imagine if your brain lost its working memory - the ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind's eye. That's the plight faced by millions of people with neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1. The genetic condition affects one in 3,500 people and is the most common cause of learning disabilities.Now a UCLA research team has uncovered new clues about how NF1 disrupts working memory. Published in the July 12 online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings suggest a potential drug target for correcting NF1-related learning disabilities.

17 Jul 2010

Florida Institute of Technology assists licensing CDNI-Glu compound to UK company

As a national research university, Florida Institute of Technology not only involves its students in research, but also seeks to license and patent its many innovations. An example of recently licensed university technology is a chemical compound that facilitates the work of neuroscientists in the laboratory.Associate Professor Nasri Nesnas was familiar as a chemist with the chemical compound CDNI-Glu, a commonly used laboratory research tool. Most often, neuroscientists use it to study the brain's neural networks by improving the localization of synaptic stimulation

17 Jul 2010

Cage type affects laboratory mice brain

Researchers at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus have found the brains of mice used in laboratories worldwide can be profoundly affected by the type of cage they are kept in, a breakthrough that may require scientists to reevaluate the way they conduct future experiments.

17 Jul 2010

Penn researchers reverse cognitive decline in fruit flies with Alzheimer's gene mutation

Investigators have found that fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) males -- in which the activity of an Alzheimer's disease protein is reduced by 50 percent -- show impairments in learning and memory as they age. What's more, the researchers were able to prevent the age-related deficits by treating the flies with drugs such as lithium, or by genetic manipulations that reduced nerve-cell signaling.

16 Jul 2010

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Choline is an essential nutrient required for normal cell activity, healthy brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and transportation of nutrients throughout the body.

16 Jul 2010

Researchers use new biomarkers to study structure of protein deposits caused by Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have used a newly discovered class of biomarkers to investigate the possibility that the shape of brain protein deposits is different in people with Alzheimer's who have the highest-risk gene type than in those with the condition who have a neutral risk gene type. The study is being presented July 14 at the 2010 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu, Hawaii.

15 Jul 2010

Intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells help blind mice 'see'

It would make the perfect question for the popular television show "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader:" What parts of the eye allow us to see?

15 Jul 2010

Evotec to acquire DeveloGen

Evotec AG today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire DeveloGen, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of metabolic and endocrine disorders, for up to €14m in shares plus performance-related deferred payments (earn-out).

15 Jul 2010

Health Canada approves FluMist for preventing seasonal influenza

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved FluMist (Influenza Vaccine, Live, Attenuated) for the prevention of seasonal influenza. FluMist is the first vaccine in Canada that is administered as a gentle mist sprayed into the nose.

14 Jul 2010

Scientists update criteria for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 today presented the first draft reports from three workgroups convened by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association to update the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease for the first time in 25 years.

14 Jul 2010

New research studies presented at Alzheimer's Association International Conference

The primary therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease has been the beta amyloid peptide, which clusters outside cells in the brain to form sticky clumps known as plaques. Recently, more attention has been given to the tau protein, which aggregates inside the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's, forming neurofibrillary tangles. Precisely how these proteins interact in causing the disease is unclear.

14 Jul 2010

Zogenix secures $35M financing for commercial launch of SUMAVEL DosePro needle-free delivery system

Zogenix, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company, announced that it has secured a $35 million debt facility led by Oxford Finance Corporation which also included Silicon Valley Bank. The facility consists of a $25 million term loan and a $10 million revolving line of credit. Concurrently, all existing Zogenix investors, including Clarus Ventures, Domain Associates, Scale Venture Partners, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, Abingworth Management, and Chicago Growth Partners, have provided an additional $15 million investment.

14 Jul 2010

Study: Disruption of genes that control circadian rhythms may lead to diabetes

Disruption of two genes that control circadian rhythms can lead to diabetes, a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found in an animal study. Mice with defective copies of the genes, called CLOCK and BMAL1, develop abnormalities in pancreatic cells that eventually render the cells unable to release sufficient amounts of insulin.

14 Jul 2010

Examination of cellular construction of motion detector in brain of fly

What would be the point of holding a soccer world championship if we couldn't distinguish the ball from its background? Simply unthinkable! But then again, wouldn't it be fantastic if your favourite team's striker could see the movements of the ball in slow motion! Unfortunately, this advantage only belongs to flies.

13 Jul 2010