Neuroscience News and Research

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Researchers use model organism to test new therapies for retinal degeneration

Research by Johns Hopkins sensory biologists studying fruit flies, has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness.

16 Feb 2010

Merck announces global sales of $27.4 billion for full-year 2009

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2009 which include the results of legacy Schering-Plough operations from the close of the merger on Nov. 3, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009.

16 Feb 2010

New finding holds promise for rehabilitating patients after neurological damage

Harnessing brain signals to control keyboards, robots or prosthetic devices is an active area of medical research. Now a rare peek at a human brain hooked up to a computer shows that the two can adapt to each other quickly, and possibly to the brain's benefit.

16 Feb 2010

Simple, inexpensive test to help determine concussion in athletes

A simple test of reaction time may help determine whether athletes have sustained a concussion (also known as mild traumatic brain injury) and when they are ready to play again, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

16 Feb 2010

Researchers find new risk factor for early-onset dementia

Examining brain tissue from over 500 individuals in 11 countries, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues found a new risk factor for the second-most-common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2010

AstraZeneca, Rigel Pharmaceuticals announce exclusive worldwide license agreement for R788

AstraZeneca and Rigel Pharmaceuticals today announced an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the global development and commercialization of fostamatinib disodium (R788), Rigel's late-stage investigational product for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and additional indications.

16 Feb 2010

Abbott acquires Belgium-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals for $6.2 billion

Abbott today announced that it has completed its EUR 4.5 billion ($6.2 billion) acquisition of Belgium-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals, providing Abbott with a large and complementary portfolio of pharmaceutical products and expanding Abbott's presence in key global emerging markets.

16 Feb 2010

Research findings highlight the vital need for better secondary stroke prevention

New research finds that one out of 12 people who have a stroke will likely soon have another stroke, and one out of four will likely die within one year. Researchers say the findings highlight the vital need for better secondary stroke prevention. The study is published in the February 16, 2010, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Feb 2010

TV medical dramas show inaccurate seizure management

Watching TV medical shows might not be the best way to learn what to do when someone has a seizure. Researchers screened the most popular medical dramas and found that doctors and nurses on the shows responded inappropriately to seizures almost half the time, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

15 Feb 2010

National MS Society launches We Keep Moving campaign to capture stories of people living with MS

For every person living with and affected by MS there is a unique story about how they move forward with their lives. That is why the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is launching We Keep Moving, a viewer-driven reality campaign that will capture these stories and perspectives through online videos that chronicle how people across the country keep moving forward while living with MS

15 Feb 2010

Calcium waves could be relevant for understanding the origin of Alzheimer's disease

New insights on what causes Alzheimer's disease could arise from a recent discovery made by bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego. The finding concerns the infamous amyloid beta peptides (Aβ)-fragments of which form plaques thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

15 Feb 2010

Euthymics Bioscience signs LOI to acquire DOV Pharmaceutical

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc., a privately held Delaware corporation, today announced that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to merge into and acquire DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc. (DOV), a Delaware corporation currently traded on the Pink Sheets, for $2.0 million in cash plus payment of certain of DOV's expenses. DOV believes that the contemplated $2.0 million cash payment to shareholders represents approximately $0.015 per share of DOV common stock. If the transaction is consummated, it is anticipated that DOV will be renamed Euthymics Bioscience, Inc.

12 Feb 2010

IBM, VLSCI scientists to use Blue Gene supercomputer to study human disease

IBM today announced a Research collaboratory in Melbourne, Australia, where scientists from the Victorian Life Sciences Computational Initiative at the University of Melbourne and the IBM Research Computational Biology Center will use high performance computing – including IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer – to study human disease.

12 Feb 2010

Eating chocolates may lower stroke risk, but more research is needed

Eating chocolate may lower your risk of having a stroke, according to an analysis of available research that will be released today and presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010. Another study found that eating chocolate may lower the risk of death after suffering a stroke.

11 Feb 2010

Neurotoxin study may help find new therapies to block hyperactive ion channels

There are approximately 500 species of cone snails, each producing 50 - 200 different conotoxins. A similar number of peptide toxins are produced by snakes, spiders, sea anemones, scorpions and other venomous animals. The animals use the neurotoxins to paralyze their prey.

11 Feb 2010

Headache is a common and persistent symptom in people exposed to dust at World Trade Center

Workers and residents exposed to dust and fumes caused by the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 frequently reported headache years later, according to research released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

11 Feb 2010

Findings could lead to new targeted therapies for speech and learning disabilities

A team of University of Oregon researchers have isolated an independent processing channel of synapses inside the brain's auditory cortex that deals specifically with shutting off sound processing at appropriate times.

11 Feb 2010

Migraine sufferers face increase risk of heart attack, says study

People with migraine may be at an increased risk of heart attack and other risk factors for heart disease, according to a study published in the February 10, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Feb 2010

Seaside Therapeutics granted U.S patent covering methods of treating autism

Seaside Therapeutics LLC today announced the issuance of U.S. patent 7,648,993 B2 (‘993 patent), which covers methods of treating autism with group 1 antagonists of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) pathway. An earlier related patent, U.S. patent 6,890,931 B2 (‘931 patent), was issued in 2005 and covers methods of treating Fragile X Syndrome, the most common known cause of autism, with group 1 antagonists of the mGluR pathway.

10 Feb 2010

Brain researchers explore link between emotion and memory

In a novel study that used historical tape of a thrilling overtime basketball game between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, brain researchers at Duke have found that fans remember the good things their team did much better than the bad.

10 Feb 2010