Central Nervous System News and Research

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Making it all work: brain-dependent immune activation in embryos

How does the immune system develop its functionality? This has been an ongoing area of research for biologists. Now, a new study published in the journal NPJ Regenerative Medicine in February 2020 shows that in very early fetal life the brain must signal directions to the developing immune system to help it defend the body from infectious agents. This signaling markedly improves the capability of the embryo to survive when faced with bacterial infection.

4 Feb 2020

Study finds higher suicide rate among people with neurological disorders

Neurological disorders may impact one’s mental health, a new study says as researchers found that there is a higher rate of suicide among individuals living with neurological disorders.

4 Feb 2020

Study provides neurobiological insight into how yoga may help to alleviate depression

The benefits of yoga have been widely documented by scientific research, but previously it was not clear as to how yoga exerts its physiologic effect.

3 Feb 2020

Reduced scar formation in the central nervous system

Neural stem and progenitor cells, from the so-called subventricular zone, can help to repair a brain damaged by central nervous system disorders.

3 Feb 2020

Scientists track down a potential target for new sleeping sickness drugs

Using ultra-bright X-ray flashes, a team of researchers has tracked down a potential target for new drugs against sleeping sickness: The scientists have decoded the detailed spatial structure of a vital enzyme of the pathogen, the parasite Trypanosoma brucei.

30 Jan 2020

Gene-editing taken to advanced levels in human stem cells

A new study published in the journal Stem Cell Reports in January 2020 reports the use of an adaptation to a commonly used gene editing technology to achieve a more than 900% increase in efficiency.

30 Jan 2020

New genetic screen for Huntington’s disease

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disease that is debilitating and progressive leading to severe brain damage and eventual death. In patients with this autosomal dominant disease, there is presence of a protein called the Huntingtin protein that forms clumps within the brain leading to the symptoms of the disease.

30 Jan 2020

Regulating neuronal lipid metabolism helps axon regeneration after injury, study finds

Typical examples include paralysis due to a spinal cord injury and visual field atrophy or even complete blindness due to optic nerve atrophy in glaucoma patients.

30 Jan 2020

New method for delivering NSCs to spinal cord injuries may boost repair efforts

Writing in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, an international research team, led by physician-scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, describe a new method for delivering neural precursor cells (NSCs) to spinal cord injuries in rats, reducing the risk of further injury and boosting the propagation of potentially reparative cells.

29 Jan 2020

Finer particulate matter (PM1) and risk of cardiovascular disease

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters reports that particulate matter smaller than a single micron in diameter, called PM1, is strongly linked to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is thought to be due to its higher surface area to volume ratio.

29 Jan 2020

New way to treat stroke using an already FDA-approved drug shows promise

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States. More than 87 percent are ischemic strokes, caused by obstruction of one or more cerebral arteries. With limited progress in developing treatments, there is a critical need for neuroprotective agents to effectively treat stroke.

29 Jan 2020

Researchers develop new strategy to study childhood brain tumors

Researchers are at work to find effective treatments to help young patients with brain tumors. Hundreds of brain organoids have been developed in the laboratories of the University of Trento to understand the genetic mechanisms responsible for these hard to treat diseases.

29 Jan 2020

Scientists reveal the damaging effect of Zika virus on a type of brain cell

The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil in 2015 sparked for many health agencies and scientists to study the pathogen, which has been linked to microcephaly and other fetal neurological disorders collectively known as Congenital Zika Syndrome.

27 Jan 2020

FDA approves new drug that could aid MS diagnoses for clinical trials

A new drug that could make it easier for doctors to diagnose multiple sclerosis in its earlier stages has been approved for its first human trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

27 Jan 2020

Biodegradable bridge for nerve injuries

Researchers have successfully tried a biodegradable bridge like device (biodegradable polycaprolactone PCL conduit) in vivo for management of nerve injuries. The team published their findings in a paper titled, “Long-gap peripheral nerve repair through sustained release of a neurotrophic factor in nonhuman primates,” in the latest issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

26 Jan 2020

Study: Benefits of fetal surgery to repair spina bifida continue through school age

The benefits of fetal surgery to repair spina bifida, a procedure pioneered at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in 1997, continue through school age, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study reports today in the journal Pediatrics.

24 Jan 2020

Combination of two immune defense strategies could afford alternative approach to treating sepsis

The human immune system uses two pre-programmed strategies to tackle infection. One is fever, a resistance mechanism that tries to eliminate a pathogen by raising the body's temperature.

23 Jan 2020

Study shows how gene therapy may help protect against vision loss in multiple sclerosis

New research by Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals the molecular process in which synaptic connections in the brain are damaged in multiple sclerosis and how this contributes to neurodegenerative symptoms.

21 Jan 2020

Biophysicists shed light on the structure, functioning mechanism of CysLT receptors

Biophysicists from the MIPT Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases have teamed up with colleagues from Canada, the U.S., Japan, France, and Germany to shed light on the structure and functioning mechanism of the CysLT receptors, which regulate inflammatory responses associated with allergic disorders.

21 Jan 2020

Scientists discover powerful molecule that explains why people with anxiety use marijuana

/news/20200113/Research-could-help-explain-why-some-people-use-marijuana-when-stressed-or-anxious.aspx

14 Jan 2020

Central Nervous System News and Research

Making it all work: brain-dependent immune activation in embryos

Study finds higher suicide rate among people with neurological disorders

Study provides neurobiological insight into how yoga may help to alleviate depression

Reduced scar formation in the central nervous system

Scientists track down a potential target for new sleeping sickness drugs

Gene-editing taken to advanced levels in human stem cells

New genetic screen for Huntington’s disease

Regulating neuronal lipid metabolism helps axon regeneration after injury, study finds

New method for delivering NSCs to spinal cord injuries may boost repair efforts

Finer particulate matter (PM1) and risk of cardiovascular disease

New way to treat stroke using an already FDA-approved drug shows promise

Researchers develop new strategy to study childhood brain tumors

Scientists reveal the damaging effect of Zika virus on a type of brain cell

FDA approves new drug that could aid MS diagnoses for clinical trials

Biodegradable bridge for nerve injuries

Study: Benefits of fetal surgery to repair spina bifida continue through school age

Combination of two immune defense strategies could afford alternative approach to treating sepsis

Study shows how gene therapy may help protect against vision loss in multiple sclerosis

Biophysicists shed light on the structure, functioning mechanism of CysLT receptors

Scientists discover powerful molecule that explains why people with anxiety use marijuana

Event guide: The 7th CNS Drug Delivery Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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