Autonomic Nervous System News and Research

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Newly discovered prion causes Multiple System Atrophy

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson's disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, akin to the misfolded proteins involved in incurable progressive brain diseases such Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to two new research papers led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

1 Sep 2015

Innovation in anaesthesia: an interview with Matti Lehtonen, GE Healthcare

The spectrum of patients seen today, from pre-term infants to the morbidly obese to the longer living elderly, is wider than ever before and increasingly more challenging with patients often presenting with multiple co-morbidities. This puts a huge strain on healthcare providers who are facing increasing challenges such as cost pressure and staff shortages.

14 Jul 2015

Low heart rate variability may place women at risk for sexual dysfunction

Chances are good that women with a low heart rate variability also suffer from sexual dysfunction. That's the finding from a study led by Amelia Stanton of The University of Texas at Austin in the US published in Springer's journal Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

17 Jun 2015

Reducing short breaks between shifts enhances nurses' recovery from work

Reducing short breaks between shifts helps nurses recover from work, according to a new study from Finland. The study analysed the effects of longer rest and recovery periods between shifts on heart rate variability, which is an indicator of recovery.

17 Jun 2015

Non-invasive accupoint electrical stimulation to treat Crohn's disease

An oral abstract presented at the International Neuromodulation Society 12th World Congress today unveiled a new collaboration between U.S. and Chinese into non-invasive accupoint electrical stimulation in Crohn's disease.

10 Jun 2015

Baroreflex activation therapy safe, effective for symptomatic advanced heart failure patients

Results of a clinical trial announced today at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session show a new type of therapy is safe and effective for symptomatic advanced heart failure patients who are already receiving optimum drug and device therapy.

17 Mar 2015

Study highlights the need for more research on trauma and other body-mind therapies

In a Theory and Hypothesis paper titled "Somatic Experiencing: Using Interoception and Proprioception as Core Elements of Trauma Therapy," published today in Frontiers in Psychology, Dartmouth investigators Peter Payne, SEP, and Mardi Crane-Godreau, PhD, note the lack of hypothesized scientific models for the mechanisms of action responsible for outcomes in Somatic Experiencing® (SE) trauma therapy and other body-mind therapies.

9 Feb 2015

Clinatec chairman receives Lifetime Achievement Award for breakthrough research on Parkinson's disease

Prof. Alim-Louis Benabid, board chairman of Clinatec - The Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center, received the Lifetime Achievement award on Dec. 13 from the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) for his work in developing deep brain stimulation to relieve symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients.

16 Dec 2014

Autonomic dysfunction highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease, regardless of age, disease duration

New findings from The Parkinson Alliance (PA) survey entitled "Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease With and Without Deep Brain Stimulation" show that autonomic dysfunction was highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), regardless of age and disease duration.

20 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Crediting the health law for modest premium increases; Hollywood misses the mark on sick teens

The rate of growth on premiums for employer-based health coverage in the first five months of this year was one of the lowest in 16 years. Despite longstanding concerns that employer-sponsored coverage might become too costly to sustain, that market seems to have stabilized for now .... Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, federal tax credit subsidies -; available for people earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($95,400 for a family of four) -; are helping to make these policies affordable and cushioning the impact of premium increases in some cities (9/14).

16 Sep 2014

Breathing-based meditation practice can be effective treatment for PTSD

One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.

12 Sep 2014

New smartphone app to improve quality of life for older adults

A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is creating a smartphone app that will help older adults to understand their state of health and develop healthier habits.

31 Jul 2014

Taiwan researchers develop new optical device to detect early complication of diabetes sooner

A group of researchers in Taiwan has developed a new optical technology that may be able to detect an early complication of diabetes sooner, when it is more easily treated. If the device proves safe and effective in clinical trials, it may pave the way for the early detection and more effective treatment of this complication, called diabetic autonomic neuropathy, which is common among people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

29 Jul 2014

Discovery could lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes, obesity

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified neural pathways that increase understanding of how the brain regulates body weight, energy expenditure, and blood glucose levels - a discovery that can lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

26 Jul 2014

Professor receives grant to study stress-induced hypertension, its effects on neuroimmune system

Paul Marvar, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, was awarded a $721,435 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study stress-induced hypertension and its effects on the neuroimmune system.

22 May 2014

Premenstrual syndrome may spell menopause symptoms later but not hot flashes

Having premenstrual syndrome (PMS) before menopause does not mean women will be troubled by hot flashes afterward. But they may face more menopause complaints other than hot flashes, such as trouble with memory and concentration, finds a new study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

22 May 2014

New study sheds light on why athletes are more likely to have abnormal heart rhythms

A new study by The University of Manchester has shed light on why athletes are more likely to have abnormal heart rhythms.

From The University of Manchester 14 May 2014

Study sheds light on factors that lead to development of rare condition affecting inner ear

A new study has shed light on the factors likely to lead to the development of a rare condition affecting the inner ear.

16 Apr 2014

Microvascular coronary dysfunction in women may be triggered by emotional stress, say researchers

Researchers at the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have found that emotional stressors - such as those provoking anger - may cause changes in the nervous system that controls heart rate and trigger a type of coronary artery dysfunction that occurs more frequently in women than men.

14 Mar 2014

FDA grants accelerated approval to NORTHERA (droxidopa) for patients with symptomatic NOH

Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval of NORTHERA (droxidopa) for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH). NORTHERA is the first and only therapy approved by the FDA which demonstrates symptomatic benefit in patients with NOH.

18 Feb 2014