Encephalopathy News and Research

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Weather-forecast tool can help improve assessment and treatment of newborns with asphyxia

UT Southwestern Medical Center pediatric researchers have harnessed an analytical tool used to predict the weather to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies to reduce brain injury in newborns who suffer oxygen deprivation during birth.

10 Apr 2017

Researchers report discovery of new gene linked to Tau accumulation in AD

Tau pathology is one of the defining features of Alzheimer disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia in older age.

25 Mar 2017

New gene linked to Tau pathology

Investigators at Rush University Medical Center and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reported the discovery of a new gene that is associated with susceptibility to a common form of brain pathology called Tau that accumulates in several different conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, certain forms of dementia and Parkinsonian syndromes as well as chronic traumatic encephalopathy that occurs with repeated head injuries.

24 Mar 2017

Researchers discover CTE in deceased patient's brain with no known history of head trauma

Researchers at Toronto Western Hospital's Canadian Concussion Centre have discovered the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of a deceased patient with no known history of traumatic brain injury or concussion, the first known case of its kind.

2 Mar 2017

Former NFL players may not experience motor function problems from repeated head injuries, study finds

Former NFL players who had repeated head injuries may not have significant problems with motor functions later in life, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

20 Feb 2017

New study aims to better understand long-term neurologic effects of mild TBI

An ambitious U.S. federally funded study is enrolling at least 1,100 service members and veterans who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan to learn more about mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how it can be best evaluated, and perhaps prevented and treated.

9 Feb 2017

Designer compound may be effective tool for tackling tau-related disorders

In a study of mice and monkeys, National Institutes of Health funded researchers showed that they could prevent and reverse some of the brain injury caused by the toxic form of a protein called tau.

8 Feb 2017

Study could provide novel therapeutic approach for preventing severe jaundice in newborn babies

For many newborn babies, an enzyme that breaks down the molecule bilirubin doesn't activate right away. The resulting bilirubin buildup can lead to jaundice, a typically harmless condition that causes a baby's skin to temporarily appear yellow.

6 Feb 2017

Concussions accelerate Alzheimer's disease-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline, research finds

New research has found concussions accelerate Alzheimer's disease-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline in people who are at genetic risk for the condition.

12 Jan 2017

Elevated levels of brain protein linked to longer recovery period after concussion

Elevated levels of the brain protein tau following a sport-related concussion are associated with a longer recovery period and delayed return to play for athletes, according to a study published in the January 6, 2017 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jan 2017

New detection method could lead to noninvasive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The detection of prions in the blood of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease could lead to a noninvasive diagnosis prior to symptoms and a way to identify prion contamination of the donated blood supply, according to researchers at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

22 Dec 2016

Symptom trends may help predict recovery of patients suffering from post-concussion syndrome

Researchers at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre's Canadian Concussion Centre have identified symptom trends that may not only help predict how soon patients suffering from post-concussion syndrome (PCS) will recover, but also provide insight on how to treat those who experience persistent concussion symptoms.

30 Nov 2016

Johns Hopkins researchers find evidence of brain injury in young NFL players

In a small study of young or recently retired NFL players, researchers at Johns Hopkins report finding evidence of brain injury and repair that is visible on imaging from the players compared to a control group of men without a history of concussion.

29 Nov 2016

Recessive gene mutations could cause debilitating neurological disease in children

Researchers have linked a debilitating neurological disease in children to mutations in a gene that regulates neuronal development through control of protein movement within neuronal cells.

29 Nov 2016

Brain inflammation may have direct involvement in development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

For the first time, researchers have shown that inflammation in the brain may have direct involvement in the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In addition, they found that the number of years one plays contact sports may predict the occurrence of CTE and that this association is partly due to increased inflammation in the brain.

3 Nov 2016

Distinct structures of tau protein aggregates may help determine type of dementia, study shows

The distinct structures of toxic protein aggregates that form in degenerating brains determine which type of dementia will occur, which regions of brain will be affected, and how quickly the disease will spread, according to a study from the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

31 Oct 2016

Study finds blood thinning drugs derived from cattle and pigs have equivalent anti-clotting properties

As demand for the widely used blood thinning drug heparin continues to grow, experts worry of possible shortages of the essential medication.

6 Oct 2016

Experimental PET tracer can diagnose concussion-related brain degeneration in living person

An experimental positron emission tomography (PET) tracer can effectively diagnose concussion-related brain degeneration while a person is still alive, according to a proof-of-concept study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published September 27 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

27 Sep 2016

CHOP researchers exploit gene discovery in severe epilepsy to identify precision treatment

An international team of researchers who discovered a new gene disorder that causes severe childhood epilepsy leveraged that finding to reduce seizures in two children.

20 Sep 2016

New biomarker test helps detect autoimmune-induced neuropsychiatric disorders

A research team from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, led by Madeleine Cunningham, Ph.D., in conjunction with the National Institute of Mental Health, has developed the first-of-its-kind biomarker test to help detect autoimmune-induced neuropsychiatric disorders.

9 Sep 2016