Grey Matter News and Research

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Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and both unmyelinated axons and myelinated axons), glial cells (astroglia and oligodendrocytes) and capillaries.

Many biomarkers for PD fail to inform on progression

Longitudinal monitoring of 30 tests for marker candidates in early Parkinson's disease has found that just 10 show significant changes commensurate with disease progression.

17 May 2016

Computer-based cognitive remediation at home can improve cognitive symptoms in MS patients

Cognitive impairment is one of the core symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) -- and one of its most troubling concerns for many people with the condition. Now, a new study from NYU Langone Medical Center may provide hope for symptomatic relief for some of the cognitive issues associated with the neurological disease.

18 Apr 2016

Lack of ARHGAP33 molecule causes neuropsychiatric disorders-related abnormal higher brain functions

A research group led by Osaka University and the University of Tokyo found that the intracellular protein trafficking is important for higher brain functions such as learning and memory. The research group showed that a molecule, ARHGAP33 regulates synaptic functions and behaviors via intracellular protein trafficking and that the lack of ARHGAP33 causes neuropsychiatric disorder-related impaired higher brain functions.

29 Mar 2016

Transcranial direct current stimulation assists chronic stroke rehabilitation

Adding ipsilesional anodal transcranial direct current stimulation to upper limb rehabilitation delivers motor improvements in chronic stroke patients that last for at least 3 months, a randomised trial shows.

18 Mar 2016

Study: Climbing stairs and years of schooling can promote brain health

Taking the stairs is normally associated with keeping your body strong and healthy. But new research shows that it improves your brain's health too — and that education also has a positive effect.

10 Mar 2016

Damage to language network structural hubs can affect severity of aphasia following stroke

When brain regions that control speech and reading comprehension are destroyed due to blockage of blood flow, patients are often unable to speak or comprehend spoken or written language. These difficulties with language, or "aphasia," are a common symptom in the aftermath of stroke. However, in a new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers report that damage to the underlying connections among different areas of the brain can also affect the severity of aphasia.

23 Feb 2016

Understanding the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and analyses over the last two decades have enabled the identification of neuroanatomical abnormalities in a range of mental disorders, however one question which has consistently surfaced is the extent to which the medications used to treat such disorders may accentuate or ameliorate these abnormalities.

17 Feb 2016

Aging brains work differently than younger brains, say cognitive scientists

Cognitive scientists have found more evidence that aging brains work differently than younger brains when performing the same memory task, pointing to a potentially new direction for age-related cognitive care and exploration.

9 Feb 2016

Diffusion tensor imaging ‘should be routine’ in SVD assessment

Gait speed and microstructural brain damage may be the best indicators of mortality risk in patients with small vessel disease, say researchers.

4 Feb 2016

Clinicoradiological syndromes allow rapid recognition of EV71 neurological problems

Severe enterovirus 71 neurological disease in children predominantly involves the spinal cord and brainstem and can be quickly recognised using the World Health Organisation classification of clinicoradiological syndromes, study findings suggest.

29 Jan 2016

Scientists pin down molecular process linked to schizophrenia origin

For the first time, researchers have managed to home in on a molecular process in the brain that contributes to the development of schizophrenia.

28 Jan 2016

Brain analysis provides new insight on where happiness happens

Exercising, meditating, scouring self-help books... we go out of our way to be happy, but do we really know what happiness is? Wataru Sato and his team at Kyoto University have found an answer from a neurological perspective. Overall happiness, according to their study, is a combination of happy emotions and satisfaction of life coming together in the precuneus, a region in the medial parietal lobe that becomes active when experiencing consciousness.

23 Nov 2015

Study shows post-stroke loss of speech can be recovered

After a debate that has lasted more than 130 years, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found that loss of speech from a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain can be recovered on the back, right side of the brain. This contradicts recent notions that the right hemisphere interferes with recovery.

4 Nov 2015

Young adults diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence show differences in brain structure, memory

Young adults diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence show differences in brain structure and perform poorly in memory tests compared to their peers, according to new research from the University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of Oulu, Finland.

27 Aug 2015

MGH study reveals effects of combined radiation and chemotherapy on the brain tissue of glioblastoma patients

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers - the first to examine the effects of combined radiation and chemotherapy on the healthy brain tissue of glioblastoma patients - reveals not only specific structural changes within patients' brains but also that the effect of cancer therapy on the normal brain appears to be progressive and continues even after radiation therapy has ceased.

18 Aug 2015

Early cognitive changes linked to white matter damage in Parkinson’s

Subtle changes in white matter integrity are detectable in patients with Parkinson’s disease and are associated with early impairments in cognition, say researchers.

6 Aug 2015

Structural brain changes found in chemoradiation-treated glioblastoma patients

US researchers find evidence of marked and progressive brain atrophy during standard chemoradiation therapy in patients with glioblastoma.

5 Aug 2015

Emotionally unstable people have different brain structure

We all vary in how often we become happy, sad or angry, and also in how strongly these emotions are expressed. This variability is a part of our personality and can be seen as a positive aspect that increases diversity in society. However, there are people that find it so difficult to regulate their emotions that it has a serious impact on their work, family and social life. These individuals may be given an emotional instability diagnosis such as borderline personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder.

25 Jul 2015

Monash University researchers find physical differences between emotional and rational brains

Researchers at Monash University have found physical differences in the brains of people who respond emotionally to others' feelings, compared to those who respond more rationally, in a study published in the journal NeuroImage.

19 Jun 2015

New brain mapping model could improve success rate of transcranial magnetic stimulation

Brain researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new brain mapping model which could improve the success rate of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in treating conditions including depression, neuropathic pain, and stroke.

23 Apr 2015