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New hope for spinal cord injury sufferers

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most significant forms of neurotrauma with major economic and social impact.

17 Apr 2007

Single master gene crucial for nerve cell insulation

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a defect in a single master gene disrupts the process by which several genes interact to create myelin, a fatty coating that covers nerve cells and increases the speed and reliability of their electrical signals.

17 Apr 2007

Study identifies trends in cerebral aneurysm treatment

Cerebrovascular disease is a leading cause of serious long-term disability, affecting as many as 700,000 people every year.

17 Apr 2007

Effective noninvasive treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia-related pain

Trigeminal neuralgia or tic douloureux is sometimes described as the most excruciating pain known to humanity.

17 Apr 2007

Natalizumab (Tysabri) reduces vision loss in MS patients

According to a study that appears in the April 17 issue of Neurology, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that natalizumab (TYSABRI), a drug that slows disability and reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), also reduces vision loss in patients with relapsing MS.

17 Apr 2007

Natalizumab helps reduce vision loss

A drug that slows disability and reduces relapse rates in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been found to also reduce vision loss in patients with relapsing MS. Vision loss is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of MS.

17 Apr 2007

Intrathecal Baclofen for spasticity-related pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

An estimated 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed every year with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time.

17 Apr 2007

Innovative treatment option for excessive sweating

An estimated 3 percent of the world population, or about 197 million people suffer from some form of hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), many of whom do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment.

17 Apr 2007

Effect of alcohol and aspirin consumption in traumatic brain injury patients

An estimated 1.5 million people in the United States incur a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year and 60,000 people die annually from these injuries.

17 Apr 2007

Deep brain stimulation helps improve memory in patients with psychiatric illness

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic will present results of a study today that shows deep brain stimulation (DBS) is associated with improvements on formal memory tests in patients with severe psychiatric illness.

17 Apr 2007

Report on radical prostatectomy for octogenarians

There is no defined recommendation for when to stop prostate cancer (CaP) screening, except when the life expectancy decreases to less than 10 years.

16 Apr 2007

Potential of nanotechnology in medicine

Scientists are working now to create novel nanostructures that serve as new kinds of drugs for treating cancer, Parkinson's and cardiovascular disease; to engineer nanomaterials for use as artificial tissues that would replace diseased kidneys and livers, and even repair nerve damage; and to integrate nanodevices with the nervous system to create implants that restore vision and hearing, and build new prosthetic limbs.

15 Apr 2007

Visual prosthesis

When the idea appeared several years ago, it sounded persuasive: How about implanting electrodes at the defective retina of blind subjects and connecting them with a mini camera in order to re-establish vision.

15 Apr 2007

Three proteins could be new targets for treating stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries

Some mature brain cells can grow new extensions when the amount of three particular proteins on their surface increases, a new study shows.

12 Apr 2007

Fragile X and Down syndrome appear to share common genetic cause

The two most prevalent forms of genetic mental retardation, Fragile X and Down syndromes, may share a common cause, according to researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

11 Apr 2007

Modified bone marrow cells help recovery in an animal model of multiple sclerosis

These findings will need to be repeated in further animal models before the implications for human disease are clear; however, they open up an avenue of further research.

10 Apr 2007

Stem cells offer new ways of treating hearing loss

Have you ever walked by someone listening to their i-Pod loud enough for you recognize the song? Studies have shown noise-induced hearing loss is going to become the next big epidemic affecting our younger generation though the effects won't show until it is too late to treat.

7 Apr 2007

Potential target for the development of a drug to treat memory loss

A mind-altering mutation in mice results in an enhanced long-term memory, researchers report in the April 6, 2007 issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press.

7 Apr 2007

Nicotine shown to enhance learning and memory

While nicotine is highly addictive, researchers have also shown the drug to enhance learning and memory, a property that has launched efforts to develop nicotine-like drugs to treat cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

5 Apr 2007

New device sniffs out olfactory disorders that could be an early warning of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's

The Sniff Magnitude Test (SMT), an invention of UC Psychology Professor Robert Frank and Professor Emeritus Robert Gesteland of the UC Department of Cell Biology, is now under further development with the WR Medical Electronics Company in Stillwater, Minn. The company will manufacture and market the test.

4 Apr 2007