Neurodegeneration News and Research

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Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.

Latrepirdine appears effective in treating Alzheimer's disease in animals

An international team of scientists led by researchers at Mount Sinai School Medicine have discovered that a drug that had previously yielded conflicting results in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease effectively stopped the progression of memory deterioration and brain pathology in mouse models of early stage Alzheimer's disease.

31 Jul 2012

Advanced understanding of neurodegenerative diseases achieved by Trophos

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology, announces today the conclusion of the pan-European MitoTarget Project, the EU funded orphan disease project, with submission of the final report to the EC.

31 Jul 2012

Neurotez receives U.S. patent for Leptin to treat Alzheimer's

Neurotez, Inc. today announced the grant of U.S. Patent number 8,227,408 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering the company's lead product candidate, Leptin. The patent protects use of the hormone Leptin for treating a progressive cognitive disease, disorder or condition, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulting from accumulation of an amyloid peptide or for improving resilience of cognitive function by modulating the accumulation of the amyloid peptide in brain.

30 Jul 2012

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

A protein essential for metabolism and recently associated with neurodegenerative diseases also occurs in several brain-specific forms. This discovery emerged in the course of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the findings of which have now been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

23 Jul 2012

Scientists uncover how internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain

Scientists at the University of Manchester have uncovered how the internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain. The findings open up new avenues in the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases by analysing the cellular processes underlying these conditions.

21 Jul 2012

Carotid stenosis, ECG anomalies foreshadow Parkinson’s disease

Individuals aged 65 years and over who have carotid stenosis or electrocardiography abnormalities face an elevated risk for subsequently being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, results of a 14-year longitudinal study show.

19 Jul 2012

Promising path to Parkinson’s disease treatment

Using adult stem cells, Johns Hopkins researchers and a consortium of colleagues nationwide say they have generated the type of human neuron specifically damaged by Parkinson’s disease (PD) and used various drugs to stop the damage.

17 Jul 2012

Mitochondrial gene regulators involved in Huntington’s disease pathology

Researchers have identified two molecules involved in mitochondrial function that appear to be important in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease.

16 Jul 2012

PGC-1alpha and TFEB provide two new therapeutic targets for Huntington's disease

In a paper published in the July 11 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified two key regulatory proteins critical to clearing away misfolded proteins that accumulate and cause the progressive, deadly neurodegeneration of Huntington's disease.

12 Jul 2012

Oligodendroglia cells: An interview with Jeffrey Rothstein

There are three principle cells in the brain: neurons and two types of glial cells. One type is called an astrocyte. These were well known to inactivate neurotransmitters like glutamate, and provide metabolic support to neurons.

11 Jul 2012

Research into “insulating” brain cells could help to cure neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered that the central nervous system's oligodendroglia cells, long believed to simply insulate nerves as they "fire" signals, are unexpectedly also vital to the survival of neurons. Damage to these insulators appears to contribute to brain injury in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease for the Yankee baseball great who died from the disease.

11 Jul 2012

FOXO1 gene may play an important role in pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's

A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) revealed that the FOXO1 gene may play an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease.

29 Jun 2012

Seahorse Bioscience launches XF Palmitate-BSA FAO Reagent for FAO assays

Seahorse Bioscience, the world leader in manufacturing instrumentation and assay kits for measuring cellular metabolism, has announced the launch of its newest product, the XF Palmitate-BSA FAO Reagent, eliminating the need for radioactivity in fatty acid oxidation (FAO) assays.

27 Jun 2012

Study shows how brain insulin resistance contributes to neurodegeneration in AD

Rhode Island Hospital researcher Suzanne de la Monte, M.D., has found a link between brain insulin resistance (diabetes) and two other key mediators of neuronal injury that help Alzheimer's disease (AD) to propagate.

27 Jun 2012

Researchers determine structure of MRN complex

Double-stranded breaks in cellular DNA can trigger tumorigenesis. Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have now determined the structure of a protein involved in the repair and signaling of DNA double-strand breaks. The work throws new light on the origins of neurodegenerative diseases and certain tumor types.

20 Jun 2012

Multi-institutional research uncovers new mechanism for treatment of lung cancer

A multi-institutional research study has uncovered a new mechanism that may lead to unique treatments for lung cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

18 Jun 2012

High doses of tiny milk vitamin produces numerous health benefits in mice

A novel form of vitamin B3 found in milk in small quantities produces remarkable health benefits in mice when high doses are administered, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

15 Jun 2012

RNA-binding proteins accumulate in the brains of patients with AD

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a novel group of proteins that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. These findings, which appear online in the Journal of Neuroscience, may open up novel approaches to diagnose and stage the progression likelihood of the disease in Alzheimer patients.

14 Jun 2012

Researchers demonstrate effectiveness of a potential new therapy for stroke patients

Researchers at the University of Missouri have demonstrated the effectiveness of a potential new therapy for stroke patients in an article published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. Created to target a specific enzyme known to affect important brain functions, the new compound being studied at MU is designed to stop the spread of brain bleeds and protect brain cells from further damage in the crucial hours after a stroke.

12 Jun 2012

Inflammation instigated by the immune system in ALS can trigger macrophages

In an early study, UCLA researchers found that the immune cells of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, may play a role in damaging the neurons in the spinal cord.

6 Jun 2012