Neurodegenerative Disease News and Research

RSS

ALS damages neurons in parts of the brain responsible for cognition and behaviour

Recently published studies by a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry demonstrate that ALS - known as Lou Gehrig's disease - damages neurons in parts of the brain responsible for cognition and behaviour.

17 Sep 2011

New cell type could play an important role in spinal cord injury and disease

The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today the discovery of a new class of cells in the spinal cord that act like neural stem cells, offering a fresh avenue in the search for therapies to treat spinal cord injury and disease.

16 Sep 2011

Clinical trial planned in Australia and the USA to help patients with ‘orphan’ disease

Prana Biotechnology Limited announced today that researchers are planning recruitment for a phase II clinical trial of the experimental drug PBT2 in Huntington’s patients. There are currently no treatments for the genetic, neurodegenerative disease; Australia is increasingly seen as a leader in the development of therapies for neurologic disorders. Huntington’s often affects young adults and progressively impacts the body, mind and emotions. The disease causes incapacitation and death about 15-25 years after onset.

12 Sep 2011

Neurosurgery creates new online collection of recent papers on sports concussions

The last few years have seen increasing concern over the effects of concussions and head trauma in sports—including the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) occurring in athletes.

9 Sep 2011

Scientists discover new gene mutation responsible for late-onset Parkinson's

Less than two months after publishing findings about a new gene linked to late-onset Parkinson's disease, the same team of scientists at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered another gene responsible for the neurodegenerative disease - providing yet another target for potential treatments.

9 Sep 2011

Dysregulated neuronal RNA transport may cause Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome

SUNY Downstate scientist Ilham Muslimov, MD, PhD, along with senior author Henri Tiedge, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology and of neurology, published a study suggesting that cellular dysregulation associated with certain neurodegenerative disorders may result from molecular competition in neuronal RNA transport pathways.

8 Sep 2011

Scientist identifies how lack of dopamine leads to symptoms of Parkinson's

A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has identified how the lack of a brain chemical known as dopamine can rewire the interaction between two groups of brain cells and lead to symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

8 Sep 2011

Two ALS-associated genes work in tandem to support long-term survival of motor neurons

Although several genes have been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it is still unknown how they cause this progressive neurodegenerative disease. In a new study, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have demonstrated that two ALS-associated genes work in tandem to support the long-term survival of motor neurons.

2 Sep 2011

Scientists identify common cause of all forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The underlying disease process of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and Lou Gehrig's disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes its victims, has long eluded scientists and prevented development of effective therapies. Scientists weren't even sure all its forms actually converged into a common disease process.

22 Aug 2011

Seven research teams across the U.S. to develop new drugs for nervous system disorders

The National Institutes of Health has made awards to investigators across the United States for an ambitious set of projects seeking to develop new drugs for disorders of the nervous system.

19 Aug 2011

Scientists artificially grow brain cells from Parkinson's patients to find treatment

The UK's population is ageing and with it comes an increased risk of developing age-related diseases such as Parkinson's. About 70% of dopamine producing brain cells will have been lost by the time a sufferer visits the doctor, with symptoms that include difficulties with movement and a resting tremor. A progressive neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's affects about 120,000 people in the UK.

18 Aug 2011

Scientists gain new insight on role of stem cells in embryonic heart development

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have gained new insight into the delicate relationship between two proteins that, when out of balance, can prevent the normal development of stem cells in the heart and may also be important in some types of cancer.

16 Aug 2011

Scientist discovers novel way to convert human skin cells into neurons

A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has discovered a novel way to convert human skin cells into brain cells, advancing medicine and human health by offering new hope for regenerative medicine and personalized drug discovery and development.

29 Jul 2011

Excess brain activity in aMCI patients contributes to brain dysfunction underlying memory loss

An existing anti-seizure drug improves memory and brain function in adults with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer's disease, a Johns Hopkins University study has found.

21 Jul 2011

Gladstone plans to create new center for Alzheimer's disease research

The Gladstone Institutes today announced plans to create a Center for Comprehensive Alzheimer's Disease Research, offering new hope for the millions of families stricken by this debilitating neurodegenerative disease.

16 Jul 2011

New insights into specific types of brain abnormalities

Postmortem analysis of the brains of ten professional athletes with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) provides new insights into the specific types of brain abnormalities associated with this diagnosis, reports a study in the July issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

13 Jul 2011

Mary Ann Liebert peer-reviewed journal highlights advances in gene therapy for neurological diseases

Novel tools and methods for delivering therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system hold great promise for the development of new treatments to combat incurable neurologic diseases.

30 Jun 2011

Gene overexpression linked with Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome

Chronic stress has long been linked with neurodegeneration. Scientists at USC now think they may know why.

29 Jun 2011

Genetic tools that enable cell type-specific delivery hold promise for combating incurable neurologic diseases

Novel tools and methods for delivering therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system hold great promise for the development of new treatments to combat incurable neurologic diseases. Five of the most exciting developments in this rapidly advancing field are presented in a series of articles in the June issue of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..