Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Tiny microscope can help scientists observe neuronal firings in the brain

If you want to read a mouse's mind, it takes some fluorescent protein and a tiny microscope implanted in the rodent's head.

20 Feb 2013

MILabs VECTor/CT installed by Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA) in Belgium

MILabs B.V. is pleased to announce that the Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA) in Belgium has installed a MILabs VECTor/CT to enhance their portfolio of pre-clinical nuclear oncology and neurology imaging and research capabilities.

18 Feb 2013

TSG might be novel compound for treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia with Lewy body

Administration of the active compound tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) derived from the Chinese herbal medicine Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, reversed both overexpression of α-synuclein, a small protein found in the brain, and its accumulation using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2013

Tau release from healthy neurons can be regulated by neuronal activity

Researchers from King's College London have discovered that neuronal activity can stimulate tau release from healthy neurons in the absence of cell death.

16 Feb 2013

Prions may be crucial in brain development during childhood

A molecule that is not only dangerous, but can help the brain grow. A few years ago it was found that certain proteins, the prions, when defective are dangerous, as they are involved in neurodegenerative syndromes such as the Creutzfeldt-Jakob and the Alzheimer diseases.

16 Feb 2013

Study finds abnormal production of C9RANT in patients with ALS, frontotemporal dementia

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered an abnormal protein that accumulates in the brains of many patients affected with two common neurodegenerative disorders — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, and frontotemporal dementia.

13 Feb 2013

Scientists identify enigmatic aggregates linked to neurodegenerative diseases

The proteins that have now been identified shouldn't actually exist. Nevertheless, they build the core of cellular aggregates whose identity has been enigmatic until now. These aggregates are typically associated with hereditary neurodegenerative diseases including variants of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They are likely to be damaging and might be a target for therapy.

11 Feb 2013

Tat-beclin 1 shows promise against infections, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have synthesized a peptide that shows potential for pharmaceutical development into agents for treating infections, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer through an ability to induce a cell-recycling process called autophagy.

10 Feb 2013

Drugs that target retromer pathway could help prevent or treat Parkinson's

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a protein trafficking defect within brain cells that may underlie common non-familial forms of Parkinson's disease.

9 Feb 2013

Occupational exposure to magnetic fields may moderately increase risk of Alzheimer's, ALS

Occupational exposure to magnetic fields (MF) may be associated with "moderately increased risk" of certain neurodegenerative diseases—including Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, reports the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

7 Feb 2013

Nitric oxide shuts down brain's repair mechanisms

Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered that nitric oxide not only damages neurons, it also shuts down the brain's repair mechanisms.

5 Feb 2013

BrainStorm initiates NurOwn Phase IIa dose-escalating trial in ALS

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the first patient began treatment in the Company's Phase IIa dose-escalating clinical trial for ALS.

5 Feb 2013

Interrupting key interaction between p68 and calcium-calmodulin inhibits cancer metastasis

Disrupting a key interaction between two types of proteins in cells inhibits the spread of cancerous cells, providing researchers with a new pathway toward developing cancer-fighting drugs, according to new findings by Georgia State University scientists.

31 Jan 2013

Apolipoprotein E-4 useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab

A protein associated with neuron damage in people with Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab, according to a new study by engineering researchers at Brown University.

30 Jan 2013

Neuronal reprogramming may help treat neurodegenerative diseases

A new finding by Harvard stem cell biologists turns one of the basics of neurobiology on its head - demonstrating that it is possible to turn one type of already differentiated neuron into another within the brain.

22 Jan 2013

Researchers identify and test first blood-based circulating miRNA biomarkers for Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological condition. At present, it is usually diagnosed only when motor features are present. Hence, there is a need to develop objective and measurable biomarkers to improve PD diagnostics during its earlier stage, prior to its motor onset. In this pilot study, researchers identified and tested the first blood-based circulating microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers for PD.

21 Jan 2013

Scientists determine structure of Ltn1 protein

Using an innovative approach, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have determined the structure of Ltn1, a recently discovered "quality-control" protein that is found in the cells of all plants, fungi and animals.

17 Jan 2013

Vanderbilt University, AstraZeneca partner to identify candidate drugs for major brain diseases

Today, AstraZeneca and Vanderbilt University announced they have signed a research collaboration agreement to identify candidate drugs aimed at treating psychosis and other neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with major brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

16 Jan 2013

Repression of PTB protein in fibroblasts can convert pluripotent stem cells into functional neurons

Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts is sufficient to directly convert the cells - abundantly found in connective tissues - into functional neurons. The findings, which could have far-reaching implications for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, will be published online in advance of the January 17 issue of the journal Cell.

11 Jan 2013

Blocking interaction of JNK enzyme may counteract neuron destruction

Oxidative stress is a primary villain in a host of diseases that range from cancer and heart failure to Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

11 Jan 2013

Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

Tiny microscope can help scientists observe neuronal firings in the brain

MILabs VECTor/CT installed by Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA) in Belgium

TSG might be novel compound for treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia with Lewy body

Tau release from healthy neurons can be regulated by neuronal activity

Prions may be crucial in brain development during childhood

Study finds abnormal production of C9RANT in patients with ALS, frontotemporal dementia

Scientists identify enigmatic aggregates linked to neurodegenerative diseases

Tat-beclin 1 shows promise against infections, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer

Drugs that target retromer pathway could help prevent or treat Parkinson's

Occupational exposure to magnetic fields may moderately increase risk of Alzheimer's, ALS

Nitric oxide shuts down brain's repair mechanisms

BrainStorm initiates NurOwn Phase IIa dose-escalating trial in ALS

Interrupting key interaction between p68 and calcium-calmodulin inhibits cancer metastasis

Apolipoprotein E-4 useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab

Neuronal reprogramming may help treat neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers identify and test first blood-based circulating miRNA biomarkers for Parkinson's

Scientists determine structure of Ltn1 protein

Vanderbilt University, AstraZeneca partner to identify candidate drugs for major brain diseases

Repression of PTB protein in fibroblasts can convert pluripotent stem cells into functional neurons

Blocking interaction of JNK enzyme may counteract neuron destruction

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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