Neurological Disease News and Research

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Winter airway infections appear to trigger narcolepsy: Study

The onset of narcolepsy appears to follow seasonal patterns of H1N1 and other upper airway infections, according to a new study of patients in China that was led by Stanford University School of Medicine narcolepsy expert Emmanuel Mignot, MD.

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

NCRM at Case Western Reserve to host stem cell conference in Cleveland

The National Center for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) at Case Western Reserve University is proud to present "MSC 2011: Innovations in Cell-Based Regenerative Therapies," a three-day forum to highlight transformative breakthroughs in the area of adult stem cell medicine with a focus on how this research is being applied in patient care settings through innovative clinical trials.

18 Aug 2011

New model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

By isolating cells from patients' spinal tissue within a few days after death, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new model of the paralyzing disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

12 Aug 2011

Scientists identify 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis

Scientists have identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis, providing key insights into the biology of a very debilitating neurological disease. Many of the genes -implicated in the study are relevant to the immune system, shedding light onto the immunological pathways that underlie the development of multiple sclerosis.

11 Aug 2011

Schizophrenia not always inherited – Genetic links found

Researchers have found that more than half the cases of non-hereditary or sporadic schizophrenia are caused by “new” protein-altering gene mutations. These mutations are new genetic errors that appear in patients but not in either of their parents, the researchers explained in the report published in the Aug. 7 online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

8 Aug 2011

Human brain cells created from skin cells: Potential for Alzheimer’s

This feat comes a year after researchers at Stanford University performed the same feat in mice, turning cells from the rodents' skin into neurons. The lab-created brain cells act the same as normal human brain cells, the researchers found. These cells have the same ability to send electric signals; they seem to express the same genes in the same ways; and they are able to communicate with other brain cells, as demonstrated in a lab dish and when implanted into mice.

5 Aug 2011

New candidate gene for human benign childhood epilepsies

A new epilepsy gene, LGI2, has been found in the Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, known from their gift for truffle hunting. The gene discovery made by Professor Hannes Lohi and his research group at the University of Helsinki and the Folkhälsan Rsearch Center offers a new candidate gene for human benign childhood epilepsies characterized by seizure remission.

28 Jul 2011

Anavex presents data on neuroprotective evidence for lead compound for Alzheimer’s

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. is pleased to provide a summary of its second poster presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) held in Paris, entitled “Preclinical development of new tetrahydrofuran derivatives targeting the sigma-1 chaperone protein as neuroprotectants in Alzheimer’s disease.”

26 Jul 2011

Intense visual stimulation renders nerve cells more receptive to subsequent learning

Dr. Ed Ruthazer is a mapmaker but, his landscape is the developing brain - specifically the neuronal circuitry, which is the network of connections between nerve cells. His research at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro at McGill University, reveals the brain as a dynamic landscape where connections between nerves are plastic, changing and adapting to the demands of the environment.

21 Jul 2011

Earlier Alzheimer’s disease and dementia diagnosis: New guidelines

It has been the tradition to confirm the presence of Alzheimer's disease during autopsy. However new guidelines proposed on Sunday by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association seek to distinguish between memory changes or dementia diagnosed by doctors when people are alive, and the changes pathologists can see in an autopsy.

18 Jul 2011

Secondhand smoke linked to ADHD, learning and behavioral disorders in kids

The latest study shows that secondhand (passive) smoke can contribute to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning disabilities in children. The study from the Harvard School of Public Health, shows kids exposed to smoking were 50 percent more likely to develop neurobiological diseases compared to kids not around smoke.

12 Jul 2011

Coffee protects against Alzheimer's disease

The study appears online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, was in mice whose DNA had been tweaked to contain a human Alzheimer’s gene. Just like humans with familial Alzheimer’s, these mice become increasingly forgetful as they age. It was seen that the equivalent of four to five cups of caffeinated coffee every few days led to much improved memories in the Alzheimer’s mice, says study co-author Gary Arendash, a scientist at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Tampa.

30 Jun 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

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..

29 Jun 2011

McMaster researchers to use tiny worms for Parkinson's project

McMaster researchers from three disciplines are deploying thousands of tiny worms and a homegrown invention to test drugs in a collaborative bid to defeat Parkinson's Disease.

27 Jun 2011

Adeona enters agreement to begin proprietary zinc-based therapy Phase IIb trial in ALS

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, announced today that it has expanded its pipeline of proprietary zinc-based therapies to include a planned Phase IIb clinical trial of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

24 Jun 2011

Singer Glen Campbell diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Glen Campbell, the American country pop singer, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His wife Kim, said she wanted fans to be aware of his condition.

23 Jun 2011

Reduced levels of VAPB protein may play central role in causing ALS

An international team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to reveal for the first time how reduced levels of a specific protein may play a central role in causing at least one inherited form of the disease.

22 Jun 2011

Scientists discover linchpin protein that drives mitochondria's calcium machinery

Mitochondria, those battery-pack organelles that fuel the energy of almost every living cell, have an insatiable appetite for calcium. Whether in a dish or a living organism, the mitochondria of most organisms eagerly absorb this chemical compound.

20 Jun 2011