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Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have used a combination of brainpower and computer power to identify a multitude of new genes that control the formation of tiny, hair-like cilia that stipple the surfaces of many organs in a wide variety of creatures.

14 May 2004

Cholesterol-lowering drugs could treat multiple sclerosis

Drug treatments for MS are expensive and only partially effective. Recent knowledge that statins promote an anti-inflammatory response from the immune system suggest a potential in the treatment of MS.

13 May 2004

Suprachiasmatic nucleus brain tissue sheds light on jet lag

New research led by a University of Washington biologist demonstrates that there are at least two circadian clocks in the mammal brain, one that sticks strictly to an internal schedule and another that can be altered by external influences such as light and dark.

12 May 2004

Fat fighting undermined by over active eating pacemaker

They have revealed a set of pacemaker nerve cells in the brain that appear to underlie the drive to feed which itself feeds on a complex web of signals.

11 May 2004

Magnetic brain therapy may help spinal cord damage

A preliminary study has shown for the first time that it may be possible to help people who have suffered partial damage to their spinal cord by applying a magnetic therapy to their brain.

11 May 2004

Computers can't compete with humans in the ability to recognize patterns or images

Computers, for all of their computational muscle, do not hold a candle to humans in the ability to recognize patterns or images. This basic quandary in computational theory – why can computers crunch numbers but cannot efficiently process images – has stumped scientists for many years.

10 May 2004

West Nile Virus returns to United States for another season

The winter cold and flu season is barely over, and the new mosquito season won't really get rolling for a few more weeks, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already is reporting the presence of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes, birds and other animals in nine states.

5 May 2004

Tooth cells may help treat Parkinson's disease

Cells derived from the inside of a tooth might someday prove an effective way to treat the brains of people suffering from Parkinson's disease.

4 May 2004

New hope for advances in treatment methods for AIDS, Alzheimer's and age-related blindness

Pharmaceutical science leaders from the FDA, research institutions and top pharmaceutical companies will gather at the 2004 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference, AAPS' spring annual meeting.

4 May 2004

Transplanted bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brain

Findings of a preliminary study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that transplanted adult bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brains of human stem-cell recipients. These early findings, if confirmed in future research, have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2004

Ecstasy or MDMA damages specific neurons in the brain

Myths abound about the short-term and long-term consequences of use of MDMA, often called Ecstasy. MDMA is not new to the scientific community.

29 Apr 2004

Lou Gehrig’s disease gene discovered

A gene for a rare juvenile-onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) has been isolated in families in the United States, Belgium and Austria, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today.

29 Apr 2004

People with uncontrolled epilepsy have low levels of a certain fatty acid

Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to the proper development and function of cell membranes in the brain. But one particular fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is found at abnormally low levels in patients with uncontrolled epilepsy, according to researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

28 Apr 2004

Scientists get new motor neurons to migrate through the spinal cord

In experiments with rodents, Johns Hopkins scientists have used properly directed stem cells to successfully overcome what is thought to be a basic hurdle in restoring function to severely damaged central nervous systems

28 Apr 2004

A ten year study shows that surgery is not only effective, but the preferred treatment for select epilepsy patients

A study of ten years of patient outcomes shows that surgery is not only effective, but the preferred treatment for select epilepsy patients. In the most comprehensive study of long-term surgery success rates, Mayo Clinic physicians report that 73 percent of 491 Mayo Clinic patients were either seizure-free or experienced seizures only when medication was discontinued.

27 Apr 2004

Scientists studying the adhesive properties of the neural cell adhesion molecule have found that two opposing models of cell adhesion are both correct

Scientists studying the adhesive properties of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) -- a protein that helps bind the nervous system together -- have found that two opposing models of cell adhesion are both correct.

26 Apr 2004

Discovery shows how single genetic mutation can cause complex disorders

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), characterized by obesity, learning disabilities and eye and kidney problems, is caused by genetic mutations in the BBS family of genes. Now, researchers who've long studied the condition have discovered that genetic mutations in one of those genes, called BBS4, lead to cell death by disrupting the cells' internal "highway" system.

25 Apr 2004