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Scientists identify two genes involved in major symptoms of MeCP2 duplication disorder

The anxiety and behavioral issues associated with excess MeCP2 protein result from overexpression of two genes (Crh [corticotropin-releasing hormone] and Oprm 1 [mu-opioid receptor MOR 1]), which may point the way to treating these problems in patients with too much of the protein, said Baylor of Medicine scientists in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Genetics.

8 Jan 2012

Novel approach reveals underlying neuroscience of patient decision-making

Mind Field Solutions kicked off the 2012 AHRQ lecture series with what's been described as a "Stunning Innovation in Healthcare" by one of the nation's leading academic clinical centers.

7 Jan 2012

Scientists map neurons that process different kinds of visual information

There's a 3-D world in our brains. It's a landscape that mimics the outside world, where the objects we see exist as collections of neural circuits and electrical impulses.

7 Jan 2012

Scripps professor receives pair of notable grants to study kinesin

Sathyanaryanan Puthanveettil, an assistant professor on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, has been awarded a pair of notable grants to study a critical component of long-term memory formation.

6 Jan 2012

Scientists identify how dihydromyricetin counteracts acute alcohol intoxication

UCLA researchers have identified how a component of an ancient Chinese herbal anti-hangover medicine called dihydromyricetin, isolated from the plant Hovenia, counteracts acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal symptoms.

6 Jan 2012

Wake Forest Baptist participates in novel brain tumor vaccine clinical trial

A national clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel brain tumor vaccine has begun at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the only facility in the Southeast to participate.

6 Jan 2012

MCW professor to receive American Association of Anatomists' Basmajian Award

The American Association of Anatomists' 2012 Basmajian Award will be presented on April 24 to Todd Hoagland, associate professor in the department of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

5 Jan 2012

Doctors may need to adjust seizure drug doses for people with HIV/AIDS: New AAN guideline

A new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology recommends doctors use caution when choosing seizure drugs for people with HIV/AIDS to avoid potential drug interactions.

5 Jan 2012

IHoP may play a critical role in type 1 diabetes

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine and colleagues have discovered a new protein that may play a critical role in how the human body regulates blood sugar levels.

5 Jan 2012

Arcion receives U.S. patent allowance for ARC-2022 to treat PHN

Arcion Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing topical therapies for chronic pain, today announced that it received notice of allowance for a US Patent for its high strength gel formulation of topical lidocaine, ARC-2022.

5 Jan 2012

RNF123 gene may play a role in major depression

Psychiatric disorders can be described on many levels, the most traditional of which are subjective descriptions of the experience of being depressed and the use of rating scales that quantify depressive symptoms. Over the past two decades, research has developed other strategies for describing the biological underpinnings of depression, including volumetric brain measurements using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the patterns of gene expression in white blood cells.

4 Jan 2012

Research reveals how bats parse duties at single neuron level

Imagine listening to music while carrying on a conversation with friends. This type of multi-tasking is fairly easy to do, right? That's because our brains efficiently and effectively separate the auditory signals - music to the right side; conversation to the left. But what researchers have not been able to do in humans or animals is to see a parsing of duties at the single neuron level - until now.

4 Jan 2012

MTR technique indicates that COPAXONE therapy results in tissue repair in RRMS patients

Researchers utilizing an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to characterize and chart the evolution of MS lesions found that relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with COPAXONE (glatiramer acetate injection) experienced significantly increased magnetization transfer ratio.

4 Jan 2012

Researchers discover a way to make cigarette smoking less toxic

From a health care perspective, the best cigarette is no cigarette, but for the millions of people who try to quit smoking every year, researchers from Cornell University may have found a way to make cigarette smoking less toxic.

4 Jan 2012

Arena, Eisai collaborate in response to FDA's lorcaserin Complete Response Letter

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today that Arena has submitted its response to the Complete Response Letter (CRL) issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following review of the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA).

4 Jan 2012

CMS assigns J-code for Eisai's Halaven Injection to treat breast cancer

Eisai Inc. announced today that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has assigned a unique, permanent Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) J-code for Halaven (eribulin mesylate) Injection.

4 Jan 2012

Vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in blood could stave off dementia: Study

A new study has shown that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E are associated with better mental functioning in the elderly.

3 Jan 2012

Astellas, AVEO announce results of tivozanib and sorafenib comparison trial on RCC

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced that tivozanib demonstrated superiority over sorafenib in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in TIVO-1, a global, randomized Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of investigational drug tivozanib compared to sorafenib in 517 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

3 Jan 2012

Glia cells also regulate learning and memory

Glia cells, named for the Greek word for "glue," hold the brain's neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors, but scientists have long puzzled over their prominence in the activities of the brain dedicated to learning and memory.

30 Dec 2011

Healthy diet keeps the brain sharp

The study shows that elderly who followed this diet had less of the brain shrinkage linked with Alzheimer's disease and scored better on mental and thinking tests than those with poorer diets. Although previous studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, the new study took a different approach by using blood tests to determine the participant’s diet and nutrient levels.

29 Dec 2011