Neuroscience News and Research

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Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, reduces Alzheimer's symptoms

An over-the-counter vitamin in high doses prevented memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease, and UC Irvine scientists now are conducting a clinical trial to determine its effect in humans.

5 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's + diabetes + high blood pressure = a shorter life

A study has found that people with Alzheimer's disease who also suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure may die earlier.

4 Nov 2008

Long-term benefits of morphine treatment in infants confirmed

A recent study conducted by researchers at Georgia State University is the first of its kind to demonstrate that administration of preemptive morphine prior to a painful procedure in infancy blocks the long-term negative consequences of pain in adult rodents.

4 Nov 2008

Diabetes and high blood pressure shorten lifespan in Alzheimer's disease

People with Alzheimer's disease who also have diabetes or high blood pressure may die sooner than people without such disorders, according to a study published in the November 4, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Nov 2008

Brain stimulation improves dexterity

Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand.

28 Oct 2008

Study looks at rare condition known as phonagnosia

The first known case of someone born without the ability to recognise voices has been reported in a paper by UCL (University College London) researchers, in a study of a rare condition known as phonagnosia. The UCL team are calling for other people to come forward if they think they have also grown up with the condition.

27 Oct 2008

How we see and understand the three-dimensional structure of objects

A team of Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists has discovered patterns of brain activity that may underlie our remarkable ability to see and understand the three-dimensional structure of objects.

27 Oct 2008

Why some people have a better head for languages

Learning a second language is usually difficult and often when we speak it we cannot disguise our origin or accent. However, there are important differences between individuals with regard to the degree to which a second language is mastered, even for people who have lived in a bilingual environment since childhood.

23 Oct 2008

Cracking the code of adolecent drug use

A University of Sydney researcher has won a grant to study how exposure to drugs during adolescence affects the brain and behaviour.

23 Oct 2008

Education and work help beat Alzheimer's

New research has revealed that education and a mentally demanding job protects people from Alzheimer's disease.

22 Oct 2008

Fatty acids may be the culprit in Alzheimer's

According to new research from the U.S. controlling the level of a fatty acid in the brain could help treat Alzheimer's disease (AD).

21 Oct 2008

Targeted cell delivery to the cervical spinal cord is a promising strategy to slow loss of motor neurons in ALS

In a disease like ALS - one that's always fatal and that has a long history of research-resistant biology - finding a proof of principle in animal models is significant.

20 Oct 2008

People with autism less influenced by gut instincts

People with autism-related disorders are less likely to make irrational decisions, and are less influenced by gut instincts, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study adds to the growing body of research implicating altered emotional processing in autism.

16 Oct 2008

The Internet stimulates and possibly improves brain function

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

14 Oct 2008

African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems

A landmark study led by North Carolina State University researchers shows that African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems - raising the possibility that identifying and treating sleep difficulties in the elderly may help preserve their cognitive functioning. The study is the first to examine the link between sleep and cognitive functioning in older African-Americans.

14 Oct 2008

Infants who focus on mouths rather eyes could be autistic

Researchers in the United States say young children who focus on mouths rather than on eyes could be autistic and they believe the extent of such behaviour indicates the severity of the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

28 Sep 2008

Neuroscientists discover a critical early step of memory formation

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report in the July issue of Neuron how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins - including one linked to mental retardation - that typically prevent proteins from being made.

14 Sep 2008

Grand Rapids Press examines Alzheimer's disease care among Hispanics

The Grand Rapids Press on Tuesday examined the "cultural tightrope" faced by some Hispanics who seek long-term care for a family member with Alzheimer's disease.

11 Sep 2008

Vimpat (lacosamide) approved in Europe

UCB announced today that the European Commission (EC) has approved Vimpat (lacosamide) as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy aged 16 years and older. Vimpat is the first new antiepileptic drug (AED) for partial-onset seizures in three years and offers a new treatment option for European patients living with uncontrolled partial-onset epilepsy.

3 Sep 2008

Hopkins researchers piece together gene "network" linked to schizophrenia

Reporting this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have uncovered for the first time molecular circuitry associated with schizophrenia that links three previously known, yet unrelated proteins.

2 Sep 2008