Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Vagus nerve stimulation may be a potential adjunct therapy for COVID-19

COVID-19 was initially described as lung inflammation, or pneumonia, in older adults. However, we now know that SARS-CoV-2 infections can cause a wide range of symptoms in people of all ages, ranging from no symptoms at all to systemic inflammation and even death.

27 May 2021

Neurocognitive symptoms persist 6 months post-infection with long COVID

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 long-haulers are people who experience symptoms such as body ache, fatigue, shortness of breath, headache, difficulty concentrating, loss of taste or smell, or other health issues long after they test negative for the virus. It can be defined as having serious and prolonged symptoms three months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

26 May 2021

Researchers to conduct Phase 1 gene therapy trial to treat Alzheimer's disease

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a $5 million grant to researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine to conduct a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of a gene therapy for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

26 May 2021

Kennedy Krieger Institute researcher wins NIH award for movement learning study

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded Amy Bastian, Ph.D., PT, chief science officer and director of the Motion Analysis Lab at Kennedy Krieger Institute, with an eight-year, $4.7 million National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Research Program Award (N35) to support a study examining movement learning mechanisms and how this process is affected by brain damage.

26 May 2021

Newly identified small molecule can be used to rejuvenate the brain, counteract memory loss

Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of dementia and current therapeutic strategies cannot prevent, slow down or cure the pathology.

25 May 2021

New technology makes it easier to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases

A new combination of optical coherence tomography (OCT), adaptive optics and deep neural networks should enable better diagnosis and monitoring for neuron-damaging eye and brain diseases like glaucoma.

25 May 2021

Researchers uncover differences in itch mechanisms

Chronic skin itching drives more people to the dermatologist than any other condition. In fact, the latest science literature finds that 7% of U.S. adults, and between 10 and 20% of people in developed countries, suffer from dermatitis, a common skin inflammatory condition that causes itching.

21 May 2021

University of Freiburg professor honored for groundbreaking results on the brain’s immune system

The blood-brain barrier is an impenetrable barrier between the circulating blood and the brain established before birth that prevents immune cells from entering the brain from the body's immune system. Thus, the brain has its own immune system with a key actor called microglia.

21 May 2021

Facets of SARS-CoV-2 infection and animal models

A new study in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology discusses the ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome of the virus, and the mechanisms by which it establishes infection within the host cell. The researchers also summarize the development of animal models of COVID-19, which will both help understand the clinical features of the illness, and indicate new approaches for the treatment of the infection.

21 May 2021

Study analyzes the risk of other medical conditions after recovery from COVID-19

Researchers analyzed data from a large insurance company in the United States. They found an increased risk of other medical conditions after recovering from COVID-19 irrespective of pre-existing conditions or age.

21 May 2021

Are COVID-19-related complications in children explained by abnormal immune responses?

A common theme in reports on COVID-19 around the world has been the large number of children who have not been infected or shown signs of disease. However, though the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes less acute infection in this age group, it is associated with a severe immune-mediated multisystemic illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

20 May 2021

A better understanding of brain fluid movements can help predict and treat Alzheimer's disease

Scientists don't fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease, but they have a primary suspect.

20 May 2021

Secondhand smoke during pregnancy linked to epigenetic changes in babies

Nearly a quarter of pregnant women say they've been around secondhand smoke - in their homes, at work, around a friend or relative - which, according to new research.

19 May 2021

Study provides an overview of neonatal withdrawal signs following late in utero exposure to SSRIs

Neonatal withdrawal signs have been documented in newborns of mothers treated with antidepressants and are known as a cause of neonatal morbidity.

19 May 2021

New printable device could restore sight to blind people

A researcher at the University of Sydney is developing a printable device that acts like a retina and could one day restore sight to blind people.

17 May 2021

Yoga and breathing exercises have a positive effect on children with ADHD

Yoga and breathing exercises have a positive effect on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

14 May 2021

A look at how coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affects Parkinson's

Earlier, herpes simplex virus (HSV), influenza virus A, measles virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and mumps virus have all been associated with after-effects of the virus that includes Parkinson's disease (PD). This list may now include SARS-CoV-2.

14 May 2021

International experts are working to provide evidence-based guidelines for radiation therapy dosing for children

Annually, more than 350,000 children in the world are affected by pediatric cancer. Radiation has improved outcomes dramatically, but the damage caused to healthy tissue can affect the long-term health of a child.

13 May 2021

Girls more likely to develop metabolic alterations associated with obesity than boys

A study of 92 adolescents conducted in Brazil suggests girls are more likely than boys to develop metabolic alterations associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure and excessive blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (dyslipidemia).

12 May 2021

Oleoyl-LPE promotes neurite outgrowth and protects against neuronal cell death

Lysophospholipids are phospholipids that have just one fatty acid chain, and in recent years, the role of lysophospholipids in physiology and pathophysiology has attracted attention.

12 May 2021