Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Inhibiting mutant CHIP protein activity could decrease severity of ataxia disease symptoms

For the first time, the UNC School of Medicine lab of Jonathan Schisler, MS, PhD, linked the specific biochemical changes to a protein called CHIP to specific disease characteristics of patients with a wide range of rare disorders.

6 Nov 2019

Scientists discover cell protein crucial in preventing viral replication

A research team has discovered a protein without which cells infected by viruses cannot trigger an immune response, leading to 100% mortality with even non-disease-producing strains. The discovery of the new Z-DNA binding protein, or ZBP1, was reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. It could help develop new treatment methods for viruses that target the nervous system such as the Zika or West Nile Encephalitis virus.

6 Nov 2019

Study highlights impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol and informs prevention efforts

Drinking in pregnancy can harm a developing baby. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) describes the range of effects that can be caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

5 Nov 2019

Biomarker reveals if benign-appearing meningiomas are dangerous

A modified protein in benign-appearing meningiomas can reveal which are truly benign and which are more dangerous and require more aggressive treatment, researchers have discovered.

5 Nov 2019

Excessive physical work can damage the heart, says new study

Doing good hard work or exercising well is a tried-and-tested way to improve heart health – right? Well, not always, says a new study published in the journal Hypertension.

4 Nov 2019

How venom from marine cone snails can be used in pain therapy

Conotoxins are bioactive peptides found in the venom that marine cone snails produce for prey capture and defense.

4 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019

Tumour conversion of glial cells when exposed to bowel cancer secretions

A new study has shown that glial cells of the gut (part of the enteric nervous system) when exposed to secretions from colon cancer cells are convert into tumours themselves. These altered glial cells then convert into promoters of tumours said the study researchers.

31 Oct 2019

Study provides a first look into black box of embryonic development

Little is known about the molecular and cellular events that occur during early embryonic development in primate species.

31 Oct 2019

New signaling systems discovered in human cells

The human cell has a wide variety of receptors on its surface that many molecules and therapeutic drugs can bind to in order to activate signals inside the cell to regulate different physiological functions. GPCRs are the largest - and a very important - family of receptors on human cells.

31 Oct 2019

Factor responsible for formation of white blood cells has regulatory effect on adaptive immunity

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which causes division and differentiation of bone marrow cells depending on the body's need for leukocytes, has a significant regulatory effect not only on innate, but also on adaptive immunity.

31 Oct 2019

Education level and socioeconomic status can predict thinking and memory performance

How well eight-year-olds score on a test of thinking skills may be a predictor of how they will perform on tests of thinking and memory skills when they are 70 years old, according to a study published in the October 30, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

31 Oct 2019

Tick-borne brain infection reported in UK

Tick bites are known to spread infections. An infectious condition that can affect the brain has been identified for the first time in the United Kingdom and the disease has been found to spread via tick bites say sources.

30 Oct 2019

Feminine hygiene or female threat?

A new research article published in the Journal of Women's Health indicates dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the blood of women using feminine hygiene products (FHPs). The most strongly linked products are feminine powder and vaginal douching products.

30 Oct 2019

New way to slow and reverse fibrosis identified

In cell and mouse models, Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified a way to slow and reverse the process of uncontrolled internal scarring, called fibrosis.

30 Oct 2019

Rilpivirine drug used for HIV treatment also suppresses Zika virus infection

Like an adjustable wrench that becomes the "go-to" tool because it is effective and can be used for a variety of purposes, an existing drug that can be adapted to halt the replication of different viruses would greatly expedite the treatment of different infectious diseases.

30 Oct 2019

Researchers develop new leucocyte markers

An article entitled "Human Peripheral Blood Eosinophils Express High Levels of the Purinergic Receptor P2X4" written by an international immunology research group was recently published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology.

30 Oct 2019

New technique could replace conventional methods of testing paralytic neurotoxins

Animal testing will no longer be required to assess a group of deadly neurotoxins, thanks to University of Queensland-led research.

30 Oct 2019

New TB vaccine: mid-phase trials confirm safety, long-term prevention

A new study published on October 29, 2019, in the New England Journal of Medicine, reports a new vaccine which could change the face of tuberculosis prevention. The disease kills 1.5 million people worldwide each year.

30 Oct 2019

Researchers investigate whether aspirin can decrease rate of intracranial aneurysm growth

Researchers conducted a database search to investigate whether aspirin can aid in the prevention of intracranial aneurysm rupture by hindering aneurysm growth. The researchers identified 146 patients harboring multiple intracranial aneurysms, five millimeters or less in diameter, that had been observed for at least five years.

29 Oct 2019