Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Study shows promise for developing targeted treatments for multiple sclerosis

Modern scientific understanding has considered multiple sclerosis (MS) to be a disease controlled by the T cell, a type of white blood cell. Research has shown that in MS, T cells inappropriately attack myelin, the protective layer of fat covering nerves in the central nervous system, exposing them to damage.

23 Oct 2015

Support for enteric nervous system pathology in prodromal PD

Researchers have found positive immunostaining of α-synuclein in the enteric nervous system of patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, suggesting it may have a possible role as a biomarker for prodromal Parkinson’s disease.

22 Oct 2015

Scientists map out the brain circuitry critical for filtering out distractions

In a study of mice, scientists discovered that a brain region called the thalamus may be critical for filtering out distractions. The study, published in Nature and partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, paves the way to understanding how defects in the thalamus might underlie symptoms seen in patients with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia.

22 Oct 2015

Study shows how dietary fatty acids affect development and progression of multiple sclerosis

Dietary fatty acids affect the development and progression of autoimmune chronic-inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In a collaborative study between the Departments of Neurology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (St. Josef-Hospital) and the Friedrich Alexander Universtiy Erlangen, researchers now found that long-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of CNS reactive immune cells in the intestinal wall. On the contrary, short-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of regulatory cells in the immune system.

22 Oct 2015

RUCDR Infinite Biologics awarded $6 million grant from NINDS

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded a five-year grant worth up to $6,034,323 to RUCDR Infinite Biologics, a unit of Rutgers' Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey. RUCDR, which is located on Rutgers' Busch Campus in Piscataway, is the world's largest university-based biorepository.

20 Oct 2015

First patients receive doses of antisense drug for Huntington's disease

The first few patients have received doses of an experimental RNA-targeting drug for Huntington's disease, it was announced today.

20 Oct 2015

Takeda highlights safety, efficacy of vedolizumab for UC and CD at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting

Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A., Inc., today announced that data highlighting the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), will be presented during the 2015 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, held on October 16-21.

20 Oct 2015

Allergan completes acquisition of AqueSys

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of AqueSys, Inc. a clinical-stage medical device company focused on developing ocular implants that reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with glaucoma.

19 Oct 2015

Sprout announces U.S. availability of Addyi for HSDD treatment in premenopausal women

Sprout Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, announced today that Addyi, a once-daily, non-hormonal pill for the treatment of acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women, is now available in the United States through certified physicians and pharmacies.

19 Oct 2015

Discovery may provide noninvasive approach to assessing toxic effects of anesthetic agents in children

Could looking at the eyes provide a new way of studying how anesthesia affects the developing brain? The retinas of immature mice exposed to one widely used general anesthetic show evidence of "programmed cell death," or apoptosis, reports a study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

19 Oct 2015

UB study sheds light on the root causes of Huntington's disease

We've known for years that the Huntingtin protein (Htt) is responsible for Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that diminishes a person's mental and physical abilities.

19 Oct 2015

Genetic mutation linked to ALS, FTD prevents proteins from entering and exiting the cell's nucleus

Three teams of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health showed that a genetic mutation linked to some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) may destroy neurons by disrupting the movement of materials in and out of the cell's nucleus, or command center where most of its DNA is stored.

19 Oct 2015

Research reveals that sniffing and gasping could prevent fainting

The current study focused on the most common type of fainting, called vasovagal syncope, which can be caused by prolonged standing or standing up quickly. It leads to drops in blood pressure and heart rate, and a brief loss of consciousness.

19 Oct 2015

Study suggests combination of MMF and CNIs can protect against rare lymphoma

16 Oct 2015

Genomic analysis confirms sexual transmission of Ebola virus in Liberia

A suspected case of sexual transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia was confirmed using genomic analysis, thanks to in-country laboratory capabilities established by U.S. Army scientists in collaboration with the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research (LIBR).

16 Oct 2015

Omeros launches OMIDRIAssure program to provide expanded patient access to Omidria

Omeros Corporation today announced that it has launched OMIDRIAssure, a comprehensive reimbursement services program to provide expanded access to Omidria® (phenylephrine and ketorolac injection) 1% / 0.3% for cataract surgery patients and reimbursement assistance for physicians and facilities.

15 Oct 2015

Researchers uncover how small heat shock protein interacts with other proteins

In Alzheimer's disease proteins clump together to long fibrils causing the death of nerve cells. Small heat shock proteins can counteract this effect. Scientists, therefore, hope to deploy them as agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Using the example of a small heat shock protein, researchers at the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen have now uncovered how the protein interacts with other proteins.

15 Oct 2015

Researchers report weak association between brain size and IQ

As early as 1836, the German physiologist and anatomist Friedrich Tiedemann, in an article in the Philosophical Transactions, expressed his opinion that "there is undoubtedly a connection between the absolute size of the brain and the intellectual powers and functions of the mind". With the advent of brain imaging methods (e.g., MRI, PET), reliable assessments of in-vivo brain volume and investigations of its association with IQ are now possible.

15 Oct 2015

Having a high stress job may increase risk of stroke

Having a high stress job may be linked to a higher risk of stroke, according to an analysis of several studies. The meta-analysis is published in the October 14, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Oct 2015

Researchers link organ transplant drug to rise in rare lymphoma

A study led by Johns Hopkins researchers has linked the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to an increased risk of central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma in solid organ transplant patients. But the same study also found that another class of immunosuppressive drugs, called calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), given alone or in combination with MMF, appears to protect transplant patients against this rare form of lymphoma.

15 Oct 2015