Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

High-fat, low-carb diets may help control epilepsy

Diets high in fat and low in carbohydrates, such as the ketogenic or modified Atkins diet, may reduce seizures in adults with tough-to-treat epilepsy, according to a review of the research published in the October 29, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Oct 2014

Vanda reports total revenues of $14.8 million for third quarter 2014

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., today announced financial and operational results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014.

27 Oct 2014

Dietary cocoa flavanols can reverse age-related memory decline in healthy older adults

Dietary cocoa flavanols—naturally occurring bioactives found in cocoa—reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a study led by Columbia University Medical Center scientists.

27 Oct 2014

Digoxin drug may be adaptable for ALS treatment, study suggests

Digoxin, a medication used in the treatment of heart failure, may be adaptable for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive, paralyzing disease, suggests new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

27 Oct 2014

Growth factor boosts natural defence against auto-immune diseases

Our immune system defends us from harmful bacteria and viruses, but, if left unchecked, the cells that destroy those invaders can turn on the body itself, causing auto-immune diseases like type-1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. A molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) boosts the body's natural defence against this 'friendly fire', scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, have found.

25 Oct 2014

Bariatric surgery may be risk factor for condition that causes severe headaches

Bariatric surgery may be a risk factor for a condition that causes severe headaches, according to a study published in the October 22, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Oct 2014

Infant’s cry can indicate prenatal cocaine exposure

A new study conducted by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers provides the first known evidence of how a similar acoustic characteristic in the cry sounds of human infants and rat pups may be used to detect the harmful effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on nervous system development.

24 Oct 2014

Research shows FGF21 hormone acts directly on brain to regulate obesity

A hormone seen as a popular target to develop weight-loss drugs works by directly targeting the brain and triggering previously unknown activity in the nervous system, UT Southwestern Medical Center obesity researchers have found.

24 Oct 2014

Scientists use innovative exome sequencing strategy to identify new gene associated with ALS

Using an innovative exome sequencing strategy, a team of international scientists led by John Landers, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has shown that TUBA4A, the gene encoding the Tubulin Alpha 4A protein, is associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

23 Oct 2014

Afatinib active against NSCLC nervous system metastases

Heavily pretreated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer and central nervous system metastases may benefit from treatment with afatinib, say German researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Research: MHCI protein moonlights in nervous system to regulate synapses

When it comes to the brain, "more is better" seems like an obvious assumption. But in the case of synapses, which are the connections between brain cells, too many or too few can both disrupt brain function.

21 Oct 2014

YEDA and XL-protein sign deal to commercialize PASylated IFN superagonis

YEDA Research and Development Company Ltd., the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and XL-protein GmbH, Germany, a privately owned biopharmaceutical company, have signed a business collaboration agreement to commercialize a PASylated interferon superagonist -- PAS-YNSα8 -- which has been jointly developed by scientists at the Weizmann Institute and XL-protein.

21 Oct 2014

Omeros provides update on OMS824 for treatment of schizophrenia, Huntington's disease

Omeros Corporation today provided an update on OMS824, the company's phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) inhibitor in development for the treatment of schizophrenia and Huntington's disease.

21 Oct 2014

FDA accepts Eisai's sNDA for perampanel drug for treatment of PGTC seizures

Eisai Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for review the company's Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for its in-house-discovered AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel for the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures.

20 Oct 2014

Autonomic dysfunction highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease, regardless of age, disease duration

New findings from The Parkinson Alliance (PA) survey entitled "Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease With and Without Deep Brain Stimulation" show that autonomic dysfunction was highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), regardless of age and disease duration.

20 Oct 2014

Janssen announces submission of IMBRUVICA sNDA to FDA for WM treatment

Janssen Research & Development, LLC today announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by its strategic partner Pharmacyclics, Inc.

20 Oct 2014

Researchers uncover surprising way to reduce brain damage caused by head injuries

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way to reduce the brain damage caused by head injuries - stopping the body's immune system from killing brain cells. The study, published in the open access journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications, showed that in experiments on mice, an immune-based treatment reduced the size of brain lesions.

20 Oct 2014

Researchers propose new milestones to augment National Alzheimer's Plan

The U.S. Government has initiated a major effort to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025. However, a workgroup of nearly 40 Alzheimer's researchers and scientists says the research milestones in the U.S. Government's National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease must be broadened in scope, increased in scale, and adequately funded in order to successfully achieve this goal.

20 Oct 2014

MMP-3 disrupts brain/spinal cord barrier, promotes hemorrhage

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with few treatment options. Studies show that damage to the barrier separating blood from the spinal cord can contribute to the neurologic deficits that arise secondary to the initial trauma. Through a series of sophisticated experiments, researchers reporting in The American Journal of Pathology suggest that matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) plays a pivotal role in disruption of the brain/spinal cord barrier (BSCB), cell death, and functional deficits after SCI.

20 Oct 2014

TSRI scientists identify long-sought activating molecules for subset of immune system cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified the long-sought activating molecules for a rare but crucial subset of immune system cells that help rally other white blood cells to fight infection.

17 Oct 2014