Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Protecting or boosting neurotrophins may slow progression of Huntington's disease

A drug that acts like a growth-promoting protein in the brain reduces degeneration and motor deficits associated with Huntington's disease in two mouse models of the disorder, according to a study appearing November 27 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that protecting or boosting neurotrophins - the molecules that support the survival and function of nerve cells - may slow the progression of Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

27 Nov 2013

Alternative treatment for autism focuses on controlling the 'fight or flight' response

A novel approach to treating children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder could help them navigate their world by teaching them to turn their symptoms into strengths.

26 Nov 2013

Study defines HRV reference values for children

Measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful method when assessing the role of the nervous system for heart function. Standard reference values for heart rate variability in adults have existed for a long time already, but similar values have not been available for children until now.

26 Nov 2013

Chicken eggs can provide better understanding of human birth defects

Clemson University researchers found that chicken eggs can provide a better understanding of human birth defects. Susan Chapman, associate professor in Clemson's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, received a South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence award that allowed researchers to identify two regions in the chicken genome that are associated with congenital deafness and spine deformities in humans.

26 Nov 2013

CHMP adopts positive opinion for ABRAXANE with gemcitabine for treatment of metastatic pancreas

Celgene International Sàrl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today announced that the European Medicines Agency's: Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has adopted a positive opinion for ABRAXANE (paclitaxel formulated as albumin bound nanoparticles, or nab-paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine for first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

25 Nov 2013

Scientists use RNAi technology to reveal genes responsible for treating Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson's disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body.

24 Nov 2013

Study may shed light on neural regrowth in mammals after spinal cord injury

Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve "highways" that link the brain to the spinal cord.

22 Nov 2013

Buck Institute research provides method to study sarcopenia

Our epigenome is a set of chemical switches that turn parts of our genome off and on at strategic times and locations. These switches help alter the way our cells act and are impacted by environmental factors including diet, exercise and stress. Research at the Buck Institute reveals that aging also effects the epigenome in human skeletal muscle. The study, appearing on line in Aging Cell, provides a method to study sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of muscle mass that begins in middle age.

21 Nov 2013

Vaccinating kids against rotavirus may also reduce risk of seizures

A new study suggests an additional-and somewhat surprising-potential benefit of vaccinating children against rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhea and vomiting. Besides protecting kids from intestinal illness caused by rotavirus, immunization may also reduce the risk of related seizures, according to findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online.

21 Nov 2013

Multiple sclerosis researchers receive NMSS drug development grant

A $500,000 drug development grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was awarded to a partnership between a multiple sclerosis research team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company. Dr. Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Genetics and Genomics, at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will be the academic lead.

21 Nov 2013

Study identifies possible link between orthostatic hypotension and atrial fibrillation

Results of a Johns Hopkins-led study have identified a possible link between a history of sudden drops in blood pressure and the most common form of irregular heartbeat.

21 Nov 2013

Women under 50 more likely to experience mental stress-induced ischemia

Researchers have found that women younger than 50 with a recent heart attack are more likely to experience restricted blood flow to the heart (myocardial ischemia) in response to psychological stress.

21 Nov 2013

Omeros’ OMS302 reduces incidence of miosis during intraocular lens replacement in Phase 3 clinical trial

Omeros Corporation today reported analyses of Phase 3 clinical data showing the impact of OMS302 on reducing the incidence of miosis (pupil constriction) during intraocular lens replacement. OMS302 is the company's proprietary Pharmacosurgery product being developed for all ILR, including cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange.

20 Nov 2013

Vect-Horus, AAA form scientific collaboration to open new avenues in treatment of brain diseases

Vect-Horus, a French company specialized in the development of vector molecules for the central nervous system, announces today it has signed a scientific collaboration agreement with Advanced Accelerator Applications, a fast growing international player in Molecular Nuclear Medicine. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

20 Nov 2013

Adverse events linked with HPV vaccine appear to be related with media coverage

The number of adverse events associated with the HPV vaccine reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appeared to be related to media coverage and online controversy about the vaccine, finds a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

20 Nov 2013

Study suggests role for brain imaging in potential treatment of chronic pain

A study in the December issue of Anesthesiology suggests a role for brain imaging in the assessment and potential treatment of chronic pain.

20 Nov 2013

Young adults who had childhood cancer more likely to be frail than their peers

Young adults who survived childhood cancer are more likely than their peers to be frail, according to a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study, which reported the condition is more common among female survivors than women decades older. The research appears in the November 18 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

18 Nov 2013

Study suggests potential new treatment for seizures

A study out today in the journal Nature Medicine suggests a potential new treatment for the seizures that often plague children with genetic metabolic disorders and individuals undergoing liver failure. The discovery hinges on a new understanding of the complex molecular chain reaction that occurs when the brain is exposed to too much ammonia.

17 Nov 2013

Scientists join patients to address Friedreich's Ataxia

The Spanish Federation of Ataxia (FEDAES)—in representation of the GENEFA Platform for a Friedreich's Ataxia cure—, the Babel Family association for biomedical research into Friedreich's Ataxia, the "Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa" (CMBSO), and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have signed an agreement through which these patients' associations will fund, by means of donations, a 3-year research project addressing Friedreich's Ataxia.

16 Nov 2013

FDA Advisory Committee votes in favor of Vanda's tasimelteon NDA for Non-24-Hour Disorder

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly to recommend the approval of Vanda's New Drug Application for tasimelteon, proposed tradename HETLIOZ™, for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder (Non-24) in the totally blind.

15 Nov 2013