Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Ketogenic diet and fasting can reduce seizures in children

Children with persistent and drug-resistant seizures treated with the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet may get an added therapeutic benefit from periodic fasting, according to a small Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

7 Dec 2012

SOX2 directly regulated by tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Manuel Serrano, from the Tumour Suppression Group, together with scientists from London and Santiago de Compostela, has discovered that the cellular reprogramming gene SOX2, which is involved in several types of cancers, such as lung cancer and pituitary cancer, is directly regulated by the tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene, which is also associated with these types of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Fexinidazole enters Phase II/III clinical study to treat sleeping sickness

A new oral-only treatment for sleeping sickness has entered Phase II/III clinical study in patients with late-stage sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and soon in Central African Republic (CAR).

6 Dec 2012

Scientists evaluate two different strategies to treat Usher syndrome

After years of basic research, scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are increasingly able to understand the mechanisms underlying the human Usher syndrome and are coming ever closer to finding a successful treatment approach. The scientists in the Usher research group of Professor Dr. Uwe Wolfrum are evaluating two different strategies. These involve either the repair of mutated genes or the deactivation of the genetic defects using agents.

6 Dec 2012

Selective targeting of neurotransmitters may allow for new medication therapies for GI conditions

Selective targeting of the neurotransmitter that differentially affects brain cells that control the two distinct functions of the pancreas may allow for new medication therapies for conditions like diabetes, dyspepsia and gastro-esophageal reflux, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

5 Dec 2012

Researchers derive dopaminergic neurons from bone marrow stem cells in monkeys

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that is characterized by tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty walking. It is caused by loss of the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine (known as dopaminergic neurons). One of the primary goals in Parkinson's disease research is to develop a replacement for dopaminergic neurons.

4 Dec 2012

Pain can be treated by targeting immune and nerve cells outside brain or spinal cord

The treatment of inflammatory pain can be improved by endogenous opioid peptides acting directly in injured tissue. Scientists at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Université Paris Descartes showed that pain can be successfully treated by targeting immune and nerve cells outside the brain or spinal cord.

3 Dec 2012

UCB directs national effort to educate public about Crohn's disease

In recognition of Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week (December 1-7), UCB, Inc. is directing a national effort to educate the public about Crohn's disease and inspire those living with the condition to speak out about it.

1 Dec 2012

Pressure Right effectively reduces postdischarge nausea and vomiting

In its December 2012 issue, the Outpatient Surgery Magazine's product news section introduces Pressure Right, the longer-acting perioperative, (Rx) antiemetic prophylaxis medical device to its readers.

30 Nov 2012

DFG to establish 11 Collaborative Research Centres in Jan 2013

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eleven Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) as of 1 January 2013. This was decided by the responsible Grants Committee during its fall session in Bonn.

30 Nov 2012

Stroke effects: an interview with Dr Ingvars Birznieks

Stroke often affects both our ability of our hands to feel and our ability to contract muscles. Sensory and motor functions are tightly linked.

30 Nov 2012

Needless fears linked to severity of autism symptoms in children

Most people know when to be afraid and when it's ok to calm down. But new research on autism shows that children with the diagnosis struggle to let go of old, outdated fears. Even more significantly, the Brigham Young University study found that this rigid fearfulness is linked to the severity of classic symptoms of autism, such as repeated movements and resistance to change.

30 Nov 2012

Novartis to highlight key data from extensive oncology portfolio at SABCS and ASH meeting

Novartis will highlight more than 140 presentations on key data from its extensive oncology portfolio at the leading year-end scientific meetings devoted to hematology and breast cancer, demonstrating continued innovation in research and development efforts to advance the care of patients with cancer and rare diseases.

30 Nov 2012

German Research Foundation to establish new CRC at Mainz University Medical Center

On January 1, 2013, the German Research Foundation (DFG) will establish a new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU).

30 Nov 2012

ArmaGen closes $17M Series A financing

ArmaGen Technologies, Inc. today announced the closing of a $17 million Series A financing to support the development of brain-penetrating recombinant protein therapeutics.

29 Nov 2012

Yale and Mainz University Medical Center to extend collaboration

The University Medical Center at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany and the renowned School of Medicine at Yale University, USA have agreed upon a future collaboration. This strategic partnership promises to provide an innovative stimulus for the Research Unit Translational Neurosciences at the Mainz University Medical Center. The resulting regular exchange will benefit both basic research and the training of young researchers.

29 Nov 2012

Suvorexant may bring help for people with insomnia

A new drug may bring help for people with insomnia, according to a study published in the November 28, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Nov 2012

UCB to sponsor key sets of VIMPAT C-V data at 66th American Epilepsy Society annual meeting

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company focusing on CNS and immunology treatment and research, is sponsoring key sets of VIMPAT® (lacosamide) C-V data at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) in San Diego, Calif., November 30 - December 4.

29 Nov 2012

Pfizer completes acquisition of NextWave Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer Inc. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of NextWave Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of products for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

29 Nov 2012

High-resolution real-time images show how nerves may be damaged during earliest stages of MS

High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia.

28 Nov 2012