Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

NICE backs use of Enbrel and Raptiva to treat severe psoriasis

NICE has today issued guidance for the use of the targeted biological therapies, Enbrel (etanercept) and Raptiva (efalizumab), to treat adult patients with severe plaque psoriasis.

26 Jul 2006

First study to demonstrate IVIg effective longer than a year

A purified mixture of human antibodies called intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) provides lasting benefits to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to researchers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

25 Jul 2006

Research simplifies diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common hereditary disorder of the peripheral nervous system, leading to a weakening of the muscles in the lower legs, feet and hands as the nerves that run from the spinal cord to the muscles die off.

24 Jul 2006

Pig cell implants show potential for treatment of stroke, Huntington's disease

A review of accumulated evidence on the use of porcine brain choroid plexus (CP) cells published in the July issue of Xenotransplantation highlights that these cells have the potential to treat acute and chronic brain disease.

24 Jul 2006

Researchers identify potential ovarian cancer stem cells

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have identified potential ovarian cancer stem cells, which may be behind the difficulty of treating these tumors with standard chemotherapy.

21 Jul 2006

Study establishes safety of spinal cord stem cell transplantation

Transplanting human embryonic stem cells does not cause harm and can be used as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury, according to a recent study by UC Irvine researchers.

19 Jul 2006

Antibodies show promise in treating Alzheimer's

Researchers say infusing human antibodies into people with Alzheimer's disease appears to help stop the disease from getting worse and may even help the patients improve.

19 Jul 2006

Growing spinal cord nerves after injury

In tests on rats, researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Michigan have developed a treatment that helps spinal cord nerves regrow after injury.

18 Jul 2006

Scientists identify signals that regulate the formation of spinal marrow

A team of researchers at Umea University in Sweden under the leadership of Thomas Edlund, Umea Center for Molecular Medicine, is now publishing their discovery of the signal molecules that regulate the formation of spinal marrow during the fetal period.

17 Jul 2006

Memory Pharmaceuticals achieves milestone for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders

Memory Pharmaceuticals is to receive approximately $2.3M in funding from Roche in 2007.

17 Jul 2006

Watch out for Tuna from Latin America says environment group

An environmental watchdog group say they have found that some canned tuna imported into the United States has mercury levels higher than the federal limit.

12 Jul 2006

First trial to investigate effects of cannabinoids on progression of multiple sclerosis

Clinicians from across the UK have now embarked on the world's first trial to investigate whether cannabis derivatives could play a role in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis.

11 Jul 2006

Court says autism therapy age limit is not a form of discrimination

A court in Canada has ruled that the government's refusal to provide expensive therapy for all autistic children older than five is not age discrimination.

10 Jul 2006

New aspect of prion disease - agent causes heart damage

Until now, prion disease has been thought of as a chronic neurological condition.

9 Jul 2006

How the brain rewires after lesions

Scientists from Bochum investigate the reorganizational capacity of the adult brain.

3 Jul 2006

FDA approves Exelon to treat dementia of Parkinson's disease

FDA approves Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease.

27 Jun 2006

The protein that makes you mad

In recent years our feeding habits have been the focus of ongoing polemics. Everybody will remember the "mad cow" crisis.

26 Jun 2006

Scientists use embryonic stem cells to awaken latent motor nerve repair

In a dramatic display of stem cells' potential for healing, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists reports that they've engineered new, completed, fully-working motor neuron circuits - neurons stretching from spinal cord to target muscles - in paralyzed adult animals.

26 Jun 2006

Thunderstorms plus mobile phones equal a dangerous combination

According to British doctors people who use mobile phones outdoors during a thunderstorm, put themselves at risk of being struck by lightning.

26 Jun 2006

Central nervous system can sometimes send out signals that invite hostile immune system attacks

It may sound like a case of blame the victim, but researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that cells in the central nervous system can sometimes send out signals that invite hostile immune system attacks.

18 Jun 2006