Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Scientists demonstrate successful implementation of prosthetic memory system

Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the University of Southern California (USC) have demonstrated the successful implementation of a prosthetic system that uses a person's own memory patterns to facilitate the brain's ability to encode and recall memory.

28 Mar 2018

Study uncovers genetic trigger that may help the brain to recover from stroke, other injuries

Scientists have found a genetic trigger that may improve the brain's ability to heal from a range of debilitating conditions, from strokes to concussions and spinal cord injuries.

27 Mar 2018

Antibody sweeps away Alzheimer's plaques in mice

Years before people start showing characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, sticky plaques begin forming in their brains, damaging nearby cells. For decades, doctors have sought ways to clear out these plaques as a way to prevent or treat the disease.

27 Mar 2018

Researchers propose new approach to look deeper into brain function

To uncover connections between brain regions and specific cognitive functions, neuroscientists have long made extensive use of techniques like functional resonance imaging (fMRI). First introduced in the 1990's, the method allows tracking the brain's activity while a test subject performs a task or responds to stimuli in the MRI scanner.

26 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover cause of rare childhood neurodegenerative disease

Neurology researchers investigating a rare but devastating neurological regression in infants have discovered the cause: gene mutations that severely disrupt crucial functions in mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells.

23 Mar 2018

Specific immune cells may help slow progression of ALS, research shows

New research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as motor neuron disease - shows that specific immune cells may help slow progression of the disease, an important step towards developing new therapies to treat patients.

22 Mar 2018

Menopausal hormone therapy taken soon after menopause may benefit the brain

Taking menopausal hormone therapy soon after menopause to relieve symptoms may also benefit the brain, according to a study published in the March 21, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Mar 2018

Researchers explain link between 2 key Alzheimer's proteins

It's a paradox of Alzheimer's disease: Plaques of the sticky protein amyloid beta are the most characteristic sign in the brain of the deadly neurodegenerative disease. However, many older people have such plaques in their brains but do not have dementia.

21 Mar 2018

Discovery of new ALS gene points to cytoskeleton as potential target for drug development

An international team of researchers led by John Landers, PhD, at UMass Medical School, and Bryan Traynor, MD, PhD, at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, has identified KIF5A as a new gene associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

21 Mar 2018

Scientists develop brain “stethoscope” that can detect silent seizures

Neurologists at Stanford have developed a diagnostic tool that can translate the brain’s activity into sounds for the detection of silent seizures.

21 Mar 2018

Researchers discover 'missing mutation' in severe infant epilepsy

Researchers have discovered a "missing mutation" in severe infant epilepsy--long-suspected genetic changes that might trigger overactive, brain-damaging electrical signaling leading to seizures.

20 Mar 2018

Study shows clear connection between cardiovascular fitness in middle age and dementia risk

Women who have a high cardiovascular fitness in middle age have a risk of developing dementia when older that is almost 90 percent lower than among women in average physical condition, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

20 Mar 2018

Transplanting enhanced interneurons restores brain rhythms in mouse model of Alzheimer’s

Like a great orchestra, your brain relies on the perfect coordination of many elements to function properly. And if one of those elements is out of sync, it affects the entire ensemble. In Alzheimer's disease, for instance, damage to specific neurons can alter brainwave rhythms and cause a loss of cognitive functions.

15 Mar 2018

Dementia patients do not undergo diagnostic evaluation at onset of disease, study finds

A study conducted by a multidisciplinary Spectrum Health neurology team has found that dementia patients are not undergoing evaluation at the onset of the dementia process, a delay that prevents early, beneficial treatment.

15 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover link between Parkinson’s disease mutations and plaque formation in the brain

Working with lab-grown human brain cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have uncovered a much sought-after connection between one of the most common genetic mutations in Parkinson's disease and the formation of fatty plaques in the brain thought to contribute to the destruction of motor neurons that characterize the disease.

15 Mar 2018

Women with high physical fitness at middle age 90% less likely to develop dementia

Women with high physical fitness at middle age were nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia decades later, compared to women who were moderately fit, according to a study published the March 14, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Mar 2018

Brain with an air-pocket lesion in a rare case report of an elderly man

An 84 year old was complaining of repeatedly losing his balance and falling over. He visited his primary physician in Northern Ireland from where he was referred to the emergency room. On MRI, the team of doctors found a 3½-inch pocket of air in his brain. This has never been reported before in any case and thus the detailed report titled, “The man that lost (part of) his mind,” was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

15 Mar 2018

Backup your brain in the cloud ? But first you must die !

Nectome, a start-up says that one day they may be able to download all the information that the brain stores in it digitally to create a successful back-up. The only caveat is that the person has to be dead first.

15 Mar 2018

New guidelines intend to provide template for optimal, most up-to-date DMD care

Diagnostic and treatment advances are helping patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy - one of nine major types of muscular dystrophy that affects males - live into their 30s and beyond, raising challenges in such areas as education, vocation, levels of independence, personal relationships, emotional health, and intimacy.

13 Mar 2018

Electronic consultation system reduces wait times, increases access to specialty care

An electronic consultation system designed to reduce excessive wait times for appointments with specialists experienced exponential growth during a recent five-year period.

13 Mar 2018