Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Majority of patients who survive cardiac arrest experience cognitive problems

Half of all patients who survive a cardiac arrest experience problems with cognitive functions such as memory and attention.

17 Apr 2015

Study shows epilepsy drug can protect vision of MS patients

A drug commonly taken to prevent seizures in epilepsy may surprisingly protect the eyesight of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

17 Apr 2015

Study could lead to new therapeutic targets for treating Huntington's disease

An international study led by researchers from Université Laval and CHU de Québec-Université Laval has identified significant vascular changes in the brains of people with Huntington's disease. This breakthrough, the details of which are published in the most recent issue of Annals of Neurology, will have significant implications for our understanding of the disease and could open the door to new therapeutic targets for treating this fatal neurodegenerative condition.

17 Apr 2015

Study provides detailed brain map of language impairments in aphasia after stroke

The exchange of words, speaking and listening in conversation, may seem unremarkable for most people, but communicating with others is a challenge for people who have aphasia, an impairment of language that often happens after stroke or other brain injury.

16 Apr 2015

New research links sleep apnea, heavy snoring with premature cognitive decline

Heavy snoring and sleep apnea may be linked to memory and thinking decline at an earlier age, according to a new study published in the April 15, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Apr 2015

New longer-term data on Genzyme's relapsing MS treatments to be presented at AAN 2015

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that new longer-term data on its relapsing multiple sclerosis treatments, Aubagio (teriflunomide) and Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), will be featured during the 67th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology being held in Washington, D.C. April 18-25.

15 Apr 2015

MEMREHAB trial shows that treatment with mSMT may be adversely affected by cognitive dysfunction

Kessler Foundation researchers published a subanalysis of their MEMREHAB trial, which shows that treatment with the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) may be affected by cognitive dysfunction. Investigators looked at the influence of processing speed on benefits of the mSMT, a 10-session cognitive intervention protocol shown to improve new learning and memory in individuals with MS.

13 Apr 2015

Broader use of psychological testing may improve process for social security disability determination

Broader use of standardized psychological testing for applicants submitting disability claims to the U.S. Social Security Administration should improve the accuracy and consistency of disability determinations, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

13 Apr 2015

Mindfulness meditation can reduce pain, anxiety in healthy individuals

When Rebecca Erwin was a varsity rower at the University of North Carolina, the coach had the team's members take a yoga and meditation class.

10 Apr 2015

Stroke patients can benefit from clot-busting drug, shows brain scan study

A drug that breaks up blood clots in the brains of stroke patients could be used more widely than at present without increased risk, a brain scan study suggests.

10 Apr 2015

Arts and craft activities, computer use may stave off memory problems

People who participate in arts and craft activities and who socialize in middle and old age may delay the development in very old age of the thinking and memory problems that often lead to dementia, according to a new study published in the April 8, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Apr 2015

Stroke patients at greater risk of committing suicide compared with other population groups

Stroke patients can be up to twice as likely to commit suicide compared with the rest of the population, and the risk of attempted suicide is highest within the first two years after a stroke. These are the findings of a study from Umeå University published in the journal Neurology.

8 Apr 2015

TOAST classification remains effective, easy-to-use system to classify strokes

In 1993, neurologists Harold P. Adams Jr., MD, and Jose Biller, MD, and colleagues proposed a new way to classify strokes. It became known as the TOAST classification. Twenty-two years later, the TOAST classification remains an effective and easy-to-use system that is routinely employed in stroke studies around the world, Drs. Adams and Biller report in the journal Stroke, published online ahead of print.

8 Apr 2015

Deep brain stimulation reduces PD pain severity but does not prevent it

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation has a beneficial effect on pain severity in patients with Parkinson’s disease that persists for up to 8 years, say researchers, but new onset of musculoskeletal pain in many suggests its effects are not enduring.

7 Apr 2015

Bilirubin levels raised in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease

Bilirubin levels are upregulated in patients with early Parkinson’s disease and are associated with disease progression at 2 years, a study shows.

7 Apr 2015

New blood test may more accurately identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease

A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study published in the journal Movement Disorders.

7 Apr 2015

Scientists identify small RNA molecule that can suppress cancer-causing genes in GBM

Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a small RNA molecule called miR-182 that can suppress cancer-causing genes in mice with glioblastoma mulitforme (GBM), a deadly and incurable type of brain tumor.

6 Apr 2015

Depomed acquires U.S. rights to NUCYNTA franchise from Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Depomed, Inc. today announced that it has closed the acquisition of the U.S. rights to the NUCYNTA franchise from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $1.05 billion. The NUCYNTA franchise includes: NUCYNTA ER (tapentadol) extended release tablets indicated for the management of pain, including neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment; NUCYNTA (tapentadol), an immediate release version of tapentadol, for management of moderate to severe acute pain in adults; and NUCYNTA (tapentadol) oral solution, an approved oral form of tapentadol that has not been launched.

6 Apr 2015

Researchers test effects of light therapy on brain function

Following up on promising results from pilot work, researchers at the VA Boston Healthcare System are testing the effects of light therapy on brain function in veterans with Gulf War Illness.

3 Apr 2015

Study: APOSEC protein concentrate reduces severity of damage after spinal cord injuries

In tests conducted on animals, the APOSEC protein concentrate extracted from white blood cells has reduced the severity of damage after an accident involving spinal cord injuries when the agent was injected in the abdominal cavity 40 minutes after the acute lesion. As a result, severe consequential paralyses can be prevented.

2 Apr 2015