Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

Study: Simple blood test could predict risk of developing dementia

Scientists at Rigshopitalet, Herlev Hospital and the University of Copenhagen identify a new biomarker that can predict the risk of developing dementia by way of a simple blood test. In the long term, this could mean better prevention and thus at least postponement of the illness and at best evading the development all together.

10 Feb 2015

Researchers document pathological progress of multiple sclerosis

The Centre for Brain Research at the MedUni Vienna is regarded as a world leader in researching the mechanisms involved with multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, in a paper published in the highly respected journal Lancet Neurology, an international team of researchers from Edinburgh, Cleveland and Vienna, under the leadership of Hans Lassmann, Head of the Department of Neuroimmunology at the MedUni Vienna, has for the first time documented the pathological progress of the disease from its early to late stage and also shown that inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes have a role to play.

9 Feb 2015

Groundbreaking study reveals potential dangers of ice hockey for young athletes

James Hudziak, M.D., has two children who love ice hockey. His son skates for his college team and one of his daughters plays in high school.

9 Feb 2015

New compound may lead to development of potential therapeutics for neuropathic pain

A new compound discovered by a team of UC Davis investigators has potent actions against production of a chemical that which is implicated in the development of chronic pain following a peripheral nerve injury in the spinal cord.

7 Feb 2015

Meditation appears to help preserve the brain's gray matter

Since 1970, life expectancy around the world has risen dramatically, with people living more than 10 years longer. That's the good news.

6 Feb 2015

New study links cell communication pathway to common brain tumors found in children

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers links a well-known cell communication pathway called Notch to one of the most common -- but overall still rare -- brain tumors found in children.

6 Feb 2015

Isis receives $10 million from Biogen Idec to begin IND-supporting studies of ISIS-BIIB4 Rx

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has earned a $10 million milestone payment from Biogen Idec for initiating the investigational new drug (IND)-supporting studies of ISIS-BIIB4 Rx.

5 Feb 2015

Northwestern Medicine researchers evaluate unique surgical method to treat chronic amputee pain

Northwestern Medicine® researchers are leading a new multi-center clinical trial to evaluate a unique surgical method, known as targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), to treat chronic pain that can result from limb amputation. Around a quarter of all amputees develop chronic pain in the remaining portion of their amputated limb, which can include phantom limb syndrome (pain that is perceived in the portion of the limb that is gone), and prevents many patients from using prostheses.

5 Feb 2015

Hockey legend diagnosed with suspected Lewy body dementia

The sad news of hockey legend Stan Mikita's illness has brought unexpected visibility to a disease unfamiliar to many people.

4 Feb 2015

SuperAgers have distinctly different looking brains

SuperAgers, aged 80 and above, have distinctly different looking brains than those of normal older people, according to new Northwestern Medicine research that is beginning to reveal why the memories of these cognitively elite elders don't suffer the usual ravages of time.

4 Feb 2015

EyeBrain raises €1.3 million ($1.47 million) through crowdfunding

EyeBrain, a company that develops markers of cerebral function for neurological and psychiatric disorders and diseases, today announces the conclusion of a new round of funding. A total of €1.3 million ($1.47 million) has been raised with the support of EyeBrain’s shareholders, the Fonds Régional de Co-Investissement d’Ile-de-France (FRCI, regional joint investment fund for the Ile-de-France or Greater Paris area) and the Anaxago crowdfunding platform.

4 Feb 2015

Whole exome sequencing helps Mayo Clinic neurologist solve a medical mystery

Precision medicine is getting a jump-start from a new national initiative announced in President Obama's State of the Union message. One Georgia family has already experienced its benefits: genomic testing called whole exome sequencing helped Mayo Clinic neurologist Zbigniew Wszolek, M.D., solve a medical mystery that had left a boy with painful, jerking spasms that at times prevented him from walking or talking.

4 Feb 2015

Movement tracking device can effectively help assess progression of Parkinson's disease

A device that measures movement and balance can effectively help assess and track the progression of Parkinson's disease, even when medications are used to reduce Parkinson's symptoms, UT Southwestern Medical Center research found.

From APDM Wearable Technologies 4 Feb 2015

ISP shows promise in stopping fatal arrhythmias after heart attack

Case Western Reserve's chemical compound aimed at restoring spinal cord function may have an additional purpose: stopping potentially fatal arrhythmias after heart attack.

3 Feb 2015

Findings may lay foundation for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

This story starts in 1955, upon the death of Albert Einstein, when the pathologist charged with performing the famous scientist's autopsy stole his brain.

3 Feb 2015

NSF issues new recommendations for proper sleep durations

The National Sleep Foundation, along with a multi-disciplinary expert panel, issued its new recommendations for appropriate sleep durations. The report recommends wider appropriate sleep ranges for most age groups. The results are published in Sleep Health: The Official Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.

3 Feb 2015

National Centre for Healthcare Photonics to be located in North East of England

One of the most interesting and fastest developing areas in healthcare is the use of light to diagnose and treat medical conditions and illnesses, collectively known as Healthcare Photonics. It includes a range of new phototherapies as well as bio-medical imaging and in vitro diagnostics. The area offers huge potential for the UK and the global healthcare sector. Applications are wide ranging from wound, skin and cancer care to niche applications in neurology and ophthalmology.

2 Feb 2015

Mathematical models of cancer behavior offer new insights on tumor growth

Hassan Fathallah-Shaykh, M.D., Ph.D., believes that math can transform medicine, and he has the numbers to prove it.

2 Feb 2015

People's perceptions of cost of drug may affect how much they benefit from it

People's perceptions of the cost of a drug may affect how much they benefit from the drug, even when they are receiving only a placebo, according to a new study of people with Parkinson's disease published in the January 28, 2015 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Feb 2015

Scientists reveal mechanism underlying cellular degeneration of upper motor neurons

For the first time, scientists have revealed a mechanism underlying the cellular degeneration of upper motor neurons, a small group of neurons in the brain recently shown to play a major role in ALS pathology.

31 Jan 2015