Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

AAN to award 2013 Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize to Amytis Towfighi

The American Academy of Neurology is awarding the 2013 Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize to Amytis Towfighi, MD, with the University of Southern California and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center for her research in post-stroke preventive care.

2 Mar 2013

Influenza vaccine linked to narcolepsy in children in England

Researchers have found an increased risk for narcolepsy in children who received the swine flu vaccination in England.

1 Mar 2013

Pivotal study of olesoxime in Spinal Muscular Atrophy receives positive interim review

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for under-served medical needs in neurology and cardiology, announced the completion of the interim analysis of the pivotal efficacy study of olesoxime in the rare neurodegenerative condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

1 Mar 2013

Structural connectome maps reveal new details about agenesis of the corpus callosum

Combining hospital MRIs with the mathematical tool known as network analysis, a group of researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have mapped the three-dimensional global connections within the brains of seven adults who have genetic malformations that leave them without the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right sides of the brain.

1 Mar 2013

Adult sleepwalking may induce violent behaviors and affect health-related quality of life

A new study found that adult sleepwalking is a potentially serious condition that may induce violent behaviors and affect health-related quality of life.

1 Mar 2013

Amyloid plaques take about 15 years to build up and then plateau: Study

Researchers have identified a possible treatment window of several years for plaques in the brain that are thought to cause memory loss in diseases such as Alzheimer's. The Mayo Clinic study is published in the Feb. 27 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Feb 2013

Friedreich's Ataxia costs between £11,000 and £19,000 per person per year

What is the cost of rare diseases such as Friedreich's Ataxia? By analyzing direct and indirect costs of care research in BioMed Central's open access journal Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases calculated that conservatively this rare disease costs between £11,000 and £19,000 per person per year.

28 Feb 2013

ECGs show structural difference in brain connections among children with autism

A look at how the brain processes information finds a distinct pattern in children with autism spectrum disorders. Using EEGs to track the brain's electrical cross-talk, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital have found a structural difference in brain connections. Compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at the expense of long-distance links.

27 Feb 2013

Newborn screening improves detection of lethal form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in girls as well as boys

Contrary to current belief, routine newborn screening improves the detection of the lethal form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in girls as well as boys, saving lives in both sexes, according to a unique study of CAH during the last 100 years published Online First in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

27 Feb 2013

Natalizumab may be second-line option for pediatric MS patients

Natalizumab may be an effective and well tolerated second-line treatment for pediatric patients with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, say researchers.

26 Feb 2013

Acupuncture with de qi improves facial muscle recovery in Bell palsy patients

Patients with Bell palsy who received acupuncture that achieves de qi, a type of intense stimulation, had improved facial muscle recovery, reduced disability and better quality of life, according to a randomized controlled trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

26 Feb 2013

Adjustable shunt effectively alleviates hydrocephalus pressure

Using a shunt with an adjustable Strata valve that is initially set at the highest setting so it can be titrated down is a worthwhile approach to treat idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

25 Feb 2013

Symptoms poor guide to testing for juvenile Huntington disease

The onset or presentation of specific clinical features that are typical of juvenile Huntington’s Disease (JHD) do not help physicians to diagnose the condition without genetic testing.

25 Feb 2013

CHADS scores possibilities extend beyond atrial fibrillation

The CHADS-based risk scores can predict long-term vascular outcomes and mortality in patients with stroke who do not have atrial fibrillation, research suggests.

25 Feb 2013

Brain cooling after severe head injury may prevent epileptic seizures

In the weeks, months and years after a severe head injury, patients often experience epileptic seizures that are difficult to control. A new study in rats suggests that gently cooling the brain after injury may prevent these seizures.

22 Feb 2013

Dietary antioxidants may not protect against stroke and dementia

Contrary to other research, a new study found that the total level of antioxidants in people's diets is not related to their risk of developing stroke or dementia.

21 Feb 2013

Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading preventable cause of developmental disorders in developed countries. And fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a range of alcohol-related birth defects that includes fetal alcohol syndrome, is thought to affect as many as 1 in 100 children born in the United States.

21 Feb 2013

MILabs VECTor/CT installed by Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA) in Belgium

MILabs B.V. is pleased to announce that the Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA) in Belgium has installed a MILabs VECTor/CT to enhance their portfolio of pre-clinical nuclear oncology and neurology imaging and research capabilities.

18 Feb 2013

Spherical nucleic acids could revolutionize biomedicine

Northwestern University's Chad A. Mirkin, a world-renowned leader in nanotechnology research and its application, has invented and developed a powerful material that could revolutionize biomedicine: spherical nucleic acids (SNAs).

16 Feb 2013

TSG might be novel compound for treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia with Lewy body

Administration of the active compound tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) derived from the Chinese herbal medicine Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, reversed both overexpression of α-synuclein, a small protein found in the brain, and its accumulation using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2013