Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

PFO closure device no better than drugs alone in preventing recurrent strokes or TIAs

Loyola University Medical Center is one of the major enrollers in a landmark clinical trial that found that plugging a hole in the heart works no better than drugs in preventing strokes.

17 Mar 2012

$Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy$

Enrollment commences in MORE Registry for DBS in patients with refractory epilepsy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that a patient from Kempenhaeghe-Heeze (The Netherlands) is the first patient to be enrolled into the MORE (MedtrOnic Registry for Epilepsy) Registry which is designed to look at the long-term efficacy, quality of life impact and safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with refractory epilepsy.

From Medtronic 17 Mar 2012

Older women with mild retinopathy more likely to have cognitive decline and related vascular changes

Women 65 or older who have even mild retinopathy, a disease of blood vessels in the retina, are more likely to have cognitive decline and related vascular changes in the brain, according to a multi-institutional study led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

16 Mar 2012

NEJM publishes results from Teva's laquinimod Phase III study on RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced the publication of results from the laquinimod Phase III ALLEGRO study in the March 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

16 Mar 2012

Neuropeptide F in the fly's brain governs behavior linked with addiction

Sexually deprived male fruit flies exhibit a pattern of behavior that seems ripped from the pages of a sad-sack Raymond Carver story: when female fruit flies reject their sexual advances, the males are driven to excessive alcohol consumption, drinking far more than comparable, sexually satisfied male flies.

16 Mar 2012

Combination therapy may improve life span and motor function of infants with Batten disease

Infants with Batten disease, a rare but fatal neurological disorder, appear healthy at birth. But within a few short years, the illness takes a heavy toll, leaving children blind, speechless and paralyzed. Most die by age 5.

16 Mar 2012

Many people do not recognize stroke symptoms

Nationwide ambulance use by patients suffering from a stroke has not changed since the mid-1990s, even though effective stroke treatments are now available.

15 Mar 2012

Women with retinopathy more likely to have cognitive problems

People with mild vascular disease that causes damage to the retina in the eye are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills because they may also have vascular disease in the brain, according to a study published in the March 14, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Mar 2012

Many women experience memory problems during menopause, confirms study

The difficulties that many women describe as memory problems when menopause approaches are real, according to a study published today in the journal Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

15 Mar 2012

New UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care program for patients, caregivers

Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 5.4 million people in the U.S., some 480,000 of them in California. Nearly half of all people 85 and older will be stricken with the disease. The overall burden of dementia is still higher, with Alzheimer's accounting for only 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

15 Mar 2012

People with RBD more likely to develop Parkinson's, MCI

People with symptoms suggesting rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, have twice the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Parkinson's disease within four years of diagnosis with the sleep problem, compared with people without the disorder, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

15 Mar 2012

NCAA grant to kick off long-term study of concussion, other head injuries in athletes

A grant from the NCAA will kick off a groundbreaking, long-term study of concussion and other head injuries among athletes, led by University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues around the country.

15 Mar 2012

Long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification

Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit.

15 Mar 2012

Bayer HealthCare receives FDA approval for Natazia to treat HMB

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new indication for Natazia (estradiol valerate and estradiol valerate/dienogest) tablets for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) that is not caused by any diagnosed conditions of the uterus (womb), in women who choose an oral contraceptive (OC) for contraception.

15 Mar 2012

New national effort to accelerate development of therapies for neurological diseases

The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has selected Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College to participate in a new national effort to accelerate the development of therapies for people with neurological diseases.

14 Mar 2012

Warm weather may hinder cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis

Warm weather may hinder cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results of a Kessler Foundation study e-published online ahead of print by Neurology. An accompanying editorial by Meier & Christodoulou, MS and heat: The smoke and the fire, details the study's unique aspects, ie, longitudinal followup in a cohort with apparently quiescent disease.

14 Mar 2012

Biomedical research advances through new Australian Institute

The Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (BMET) will be officially opened this evening at the University of Sydney, and will significantly advance this highly multidisciplinary research for life sciences and medicine.

14 Mar 2012

Rats’ decision making as good as humans: Study

It is a known fact that rats are smart. But now US researchers have shown that they may be just as good as humans at juggling information in order to make the best decision. The discovery could help scientists better understand how the brain works in order to help people with autism who have difficulty processing various stimuli the way that others can, said the study authors.

14 Mar 2012

Researchers identify genetic signature for eosinophilic esophagitis

Researchers have identified a genetic signature for a severe, often painful food allergy – eosinophilic esophagitis – that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for children unable to eat a wide variety of foods.

12 Mar 2012

HSS summit: Current classification system for osteoarthritis is inadequate

A recent summit that brought together international multidisciplinary experts has provided a foundation for addressing what is the leading cause of disability in the United States: osteoarthritis.

12 Mar 2012