Feature Channels: Neuro

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The American Academy of Neurology is awarding two California researchers the 2017 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases for their work in dementia research. Claudia Kawas, MD, of the University of California, Irvine, and Kristine Yaffe, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, both members of the American Academy of Neurology, will be honored at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Thin parts of the cell membranes of neurons turn out to be particularly vulnerable to a protein that collects in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease, according to a University of Michigan researcher.

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A consortium of 50 psychologists and psychiatrists, including Notre Dame professors Lee Anna Clark and David Watson, has outlined a new diagnostic model for mental illness.

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A first of its kind mouse model could lead to an understanding of how cerebral malaria infection leads to the development of epilepsy in children and to the prevention of seizures.

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More Americans than ever are turning to spiritual, meditative and religious retreats as a way to reset their daily life and enhance wellbeing. Now, researchers at The Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University show there are changes in the dopamine and serotonin systems in the brains of retreat participants. The team published their results in Religion, Brain & Behavior.

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University of North Carolina scientists found that mucin proteins, which make mucus thick and sticky, fail to unfold properly in the airways of people with cystic fibrosis. And they found the lack of water in the lung can trigger the misfolding mucins.

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A consortium of psychiatrists and psychologists from universities worldwide, co-led by Stony Brook University, University of Minnesota and University of Notre Dame, has proposed a new approach to diagnosing mental disorders.

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The brains of those who are born blind make new connections in the absence of visual information, resulting in enhanced, compensatory abilities such as a heightened sense of hearing, smell and touch, as well as cognitive functions (such as memory and language) according to a new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers.

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University of Pennsylvania, has received the 2017 Scientific Innovations Award from the Chicago-based Brain Research Foundation, which supports research for preventing and treating neurological diseases.

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In a new study, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, University of Cyprus and Stanford University map the complex biological cascade caused by MIA: the expression of multiple genes involved in autism are turned up or down by MIA, affecting key aspects of prenatal brain development that may increase risk for atypical development later in life.

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A unique institute is being formed to develop and investigate the forward-thinking ideas of eminent British physicist Sir Roger Penrose. To be based in San Diego, California, with collaborations in London and Oxford in the UK, and Tucson, Arizona, the Institute will examine the interplay between quantum mechanics and general relativity and the possible implications on our understanding of consciousness.

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Inhibiting the Ezh2 enzyme may be counterproductive for treatment of certain cancers, including the aggressive brain tumor Group 3 medulloblastoma

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We live in a three-dimensional world, but everything we see is first recorded on our retinas in only two dimensions.So how does the brain represent 3-D information? In a new study, researchers for the first time have shown how different parts of the brain represent an object’s location in depth compared to its 2-D location.

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UCLA researchers have discovered the molecular basis of an incurable disease known as inclusion body myopathy, Paget disease with frontotemporal dementia, or IBMPFD. Using both fruit flies and human cells the researchers discovered how IBMPFD mutations cause cellular damage, and identified two compounds that are able to reverse the mutations effects. The findings suggest potential strategies to combat IBMPFD and other diseases, including ALS.

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Standard antidepressant medications don’t work for everyone, and even when they do they are slow to kick in. In an effort to find better depression treatments, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine discovered that inhibiting an enzyme called Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) relieves signs of depression in mice. Moreover, inhibiting GLO1 worked much faster than the conventional antidepressant Prozac.

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Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM) announced that Robert Wechsler-Reya, Ph.D., has been named program director for the Joseph Clayes III Research Center for Neuro-Oncology and Genomics at RCIGM. Wechsler-Reya, a professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), will retain his position as director of the Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program at SBP’s NCI-designated Cancer Center and will hold a joint appointment at RCIGM.

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A study by researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) shows that more than half of family doctors in Canada are still using manual devices to measure blood pressure, a dated technology that often leads to misdiagnosis.

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With just an inexpensive micro-thin surgical needle and laser light, University of Utah engineers have discovered a minimally invasive, inexpensive way to take high-resolution pictures of an animal brain, a process that also could lead to a much less invasive method for humans.

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Consistently using a tackling education program appears to help lessen youth football concussion severity and occurrence, say researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Specialty Day in San Diego, CA.

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The effect of multipotent adult progenitor stem cells on stroke recovery were the focus of two recently published papers that include researchers at the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

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Nearly 50 percent of recently-deployed Soldiers who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury reported post-concussive symptoms – like headaches, sleep disturbance, and forgetfulness – three months after returning from deployment, according to a study published March 17 in Neurology by researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

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PHILADELPHIA – Adolescence marks not only the period of physical maturation bridging childhood and adulthood, but also a crucial period for remodeling of the human brain. A Penn study reveals new patterns of coordinated development in the outer layer of the cerebrum of the human brain and describes how these structural patterns relate to functional networks.

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Repurposed ketamine and other treatments could significantly impact patients with treatment-resistant depression, but fundamental questions remain

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How do mammals keep two biologically crucial metabolites in balance during times when they are feeding, sleeping, and fasting? The answer may require rewriting some textbooks.

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Results from a prospective clinical trial showed that a blood test looking at specific biomarkers was able to detect recurrences of lung cancer an average of six months before conventional imaging methods found evidence of recurrence.

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In 2011, Anthony "Tony" Perez was a 22-year-old junior majoring in business administration at Wichita State University. On June 10 his life changed forever. Perez was riding his moped when he was struck by an SUV and rushed to the nearest hospital, Wesley Medical Center. His injuries were so serious that he had only the minimum level of function to breathe and was given only a 5 percent chance of survival.

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A study led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei from National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly, and this is especially so for APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

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A new biomarker may help predict which children will take longer to recover from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a preliminary study published in the March 15, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have gained new insight into the genetic and neuronal circuit mechanisms that may contribute to impaired sociability in some forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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New Michigan State University research has found that refugees diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder regulate stress differently than those who don’t have the disorder, but may have experienced similar suffering.

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Renowned neurologist and critical care specialist Jennifer A. Frontera, MD, joins NYU Lutheran as chief of neurology, with an eye to expand neurocritical care.

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Speed of signaling between brain's hemispheres an indication of damage to white matter; may help to identify youths at risk of cognitive decline

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The impulsive act of checking Facebook while driving, in a work meeting, or at other times that could lead to negative consequences has been linked to a deficiency in the balance between two systems in the brain, find researchers in a recent study published in the Journal of Management Information Systems.

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Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made a surprising and potentially crucial discovery about Alexander disease, a rare and fatal neurological disorder with no known cure.

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Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have discovered a common genetic variant that greatly affects normal brain aging in older adults. The discovery may point toward new targets for preventing or treating age-associated brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

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A study published recently in the journal Psychology and Behavior unveils the potential to use changes in saccadic eye movements - the rapid repositioning of the eye to focus on a target - as a reliable biomarker for pilot fatigue. Professors Stephen Macknik, PhD, and Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD of SUNY Downstate Medical Center were co-authors in the study.

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In a small-scale study of women with previously diagnosed mood disorders, Johns Hopkins researchers report that lower levels of the hormone allopregnanolone in the second trimester of pregnancy were associated with an increased chance of developing postpartum depression in women already known to be at risk for the disorder.

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An international research team, led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, has created the first cellular model of anorexia nervosa (AN), reprogramming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from adolescent females with the eating disorder.

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The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) adds its voice to the serious concerns raised by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and other major health care organizations about the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act. The proposed replacement bill threatens to aggravate the already difficult environment for obtaining care for individuals with eating disorders and other mental illnesses.

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Queen’s University Belfast scientists have discovered that specific cells from the immune system are key players in brain repair – a fundamental breakthrough that could revolutionise the treatment of debilitating neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

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More than 80 percent of stroke patients with a history of atrial fibrillation either received not enough or no anticoagulation therapy prior to having a stroke, despite the drugs’ proven record of reducing stroke risk, according to a Duke Clinical Research Institute study.

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Scientists and lawyers speak different languages, but there is common ground. Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists working in a multi-institutional team with legal authorities have discovered that brain imaging can determine whether someone is acting in a state of knowledge about a crime.

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A young songbird sings an intricate melody from its caged perch, trying to echo the mating song heard so many times from his father.

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Mount Sinai study on psychosis reveals the importance of clarifying the precise structure of any genetic mutation before moving forward with human-induced pluripotent stem cell studies

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New research adds to growing evidence that Parkinson's disease may arise in part from neurons’ failure to recycle the materials used to package and transport neurotransmitters.

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Georgetown researcher Peter Turkeltaub, MD, PhD, is awarded the Norman Geschwind Prize given annually by the American Academy of Neurology.

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A subset of protein complexes whose role has long been thought to consist only of chemically degrading and discarding of proteins no longer needed by cells appears to also play a role in sending messages from one nerve cell to another, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report.

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fNIRS imaging has led to a breakthrough in communication with ALS patients that are “Locked-In” and unable to move or speak.

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From human behavior such as mother/infant bonding, addiction and communication disorders to devastating brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, neuroscientists and other researchers from FAU’s Brain Institute are at the forefront of innovative research that will generate knowledge to benefit society.

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Just as a sprinter’s body and muscles are ready for action as they wait for the starting gun to fire, brain networks at rest appear to be waiting in a state of potentiation to execute even the simplest of behaviors. This evidence comes from a new paper published this week in the journal PLoS One, reporting on a study led by professors Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine and Steven L. Bressler, Ph.D., interim director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences.