Feature Channels: Neuro

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It has long been thought that each copy of our DNA instructions - one inherited from mom and one from dad - is treated the same. A new study from scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine shows that it is not uncommon for cells in the brain to preferentially activate one copy over the other. The finding breaks basic tenants of classic genetics and suggests new ways in which genetic mutations might cause brain disorders.

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The MagnaSafe Registry, a new multicenter study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has demonstrated that appropriately screened and monitored patients with standard or non-MRI-conditional pacemakers and defibrillators can undergo MRI at a field strength of 1.5 tesla without harm.

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A new Northwestern Medicine study found evidence suggesting how neural dysfunction in a certain region of the brain can lead to obsessive and repetitive behaviors much like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).repetitive actions.

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Rush University Medical Center has launched a unique, cohort study called Latino Core to learn about the aging process and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease in older Latino adults.

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UNC scientists found that as mice learn to associate a particular sound with a rewarding sugary drink, one set of prefrontal neurons becomes more active and promotes reward-seeking behavior while other prefrontal neurons are silenced, and those neurons act like a brake on reward-seeking.

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MSK researchers used the genome-editing tool CRISPR to create more potent chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that don't tire as easily when attacking cancer cells. The unexpected findings were published in the journal Nature on February 22 and underscore the potential of genome editing to advance immunotherapy for cancer.

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There are neurons in your skin that are wired for one purpose and one purpose only: to sense itchy things. These neurons are separate from the ones that detect pain, and yet, chemical-induced itch is often accompanied by mild pain, such as burning and stinging sensations.

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Sleep remains an enduring biological mystery with major clinical relevance, according to a review by clinician-researcher Thomas Scammell, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and colleagues. In recent decades, new technologies have allowed neuroscientists to identify multiple brain circuits that govern the sleep/wake cycle, as well as the factors that can influence it, such as caffeine and light. But the brain’s complexity is still a stumbling block in understanding this ubiquitous and necessary animal behavior, the researchers wrote. Their review appeared today in the journal Neuron.

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University of Iowa researchers have demonstrated how harmful health complications passed from mother rats to their offspring can be reversed. The tests may point the way toward preventing the transfer of certain health conditions from human mothers to their children.

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New research using an Apple Watch app to track seizures in people with epilepsy finds triggers are often stress and missed sleep, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

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The Congress of Neurological Surgeons announces the publication of the 4th Edition of the Guidelines for the Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (Guidelines) in the January issue of Neurosurgery.

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Results from a new Phase 3 study conducted by the Celgene Corporation demonstrate that ozanimod, a drug candidate originally discovered and optimized at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), can reduce the frequency of multiple sclerosis relapse.

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Researchers at SUNY Downstate recently discovered that an inhibitory brain receptor triggers synaptic pruning in adolescence. Drugs that selectively target these receptors, when administered during adolescence, can alter synapse number, with possible implications for the treatment of autism and schizophrenia.

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Iowa State researchers are using eye-tracking technology to better detect when people are lying. They’re specifically interested in cues that may signal deception during job interviews.

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Eating fish and seafood with higher levels of mercury may be linked to a higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017. However, fish and seafood consumption as a regular part of the diet was not associated with ALS.

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Stroke is the leading cause of disability in older adults in the United States, but research by Clarkson University Physical Therapy Professor George Fulk and his colleagues is pointing the way to recovery for people who are relearning how to walk.

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As mindfulness practices rise in popularity and evidence of their worth continues to accumulate, those who work with aging populations are looking to use the techniques to boost cognitive, emotional and physiological health. But studies so far have shown mixed results in the elderly.

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Cedars-Sinai neuroscientists have uncovered processes involved in how the human brain creates and maintains short-term memories. This study is the first clear demonstration of precisely how human brain cells work to create and recall short-term memories. Confirmation of this process and the specific brain regions involved is a critical step in developing meaningful treatments for memory disorders that affect millions of Americans.

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In a new study, Yale researchers identified genetic abnormalities that mark atypical meningiomas, which have a 40% chance of recurring after surgical removal and are marked by a shorter survival rate than benign tumors.

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Former NFL players who had repeated head injuries may not have significant problems with motor functions later in life, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

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Today, the latest rocket launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, included a payload of several samples of donated adult stem cells from a research laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus.

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Tumors that originate in other organs of the body and spread to the brain are known as metastatic brain tumors. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, this type of tumor is the most common in adults, affecting as many as 300,000 people each year. University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers compared two common postsurgical therapies for metastatic brain tumors and found that stereotactic radiosurgery can provide better outcomes for patients compared to whole-brain radiation.

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Max Wiznitzer, MD, has a longstanding interest in neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism.

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A new test using peripheral vision reaction time could lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, often referred to as a concussion.

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A review of worldwide studies has found that add-on treatment with high-dose b-vitamins - including B6, B8 and B12 - can significantly reduce symptoms of schizophrenia more than standard treatments alone.

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Researchers from the UGR and UMA have designed a technique that aims to model high-level data abstractions to make computers learn to differentiate the brain of a healthy person from that of an ill person by extracting the affected regions.

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Is it better to treat aneurysms with two overlapping flow diverters, or one compressed diverter? A computational study published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology points to the single, compressed diverter provided that it produces a mesh denser than the two overlapped diverters, and that it covers at least half of the aneurysm opening. The ongoing research could eventually help doctors determine the best way to treat patients suffering from aneurysms.

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Spinal cord injury patients are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease; pneumonia; life-threatening blood clots; bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction; constipation and other gastrointestinal problems; pressure ulcers; and chronic pain.

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Two Kennesaw State University scientists have received a total of $737,364 in National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health grants for developmental biology research into autism and birth defects.

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Babies born at just 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy continue to have sobering outlooks -- only about 1 in 3 survive. But according to a new study led by Duke Health and appearing Feb. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine, those rates are showing small but measurable improvement. Compared to extremely preterm babies born a decade earlier, the study found a larger percentage are developing into toddlers without signs of moderate or severe cognitive and motor delay.

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The latest study on hormone therapy and Alzheimer’s disease shows no relationship between taking the drugs and whether you may develop the disease years later. Some previous studies have shown that hormone therapy may increase the risk of the disease, while others have shown that it may reduce the risk. The new study was published in the February 15, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A recent Yale study may have found a new way to fight brain cancer.

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An analysis of a patient’s deadly brain tumor helped doctors at Smilow Cancer Hospital identify new emerging mutations and keep a 55-year old woman alive for more than five years, researchers report in the journal Genome Medicine.

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By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of infants who have older siblings with autism, scientists were able to correctly identify 80 percent of the babies who would be subsequently diagnosed with autism at 2 years of age.

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Emotions are not innately programmed into our brains, but, in fact, are cognitive states resulting from the gathering of information, New York University Professor Joseph LeDoux and Richard Brown, a professor at the City University of New York, conclude.

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Biologists have known for decades that enduring a short period of mild stress makes simple organisms and human cells better able to survive additional stress later in life. Now, scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have found that a cellular process called autophagy is critically involved in providing the benefits of temporary stress. The study, published today in Nature Communications, creates new avenues to pursue treatments for neurological disorders such as Huntington’s disease.

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Currently, the predominant theory behind Alzheimer’s disease is the “amyloid hypothesis,” which states that abnormally increased levels of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides outside of brain cells produce a variety of low molecular weight Aβ aggregates that are toxic to the nervous system. These Aβ aggregates interact directly with target cells and lead to cell death. During the Biophysical Society’s meeting, being held Feb. 11-15, 2017, Antonio De Maio will present his work hunting for the specific mechanisms behind Aβ-induced toxicity to cells, or cytoxicity.

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New Rutgers–Princeton Center Uses Computational Models to Understand Psychiatric Conditions

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Rutgers scientists say neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may be linked to defective brain cells disposing toxic proteins that make neighboring cells sick. In a study published in Nature, Monica Driscoll, distinguished professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, and her team, found that while healthy neurons should be able to sort out and rid brain cells of toxic proteins and damaged cell structures without causing problems, laboratory findings indicate that it does not always occur.

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Latest Research Highlights from ACSM

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The lab of Prof. Alon Chen has found that, besides the classic stress response – an acute reaction that gradually abates when the threat passes – our bodies appear to have a separate mechanism that deals only with chronic stress. These findings may lead to better diagnosis of and treatment for anxiety and depression.

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In a new study, researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have described how two important molecules in the brain work together to trigger intense anxiety.

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A specific gene that helps form memories from traumatic events can be manipulated – and in doing so may actually help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study led NYU Langone Medical Center.

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a largely silent epidemic that affects roughly two million people each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the scale at which blast TBI (bTBI) injuries -- in the spotlight as the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- occur and manifest is unknown. Recent studies within this realm suggest that rapid cavitation bubble collapse may be a potential mechanism for studying bTBI, and during the Biophysical Society’s meeting, Feb. 11-15, 2017, Jonathan Estrada will present his work exploring the mechanics of cavitation-induced injury -- with a goal of better understanding bTBIs.

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World renowned neuro-intensivist and researcher Stephan Mayer, M.D., F.C.C.M., has joined Henry Ford Health System as the new chair of neurology.

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The loss of motor function and mental acuity associated with Huntington’s disease might be treatable by restoring a cellular quality control process, which Duke Health researchers have identified as a key factor in the degenerative illness.

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A remembrance of Leon Thal, MD, an early giant of Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment by Howard Feldman, MDCM, current director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

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Brain surgery for removing cancerous tissue is a delicate and high-stakes task. Now researchers funded by NIBIB have created a way to improve tumor removal surgery by distinguishing cancerous tissue from healthy tissue faster. The method developed by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School makes brain tumor surgery more precise, improving safety.

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Currently, more than 34 million people in the U.S. care for terminally ill love ones, but few resources are available to help them navigate the challenges they encounter. A study at the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that nearly one-quarter of caregivers were moderately or severely depressed and nearly one-third had moderate or severe anxiety. The researchers recommend that health providers remember to treat the whole family, providing ongoing screening to family caregivers to identify early signs of depression and anxiety.

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George Washington University & St. George's University of London research, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, outlines a newly discovered genetic mutation associated with short stature, muscle weakness, intellectual disability, and cataracts, leading researchers to believe this is a new type of congenital muscular dystrophy.