Feature Channels: Neuro

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Tests that measure the sense of smell may soon become common in neurologists’ offices. Scientists have been finding increasing evidence that the sense of smell declines sharply in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and now a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published today in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease confirms that administering a simple “sniff test” can enhance the accuracy of diagnosing this dreaded disease

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Ron Davis, chair of the Department of Neuroscience on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has been awarded a $5 million Outstanding Investigator Grant, one of the first of its kind, by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine a five-year, $6 million grant to fund the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). The grant will also support a new research program focused on 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS), an incurable genetic disorder associated with delayed intellectual development and psychiatric conditions, and some forms of congenital heart disease as well as other medical problems.

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In a new video available for streaming and broadcasting, Cedars-Sinai neurosurgeon Keith Black, MD, demonstrates how he is using a high-definition imaging device to see inside a patient’s brain during surgery. The device, called Brightmatter Guide, allows surgeons to map safe pathways to reach and remove brain tumors.

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A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers concluded that patterns of white matter microstructure present at birth and that develop after birth predict the cognitive function of children at ages 1 and 2.

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A new study from BIDMC reveals the mystery of delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS), a group of rare disorders that causes patients to become convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an imposter. The investigators mapped brain injuries in 17 patients with DMS to determine origins of these disorders. Injuries were linked to areas in the brain associated with familiarity perception and belief evaluation, providing a neuro-anatomical mechanism underlying misidentification syndromes.

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Experimenting on mice with a genetic change similar to that found in people with a rare inherited disease called Kabuki syndrome, Johns Hopkins scientists report that a very low-carbohydrate diet can “open up” DNA and improve mental function.

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New research from the Monell Center reveals that children begin using olfactory information to help guide their responses to emotionally-expressive faces at about age five. The findings advance understanding of how children integrate different types of sensory information to direct their social behavior.

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An international team led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has selected a third investigational drug to be tested in a worldwide clinical trial – already underway – aimed at finding treatments to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

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A rare and potent type of immune cell has been discovered around the brain, suggesting the cells may play a critical role in battling Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. By harnessing the cells' power, doctors may be able to develop new treatments for disease, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries – even migraines.

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Investigators in veterinary and human medicine have uncovered long-term changes in the brains of adult female rats exposed to social stresses early in life, with the biggest impact on regions of the brain linked to social behavior, stress, emotion and depression. The findings will enable researchers to begin testing preventative measures and treatments for depression and anxiety.

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Wistar Scientists identified a novel protein pathway across several types of cancer that controls how tumor cells acquire the energy necessary for movement, invasion and metastasis.

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Mental health awareness and French vanilla ice cream are two passions of senior television-radio major Michayla Savitt, creator and host of “The Scoop on Mental Health,” a podcast where Savitt and guests discuss mental health issues over ice cream.

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Scientists have enlisted the exotic properties of graphene to function like the film of an incredibly sensitive camera system in visually mapping tiny electric fields. They hope to enlist the new method to image electrical signaling networks in our hearts and brains.

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Research finds that Zika-linked abnormalities that occur in human fetuses are more extensive and severe than previously thought, with 46 percent of 125 pregnancies among Zika-infected women resulting in birth defects in newborns or ending in fetal death.

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An expert at Rutgers University’s Care2Caregivers helpline shares tips on how families can celebrate the holidays with loved ones suffering from an illness that affects memory

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• Risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are higher in older kidney transplant recipients than in older adults in the general population. • Among kidney transplant recipients, those who developed dementia or Alzheimer’s disease had higher rates of organ loss and patient death than those who did not develop these conditions.

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A new book by the world’s leading expert on vision restoration, Professor Bernhard A. Sabel, PhD, delivers information about how to better understand the impact of vision loss and new treatment options that could potentially help the more than 150 million people worldwide who suffer from partial blindness.

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In a Cancer Research paper, researchers: 1) identify a biomarker enzyme associated with aggressive glioma brain tumors, 2) reveal the regulatory mechanism for that enzyme, and 3) demonstrate potent efficacy, using a mouse model of glioma, for a small molecule inhibitor they have developed.

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• Discovery offers new insight into regulation of water and food intake. • Neuroscientists recorded neuronal activity in real-time in awake mice when presented with food or water. • Researchers identified anticipatory changes in neuronal activity in the seconds prior to drinking.

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People who have protein in their urine, which is a sign of kidney problems, may also be more likely to later develop problems with thinking and memory skills or even dementia, according to a meta-analysis published in the December 14, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Findings help advance understanding of social cognition and social development

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Researchers have discovered a possible explanation for a genetic error that causes over a dozen neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders.

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The 2017 SOT Awards recipients have studied the role of pesticide exposure on neurodegenerative diseases, connections between chemicals and the susceptibility to allergies and asthma, risk assessment, alternative test methods and strategies, and more, in their efforts to improve public, animal and environmental health.

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Researchers at the University of Minnesota have made a major breakthrough that allows people to control a robotic arm using only their minds. The research has the potential to help millions of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.

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Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have discovered a molecular cause of hydrocephalus, a common, potentially life-threatening birth defect in which the head is enlarged due to excess fluid surrounding the brain. Because the same molecule is also implicated in Down’s syndrome, the finding, published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, may explain the ten-fold increased risk of hydrocephalus in infants born with Down’s.

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Electrocranial stimulation offers hope for Alzheimer's patients

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On her way to becoming a teacher, Amanda Rohlf hit a brick wall. Actually it was a lake. But the way her head struck the water, it might as well have been a wall. With extraordinary inner strength and TLC from her university, Rohlf bulldozed through those bricks to graduate magna cum laude from Iowa State.

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Our brain’s changing structure, not simply getting older and wiser, most affects our attitudes to risk, according to new research.

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A new study is the first to show that the Parkin gene is turned on when cells are exposed to environmental insults that cause free radical formation and cataract formation. Researchers have discovered that through the removal of mitochondria that are damaged by these environmental insults, Parkin prevents free radical formation in lens cells and increases the ability of the cells to survive exposure to conditions that are associated with aging and the development of many degenerative diseases.

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Genes known to be essential to life—the ones humans need to survive and thrive in the womb—also play a critical role in the development of autism spectrum disorder, suggests a new study

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Commenting on a Financial Times feature on drug trials of the "plaque" theory of Alzheimer's---all of which have failed so far---Chris Norwood, in a lead letter, underscores that targeted diabetes prevention is really the major documented path to Alzheimer's prevention

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Rush University Medical Center was awarded an $11.5 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to conduct a Phase II national clinical trial for children with fragile X syndrome.

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The University of Virginia-Virginia Tech Carilion Neuroscience Research Collaboration capitalized on the talent in brain research in the Commonwealth of Virginia by encouraging cross-institutional research projects.

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The nation’s largest statewide effort to track concussions among youth athletes is under way in Texas with the launch of a registry designed to assess the prevalence of brain injuries in high school sports.

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Greg J. Bashaw, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded research funding under a novel, multi-year pilot program from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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Jerold Chun, M.D., Ph.D., a trailblazer in research on the development and diseases of the brain, is joining the faculty of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) as professor and senior vice president of Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Chun comes to SBP from The Scripps Research Institute.

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Even short-term blockages in hearing can lead to remarkable changes in the auditory system, altering the behavior and structure of nerve cells that relay information from the ear to the brain, according to a new University at Buffalo study.

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The neural structure we use to store and process information in verbal working memory is more complex than previously understood--a discovery that has implications for the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as speech translation tools.

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In a bid to improve mental health screening of Latino children from immigrant families, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have identified a culturally sensitive set of tools that are freely available to pediatricians, take less than 10 minutes to use, are in easy-to-read Spanish, and assess a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. – A Mayo Clinic study published online today in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that varsity football players from 1956 to 1970 did not have an increased risk of degenerative brain diseases compared with athletes in other varsity sports.

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Cedars-Sinai neurosurgeons have begun using a high-definition imaging device to see inside the brain during surgery, allowing them to map safer pathways to reach and remove tumors. The device, called Brightmatter Guide, works like a GPS, providing real-time, brightly colored 3-D images.

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Wanting to squash not-so-great memories is human nature, but is it possible to intentionally forget a traumatic experience? Darlene McLaughlin, MD, psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor with the Texas A&M College of Medicine, explains how your mind may help you get through a traumatic event.

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Resilience considerably reduces risk for developing alcohol use disorders, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

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A study presented Wednesday at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium examined the incidence of brain metastasis after diagnosis for three groups of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

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Measuring the brain activity of healthy, older adults while they walk and talk at the same time may help predict their risk of falls later, according to a study published in the December 7, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older Americans and all too often lead to physical decline and loss of independence. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that measuring the brain activity of healthy older adults while they’re walking and talking can predict their risk of falling. Their research is published today in the online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The 21st Century Cures Act, passed Wednesday by the Senate, will result in much-needed reform of the nation’s mental health system, according to the American Psychological Association and the APA Practice Organization.