Peter Konrad, MD, presents exciting findings that show Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in early stage Parkinson’s Disease may slow tremor progress at the Congress of Neurological Surgeon’s (CNS) 2018 Annual Meeting, on Wednesday, October 10, in the General Scientific Session. “DBS is the first therapy to show disease modifying effect—it can actually slow down cardinal features of Parkinson’s. There has been no therapy, drug or device
In the wake of media and public reports about increased mortality linked to a new drug for treating Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) — a symptom of the progressive nervous system disorder in which patients experience hallucinations and delusions — researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted a retrospective study of qualifying patients in the UC San Diego Health system, concluding that the new drug, pimavanserin (marketed
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may slow the progression of tremor for early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study released in the June 29 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study is the first evidence of a treatment that slows the progression of one of the cardinal features of Parkinson’s, but a larger-scale clinical trial across multiple investigational centers
People who have been diagnosed with a mild concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury, may have a 56 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in the April 18, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Previous research has shown a strong link between moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease
Photo caption: This microscopic image uses immunostaining to highlight the presence of TAZ/YAP (shown in green) in human malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors that grew from Schwann cells. The job of Schwann cells is to form the protective nerve sheath. The cell nuclei are shown in blue. The image is from a study by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s published by the journal Cancer Cell. Genomic profiling of mostly untreatable and
New data from a Phase I clinical trial led by Clark Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Lyle French Chair in Neurosurgery and Head of the University of Minnesota Medical School Department of Neurosurgery shows more than a quarter of patients with recurrent high-grade glioma, a form of brain cancer, were alive more than three years after treatment. "Given the deadly nature of this disease, three-year survival is rarely reported in the recurrent
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with national collaborators, have identified a series of molecular clues to understanding the formation of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). The study offers the first genome-wide analysis of the transcriptome of brain microvascular endothelial cells after KRIT1 inactivation. Findings were published September 28 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. “These mouse studies reveal a critical mechanism in the pathogenesis of cerebral
A gene called triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, or TREM2, has been associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Parkinson's disease, and Nasu-Hakola disease. Recently, a rare mutation in the gene has been shown to increase the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Independently from each other, two research groups have now revealed the molecular mechanism behind this mutation. Their research, published today in EMBO
Researchers find activation of maternal immune system during pregnancy disrupts expression of key genes and processes associated with autism and prenatal brain development For some infections, such as Zika, the virus passes through the placenta and directly attacks the fetus. For others, such as the H1N1 influenza, the virus induces maternal immune activation (MIA) by triggering a woman’s immune system during pregnancy. Both Zika and MIA mechanisms may lead to
Biomedical engineering researchers pre-treated cells that swell after traumatic injury with an existing, FDA-approved drug. A team of biomedical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have identified a cause of fluid swelling of the brain, or cellular edema, that occurs during a concussion. The researchers discovered that pre-treating the cells with an existing, FDA-approved drug used for epilepsy and altitude sickness reduces the expression of a specific protein that
In one of the largest cooperative agreements for research in Temple University history, an interdisciplinary team of faculty is participating in a $20 million, two-year agreement with other universities and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, or ARL. Temple will be working with the ARL to perform research in three major areas: understanding and improving the performance of materials through the use of computational modeling; understanding the mechanisms and thresholds of
A higher neighborhood advantage, or socioeconomic status, of where a person lives contributes to a lower risk of having a stroke no matter the person’s race, according to findings published in the Oct. 14 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The report from the University of Alabama at Birmingham REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study shows this effect is the
Stroke patients are starting a trial of a new electronic device to recover movement and control of their hand. Neuroscientists at Newcastle University have developed the device, the size of a mobile phone, which delivers a series of small electrical shocks followed by an audible click to strengthen brain and spinal connections. The experts believe this could revolutionise treatment for patients, providing a wearable solution to the effects of stroke.
Brain cancer and leukemia are two potentially fatal diseases that affect thousands of Canadians each year. But a joint study conducted by researchers Frederick Antoine Mallette, of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre and the University of Montreal, and Marc-Étienne Huot, of Laval University, and published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications has uncovered new molecular causes of brain cancer and leukemia. We already knew the existence of a mutation
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have confirmed that mutation-caused dysfunction in a process cells use to transport molecules within the cell plays a previously suspected but underappreciated role in promoting the heritable form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but also one that might be remedied with existing therapeutic enzyme inhibitors. The findings published in the October 11 online issue of Cell Reports. “Our results further illuminate
An enzyme called ACMSD—part of a chain of biochemical reactions called the kynurenine pathway, activated by inflammation—could become an important target for new drugs aimed at preventing suicide. The enzyme shows reduced activity in people who have tried to kill themselves, according to astudy published online Aug. 2, 2016, in Translational Psychiatry. And downstream effects of the sluggish enzyme—namely, abnormal levels of two acids in the body—could potentially be measured
A team at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC), based at Imperial College London, has found an important part of the machinery that switches on a gene known to protect against Alzheimer’s Disease. Working in collaboration with scientists at the Hong Kong University (HKU) and the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, CSC associate professor Richard Festenstein explored the steps by which this Neuroglobin gene is gradually switched on, or up-regulated. Neuroglobin
Computer programs have defeated humans in Jeopardy!, chess and Go. Now a program developed at Case Western Reserve University has outperformed physicians on a more serious matter. The program was nearly twice as accurate as two neuroradiologists in determining whether abnormal tissue seen on magnetic resonance images (MRI) were dead brain cells caused by radiation, called radiation necrosis, or if brain cancer had returned. The direct comparison is part of
Vesicles, fluid-filled sacs that brain cells make to trap amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's, appear to also contribute to the disease, scientists report. Reducing the production of these vesicles, called exosomes, could help reduce the amount of amyloid and lipid that accumulates, slow disease progression and help protect cognition, scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University report in The Journal of Neuroscience. When confronted with amyloid, astrocytes,
People with high levels of four biomarkers in the blood may be more likely to develop a stroke than people with low levels of the biomarkers, according to a study published in the August 24, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Identifying people who are at risk for stroke can help us determine who would benefit most from existing or new therapies
