Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Missing brain protein may be one of the culprits behind autism and other brain disorders

The protein helps synapses develop. Synapses--through which neurons communicate with one other-underlie our ability to learn and remember. Now Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, has uncovered an enzyme that is key to that protein's activity.

5 Dec 2007

Positive results from trial of investigational anti-epilepsy drug Brivaracetam

UCB has announced data demonstrating that anti-epileptic drug (AED) brivaracetam, with the proposed trade name Rikelta, administered as an adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory epilepsy with partial onset seizures, significantly reduced seizure frequency and had a side-effect profile comparable to placebo.

4 Dec 2007

Simple two-in-one test signals high risk after a heart attack

Everyone loves a two-fer, but a two-in-one heart test that has the potential to save lives is the real deal.

4 Dec 2007

Genetic testing for severe type of migraine may help identify new treatment options

People with a severe type of migraine in which one side of the body becomes weak should consider genetic testing, according to research that has found familial genes for this type of migraine in people who did not have family members experiencing the problem.

4 Dec 2007

Perchlorate contamination of drinking water may pose a greater health risk than previously thought

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that perchlorate - an industrial pollutant linked to thyroid ailments - is actively concentrated in breast milk.

4 Dec 2007

Hydrogen sulfide provides clues to a longer life

Hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, the chemical that gives rotten eggs their sulfurous stench - and the same compound that researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center successfully have used to put mice into a state of reversible metabolic hibernation - has now been shown to significantly increase life span and heat tolerance in the nematode worm, or C. elegans.

4 Dec 2007

Not enough sleep raises the risk for diabetes

The most common factors believed to contribute to diabetes are a decreased amount of physical activity and access to highly palatable processed foods.

3 Dec 2007

FDA approves Cymbalta for maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.

2 Dec 2007

Stem cell technology pioneer, Plasticell secures funding

Plasticell is a biotechnology company that has developed and holds exclusive intellectual property rights for two complementary systems in the fields of stem cell research and regenerative medicine.

29 Nov 2007

Research suggests new direction for ALS treatment

A research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the first to show that injections of a protein normally found in human cells can increase lifespan and delay the onset of symptoms in mice with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig's disease.

27 Nov 2007

Discovery of key acute myeloid leukemia gene

A gene called N-Myc leads a double life in certain white blood cells, helping to trigger a cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) under some conditions while triggering apoptosis, or cell suicide, under other conditions, according to results of a mouse study done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

27 Nov 2007

Cryoablation for bone cancer tumors reduces pain, study shows

Cryoablation, a procedure most commonly associated with destroying kidney and prostate tumors by freezing them, has been shown to offer durable pain relief of cancer that has spread to bone.

27 Nov 2007

Premenopausal women with depression have less bone mass

Premenopausal women with even mild depression have less bone mass than do their nondepressed peers, a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), shows.

27 Nov 2007

Antidepressant drugs MAY make you live longer

American researchers are suggesting that antidepressant drugs may possibly lengthen a person's lifespan.

26 Nov 2007

Higher ozone levels linked to greater heart risk associated with high temperatures

Ozone may prove the key to the link between high temperature and the increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke, suggests research published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine .

22 Nov 2007

Scientists identify key nerve navigation pathway

Newly launched nerve cells in a growing embryo must chart their course to distant destinations, and many of the means they use to navigate have yet to surface.

21 Nov 2007

New study finds blood-spinal cord barrier compromised in mice with ALS

The blood-spinal cord barrier is functionally impaired in areas of motor neuron damage in mice modeling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), report researchers at the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair.

21 Nov 2007

Antidepressant drug mianserin extends the lifespan of adult roundworms

A team of scientists led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Linda B. Buck has found that a drug used to treat depression can extend the lifespan of adult roundworms.

21 Nov 2007

Discovery of 300 previously unidentified human genes

Using supercomputers to compare portions of the human genome with those of other mammals, researchers at Cornell have discovered some 300 previously unidentified human genes, and found extensions of several hundred genes already known.

21 Nov 2007

Schering-Plough acquires Organon BioSciences

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Organon BioSciences N.V., creating a stronger combined company with broader human and animal health portfolios, an enhanced pipeline and increased R&D capabilities. Schering-Plough's agreement to acquire Organon BioSciences was announced on March 12, 2007.

20 Nov 2007