Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Neurology / Neuroscience News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/neurology/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156390.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156390.php Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans. Neurology / Neuroscience Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156405.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156405.php Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. At the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum (June 29th - July 2nd) held at The City College of New York (CCNY), neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify this fact. Speaking at the conference, Dr. John J. Autism Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156422.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156422.php In groundbreaking research, scientists at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth have determined that rapid estrogen administration can protect the brain following brain injury. These findings are now being tested on human trauma patients in North Texas. James Simpkins, Ph.D., UNT Health Science Center chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, and Jane Wigginton, M.D. Neurology / Neuroscience Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156430.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156430.php Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) announced results of a study demonstrating that TYSABRI® (natalizumab) promoted regeneration and stabilization of damage done to the myelin sheath, as measured by advanced MRI technology. Damage to the myelin sheath causes the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple Sclerosis Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156366.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156366.php Scientists at Singapore's Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) have made a novel discovery about how the gene, "Fas-apoptosis inhibitory molecule" (FAIM), protects both immune and liver cells from apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Their research is published in the current journal Cell Death and Differentiation. The scientists, Jianxin Huo, Ph.D., and Shengli Xu, Ph.D. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156277.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156277.php New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm birth and brain malformations. Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156283.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156283.php Mental stress causes carotid artery dilation and increases brain blood flow. A series of ultrasound experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Cardiovascular Ultrasound, also found that this dilatory reflex was absent in people with high blood pressure. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156247.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156247.php We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the specific kind of daily activities we engage in during the course of our lives appears to influence the extent of this decline. A team of researchers from Technische Universität Berlin are studying how division of labour among honey bees affects their learning performance as they age. Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156231.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156231.php The joint research, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the UK MS Society as well as the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, was conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Cambridge and was published in the journal Genes and Development. Multiple Sclerosis Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156177.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156177.php The 2009 Neuroscience Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is being awarded to Jeffrey Hall, professor of neurogenetics at the University of Maine; Michael Rosbash, professor and director of the National Center for Behavioral Genomics at Brandeis University; and Michael Young, professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics at Rockefeller University. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156142.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156142.php XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT) announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP), also known as XP19986, for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to spinal cord injury (SCI). Doses of 20 and 30 mg of AP, given twice daily (BID), demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared to placebo for the primary endpoint of the study. AP was well tolerated during the trial. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156169.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156169.php Deep brain stimulation improves movement skills and quality of life in some patients with a subtype of cerebral palsy (CP) (dystonia-choreoathetosis CP)*, and could be an effective treatment option for these patients, finds an Article published Online first and in the July edition of The Lancet Neurology. Cerebral palsy with dystonia-choreoathetosis is a common and progressively disabling disorder in children and adults for which no effective treatment exists. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156115.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156115.php Researchers at Radboud University Medical Centre, together with UK Medical Research Council scientists at Oxford University, have uncovered some of the central characteristics of genes underlying mental retardation. The research, which shortens the list of genes whose changes lead to this disorder from thousands to several dozen, is published June 26 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. Genetics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156069.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156069.php The only transdermal patch in the UK for the symptomatic treatment of moderate to severe idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in adults was launched by UCB. Applied once-a-day, Neupro® (rotigotine transdermal patch) allows for continuous drug delivery to provide stable drug levels in the bloodstream 24 hours a day and improves symptom control day and night. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156072.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156072.php Researchers in Berlin, Germany have ameliorated inflammation of the brain in mice caused by immune cells. A receptor they discovered on the surface of T cells in the central nervous system (CNS) plays the key role. The researchers showed that this bradykinin receptor 1 (B1) controls the infiltration of immune cells into the CNS. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156085.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156085.php Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that it has been awarded a European patent for a novel device and methods for linking biological agents to labels for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The technology, which is known as In-Line labeling, was developed for the production of radiolabeled anti-cancer antibodies, but is applicable to other agents as well. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156046.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156046.php Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involving the stomach hormone ghrelin. When ghrelin's actions in the brain are blocked, alcohol's effects on the reward system are reduced. It is an important discovery that could lead to new therapies for addictions such as alcohol dependence. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156049.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156049.php Lyme disease in the U.S. is caused by the tick-borne bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and usually begins with a skin lesion, after which the bacteria spread throughout the body to the nervous system, heart or joints. About 60 percent of untreated individuals develop arthritis, which affects the knees in particular. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156052.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156052.php A new neuropsychological memory test is helping to uncover how Parkinson's disease can alter people's ability to learn about the consequences of the choices they make. The test was developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, professor of neuroscience at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, Newark, working with co-researchers at Rutgers, New York University, and in Hungary. Parkinson's Disease Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156036.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156036.php A front portion of the brain that handles tasks like decision-making also helps decipher different phonetic sounds, according to new Brown University research. This section of the brain - the left inferior frontal sulcus - treats different pronunciations of the same speech sound (such as a 'd' sound) the same way. In determining this, scientists have solved a mystery. "No two pronunciations of the same speech sound are exactly alike. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156014.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156014.php Neural stem cells represent the cellular backup of our brain. These cells are capable of self-renewal to form new stem cells or differentiate into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Astrocytes have supportive functions in the environment of neurons, while oligodendrocytes form the myelin layer around axons in order to accelerate neuronal signal transmission. Stem Cell Research Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php An observer feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, according to new research in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that perceiving others in pain activates a part of the brain associated with empathy and emotion more if the observer and the observed are the same race. The findings may show that unconscious prejudices against outside groups exist at a basic level. Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155993.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155993.php Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study whether and how video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly - and then to use their findings to develop a prototype video game to do just that. The researchers will use the grant money, which is part of the federal stimulus package, to fund a two-phase research initiative. Seniors / Aging Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155996.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155996.php A team of scientists have developed an innovative robot rat which can seek out and identify objects using its whiskers. The SCRATCHbot robot will be demonstrated this week (1 July 2009) at an international workshop looking at how robots can help us examine the workings of the brain. IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155909.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155909.php New pooled clinical data presented at the 28th International Epilepsy Congress (IEC) in Budapest, Hungary showed that VIMPAT® (lacosamide), a new antiepileptic drug (AED) with a novel mode of action,1,2 significantly improved seizure control, increased seizure freedom rates during the maintenance phase and enhanced quality of life and patient function, when used as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures. Epilepsy