http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres In Parkinson's disease, the protein "alpha-synuclein" aggregates and accumulates within neurons. Specific areas of the brain become progressively affected as the disease develops and advances. The mechanism underlying this pathological progression is poorly understood but could result from spreading of the protein (or abnormal forms of it) along nerve projections connecting lower to upper brain regions. Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn have developed a novel experimental model that reproduces for the first time this pattern of alpha-synuclein brain spreading and provides important clues on the mechanisms underlying this pathological process. They triggered the production of human alpha-synuclein in the lower rat brain and were able to trace the spreading of this protein toward higher brain regions. The new experimental paradigm could promote the development of ways to halt or slow down disease development in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-animal-insights-mechanisms-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Fri, 24 May 2013 11:38:10 EST news288614282 It is known that signs of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease can appear years before the disease becomes manifest; these signs take the form of subtle changes in the brain and behavior of individuals affected. For the first time, an international group of researchers led by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Bonn University Hospital has proven the existence of such signatures for motor disorders belonging to the group of "spinocerebellar ataxias." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-motor-disorders-years-disease-manifestation.html Neuroscience Wed, 22 May 2013 13:41:40 EST news288448892 The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder is significantly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. This is the finding of scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg who worked with data from the population-based KORA cohort study. A sustained activation of the hormonal stress axis due to chronic stress symptoms is most likely a major causing mechanism. The scientists have published their results in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-diabetes.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 16 May 2013 10:50:02 EST news287919593 Mice that exercise in running wheels exhibit increased neurogenesis in the brain. Crucial to this process is serotonin signaling. These are the findings of a study by researchers at the Max Delbrück Center Berlin-Buch. Surprisingly, mice lacking brain serotonin due to a genetic mutation exhibited normal baseline neurogenesis. However, in these serotonin-deficient mice, activity-induced proliferation was impaired, and wheel running did not induce increased generation of new neurons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-serotonin-exercise-induced-neurons.html Neuroscience Mon, 13 May 2013 11:25:42 EST news287663135 The function of the mitochondria – also defined as "power plants" within the cells – is essential as to whether, and how, some chemotherapeutic agents take effect in tissue. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have thus discovered a significant cell characteristic that could possibly predict the success of therapy. Their results will soon be published in the trade magazine The Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-individual-efficacy-chemotherapies.html Cancer Fri, 10 May 2013 08:38:56 EST news287393928 How do organisms evolve into individuals that are distinguished from others by their own personal brain structure and behavior? Scientists in Dresden, Berlin, Münster, and Saarbrücken have now taken a decisive step towards clarifying this question. Using mice as an animal model, they were able to show that individual experiences influence the development of new neurons, leading to measurable changes in the brain. The results of this study are published in Science on May 10, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-individuality-growth-brain-cells.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 May 2013 14:00:05 EST news287313261 (Medical Xpress)—Exposure to noise, for example from road traffic, may adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Until now, underlying mechanisms linking noise to elevated cardiovascular risk have rarely been explored in epidemiological studies. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now shown that exposure to noise during everyday life influences heart rate variability, i.e. the ability of the heart to adjust the rate at which it beats to acute events. The results were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-exposure-everyday-noise-heart-variability.html Health Thu, 02 May 2013 07:20:01 EST news286695411 During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex undergoes a marked expansion in surface area in some species, which is accommodated by folding of the tissue in species with most expanded neuron numbers and surface area. Researchers have now identified a key regulator of this crucial process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-brain.html Neuroscience Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:50:02 EST news286187686 Individual cancer cells that break away from the original tumor and circulate through the blood stream are considered responsible for the development of metastases. These dreaded secondary tumors are the main cause of cancer-related deaths. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detectable in a patient's blood are associated with a poorer prognosis. However, up until now, experimental evidence was lacking as to whether the "stem cell" of metastasis is found among CTCs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-metastasis-stem-cells-blood-breast.html Cancer Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:13:25 EST news285844396 The plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's patients are surrounded by the brain's own immune cells, the microglia. This was already recognized by Alois Alzheimer more than one hundred years ago. But until today it still remains unclear what role microglia play in Alzheimer's disease. Do they help to break down the plaque deposit? A study by researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now shed light on these mysterious microglia during the progression of Alzheimer's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-brain-immune-cells-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:41:19 EST news284899271 Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) in Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now detected a substance that can prevent the accumulation of fluid in body tissue and thus edema formation. The results of Dr. Jana Bogum (MDC/FMP) from the MDC research group led by Professor Walter Rosenthal and PD Dr. Enno Klußmann could be important in the future for the treatment of excessive fluid retention in patients with chronic heart failure. Using a novel approach, the researchers have also discovered a new molecular mechanism controlling water homeostasis in the kidneys. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-edema-inhibitor.html Medical research Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:21:20 EST news284379674 In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's endogenous proteins accumulate in the brain, eventually leading to the death of nerve cells. These deposits, which consist of abnormally formed proteins, are supposed to migrate between interconnected areas of the brain, thereby contributing to the development of the illness. Now, a new laboratory study by scientists from Germany and the US shows that certain protein particles are indeed capable of multiplying and spreading from one cell to the next. The investigation was conducted by researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn and Munich who cooperated with scientists from the US and from other German institutions. The results are now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-transmission-routes-protein-particles.html Neuroscience Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:07:06 EST news283597619 Viewed from the outside, our body looks completely symmetrical. However, most internal organs – including the heart – are formed asymmetrically. The right side of the heart is responsible for pulmonary circulation; the left side supplies the rest of the body. This asymmetry allows the heart to do its job effectively. In a study on zebrafish embryos, the researchers Dr. Justus Veerkamp and PD Dr. Salim Seyfried from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have now shown how the left and right sides of the heart develop differently. Their findings were published in the journal Developmental Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-insights-heart.html Medical research Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:57:22 EST news283514237 Immune system B cells play a crucial role in the defence of pathogens; when they detect such an intruder, they produce antibodies that help to combat the enemy. They concurrently and continuously improve these molecules to more precisely recognize the pathogens. A team of scientists with participation of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has discovered that during this process the cells are able to advance their own evolution themselves by increasing the selection pressure through previously-produced antibodies. The results are also significant for the development of new vaccination strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-evolution-antibody-factory-immune-cells.html Immunology Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:39:47 EST news282217172 Weight loss—by dietary changes alone or combined with physical exercise—has a positive impact on the production of adipose tissue hormones: Adipose tissue produces less leptin but, instead, more adiponectin, which counteracts diabetes and cancer. This explains, at a molecular level, the health-promoting effect of physical exercise and dietary changes. Heidelberg cancer researchers have published their results in collaboration with colleagues from the US. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-healthier-hormones-diet.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:23:14 EST news281877785