http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. In many neurodegenerative diseases the neurons of the brain are over-stimulated and this leads to their destruction. After many failed attempts and much scepticism this process was finally shown last year to be a possible basis for treatment in some patients with stroke. But very few targets for drugs to block this process are known. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-link-contributing-neurodegeneration.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 May 2013 06:53:54 EST news287301227 (Medical Xpress)—A new study from researchers at the University of Florida may have uncovered a critical factor that drives the relentless progression of Alzheimer's disease ― a discovery that could eventually slow its progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-uncovers-key-factor-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:10:01 EST news285310460 A new study by Multiple Sclerosis researchers at three leading Canadian centres addresses why bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has positive results in patients with particularly aggressive forms of MS. The transplantation treatment, which is performed as part of a clinical trial and carries potentially serious risks, virtually stops all new relapsing activity as observed upon clinical examination and brain MRI scans. The study reveals how the immune system changes as a result of the transplantation. Specifically, a sub-set of T cells in the immune system known as Th17 cells, have a substantially diminished function following the treatment. The finding to be published in the upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology and currently in the early online version, provides important insight into how and why BMT treatment works as well as how relapses may develop in MS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-major-advance-risky-effective-multiple.html Neuroscience Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:35:56 EST news283516547 Patients undergoing cerebral angiography and neurointerventional procedures on the brain are at very low risk of infection—even without preventive antibiotics, reports a study in the March issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-infections-advanced-brain-procedures.html Neuroscience Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:02:26 EST news281620908 Children with brain lesions suffered before or around the time of birth are able to use gestures – an important aspect of the language learning process– to convey simple sentences, a Georgia State University researcher has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-children-brain-lesions-gestures-important.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:01:23 EST news280584076 Johns Hopkins researchers report the successful use of a form of MRI to identify what appears to be a key biochemical marker for cognitive impairment in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In follow-up experiments on mice with a rodent form of MS, researchers were able to use an experimental compound to manipulate that same marker and dramatically improve learning and memory. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-experimental-compound-memory-mice-multiple.html Neuroscience Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:00:10 EST news272537518 After nearly 10 years of follow-up of study participants who experienced migraines and who had brain lesions indentified via magnetic resonance imaging, women with migraines had a higher prevalence and greater increase of deep white matter hyperintensities (brain lesions) than women without migraines, although the number, frequency, and severity of migraines were not associated with lesion progression, according to a study appearing in the November 14 issue of JAMA. Also, increase in deep white matter hyperintensity volume was not significantly associated with poorer cognitive performance at follow-up. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-migraines-higher-incidence-brain-lesions.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:08 EST news272044228 Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds, suggesting a potential link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of longer-term disability from the autoimmune disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-vitamin-d-linked-severe-multiple.html Neuroscience Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:23:04 EST news268370555 Migraines currently affect about 20 percent of the female population, and while these headaches are common, there are many unanswered questions surrounding this complex disease. Previous studies have linked this disorder to an increased risk of stroke and structural brain lesions, but it has remained unclear whether migraines had other negative consequences such as dementia or cognitive decline. According to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), migraines are not associated with cognitive decline. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-good-news-migraines-brain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:24:53 EST news263816578 People who received injections of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug interferon beta-1a soon after their first signs of possible MS were less likely to progress to clinically definite MS than people who switched to interferon beta-1a from placebo, according to new phase three results of the three-year REFLEXION clinical trial that will be presented as part of the Emerging Science program (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21 to April 28, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-drug-likelihood-multiple-sclerosis.html Inflammatory disorders Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:00:08 EST news254071672 An investigational oral drug called ONO-4641 reduced the number of lesions in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of a phase two clinical trial to be presented as Emerging Science (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-ono-pill-ms-lesions-phase.html Neuroscience Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:03 EST news253810569 A new study shows that Kineret (anakinra), a medication approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is effective in stopping the progression of organ damage in people with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID). This rare and debilitating genetic disorder causes persistent inflammation and ongoing tissue damage. The research was performed by scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-drug-halts-inflammatory-genetic-disorder.html Inflammatory disorders Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:55:00 EST news248100889 (Medical Xpress) -- In humans, active periods of the debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can last for mere minutes or extend to weeks at a time. They're caused by lesions in the brain that develop, partly heal, and then recur. Research into a cure has been difficult, because to date scientists have not been able to replicate these brain recurring symptoms in laboratory mice. That's frustrating because these lab animals, known as animal "models," are the primary tool for research into the mechanisms and potential treatments for MS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-diabetic-mice-breakthrough-multiple-sclerosis.html Neuroscience Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:03:09 EST news244980175 Stabilizing the cell's power-generating center protects against Parkinson's disease (PD) in a rat model, according to a report published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-strategy-parkinson-disease.html Medical research Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:01 EST news243515120 It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study published in Elsevier's Brain Stimulation suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) for 10 days (30-40 min per day) significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-noninvasive-current-sight-patients-optic.html Neuroscience Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:37:43 EST news239276251 Older people who regularly exercise at a moderate to intense level may be less likely to develop the small brain lesions, sometimes referred to as "silent strokes," that are the first sign of cerebrovascular disease, according to a new study published in the June 8, 2011, online issue of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-moderate-intense-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:00:02 EST news226756950