http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. After stroke, patients often suffer from dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that results in greater healthcare costs and higher rates of complications such as dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia. In a new study published in the July issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers have found that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which applies weak electrical currents to the affected area of the brain, can enhance the outcome of swallowing therapy for post-stroke dysphagia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-electrical-brain-alleviate-swallowing-disorders.html Neuroscience Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:05:42 EST news260445914 Taser shots to the chest are no more dangerous than those delivered to other body locations, according to a new study by one of the country's leading experts on the devices. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-tasers-dont-cardiac-complications.html Cardiology Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:55:51 EST news260099742 (Medical Xpress) -- In people and most animals, the nerves that carry electrical signals from one part of the body to another must have a protective coating (called a myelin sheath) to allow signals to travel properly. When problems arise that prevent the sheath from forming, a variety of symptoms occur depending on the part of the body impacted. When it happens in the brain, the result is generally fatal. Such is the case with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, where the duplication of the proteolipid protein gene 1 (PLP1) causes the over-expression of the protein in myelin (PLP) which leads to it becoming stuck inside the cells, thus preventing the sheath from being created; sadly, very little can be done for patients with the disease. Now new hope is on the horizon as researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany have found that feeding mice that have been genetically altered to give them Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, show improvements when fed a diet high in cholesterol. The team has published the results of their study in the journal Nature Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-high-cholesterol-diet-mice-afflicted.html Medical research Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:24:06 EST news259226597 Applying mild electrical currents to the brain has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression. But could the treatment also benefit people with bipolar disorder? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-treatment-trial-bipolar-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:44:41 EST news253338273 The use of weak electrical currents to stimulate the brain is a safe treatment for depression and might even improve attention and reduce pain elsewhere in the body, an Australian study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-electrical-brain-safe-treatment-fordepression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:50:02 EST news250245780 Performance anxiety? Not for this human sperm. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-scientists-electrical-currents-male-fertility.html Medical research Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:44:40 EST news244374244 Imagine waking up and being unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of your body. This condition, called hemispatial neglect, is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain. The current treatment of attention and concentration training using computer and pencil-and-paper tasks is inadequate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-magnetic-brain-patients-recover.html Neuroscience Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:38:23 EST news243103092 Functional electrical stimulation (FES) was developed to help return lost function to patients with upper and lower extremity injuries and spinal cord injuries, among other applications. However, the devices, which work by stimulating neuronal activity in nerve-damaged patients, have a potential shortcoming in that the electrical currents needed for the treatment to work can also send errant signals to surrounding nerves, resulting in painful side effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-method-electrical-nerves.html Medical research Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:10:01 EST news241117407 In a busy lab at Duke University, Dr. Miguel Nicolelis is merging brain science with engineering in a bid to create something fantastical: a full-body prosthetic device that would allow those immobilized by injury to walk again. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-body-enable-paralyzed.html Medical research Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:40:01 EST news237139284 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study presented at the British Science Festival by Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg from the University of Oxford shows that the application of small electrical currents to specific parts of the brain can increase activity and make learning easier. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-electrical-brain-easier.html Neuroscience Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:07:24 EST news235836260 Inhibitory control can be boosted with a mild form of brain stimulation, according to a study published in the June 2011 issue of Neuroimage, Elsevier's Journal of Brain Function. The study's findings indicate that non-invasive intervention can greatly improve patients' inhibitory control. Conducted by a research team led by Dr Chi-Hung Juan of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University in Taiwan, the research was sponsored by the National Science Council in Taiwan, the UK Medical Research Council, the Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award, and a Fulbright Award. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-noninvasive-brain-curb-impulsivity.html Neuroscience Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:27:51 EST news227359629