http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Johns Hopkins researchers believe they may have discovered an explanation for the sleepless nights associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS), a symptom that persists even when the disruptive, overwhelming nocturnal urge to move the legs is treated successfully with medication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-restless-legs-syndrome-insomnia-brain.html Neuroscience Tue, 07 May 2013 12:40:01 EST news287148641 A discovery using stem cells from a patient with motor neurone disease could help research into treatments for the condition. The study used a patient's skin cells to create motor neurons - nerve cells that control muscle activity - and the cells that support them called astrocytes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-stem-cell-discovery-insight-motor.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:00:06 EST news279811229 A study in The Journal of General Physiology examines the consequences of muscle activity with surprising results, indicating that the extracellular accumulation of potassium that occurs in working muscles is considerably higher than previously thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-insights-mechanics-muscle-fatigue.html Medical research Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:14:54 EST news277650885 A novel brain mechanism mediating the inhibition of the critical breathing muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been identified for the first time in a new study, offering the possibility of a new treatment target for sleep-related breathing problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-mechanism-muscle-paralysis.html Sleep apnea Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:20:01 EST news272219887 Numerous studies have shown that female athletes are more likely to get knee injuries, especially anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and chronic pain, than their male counterparts. While previous research has focused on biomechanical differences as the main source of these problems, a new study suggests another distinction that could play a role: changes across the menstrual cycle in nerves that control muscle activity. The finding may eventually lead to new ways to prevent knee problems in female athletes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-nerve-muscle-vary-menstrual-higher.html Medical research Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:53:50 EST news269160824 Kessler Foundation has begun testing the upgraded Ekso in individuals unable to walk due to spinal cord injury. Ekso, a wearable, battery-powered robotic exoskeletal device, has been undergoing clinical investigation at Kessler since October 2011, when the research team received the second commercial unit distributed by Ekso Bionics. Gail Forrest, PhD, assistant director of Human Performance and Engineering Research, directs Ekso research at the Foundation, in collaboration with Steven Kirshblum, MD, medical director at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-ekso-advance-mobility-spinal-cord.html Other Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:59:08 EST news264178741 Unlike their visual cousins, the neurons that control movement are not a predictable bunch. Scientists working to decode how such neurons convey information to muscles have been stymied when trying to establish a one-to-one relationship between a neuron's behavior and external factors such as muscle activity or movement velocity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-drummer-neural-rhythms-physical-movement.html Neuroscience Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:00:04 EST news257923024 An innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue using cells derived from the amniotic fluid is outlined in new research published by scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-potential-approach-regenerating-skeletal-muscle.html Medical research Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:34:11 EST news257765644 Like their healthy peers, children with disabilities may spend too much time in front of a video screen. For children with cerebral palsy (CP), this leads to an even greater risk of being overweight or developing health issues such as diabetes or musculoskeletal disorders. A group of scientists has found that video games such as Nintendo's Wii offer an enjoyable opportunity to promote light to moderate physical activity in children with CP, and may have a role to play in rehabilitation therapy. Their research is published online today in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-kids-cerebral-palsy-benefit-video.html Health Mon, 07 May 2012 04:19:41 EST news255583171 Permanent disconnection between nerves and muscles may be the reason behind progressive loss of muscle mass and function in elderly people, Perth-based researchers have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-clues-muscle-elderly-people.html Medical research Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:00:01 EST news249288240 Whether you are an athlete, a musician or a stroke patient learning to walk again, practice can make perfect, but more practice may make you more efficient, according to a surprising new University of Colorado Boulder study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-effort.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:51:47 EST news248021492 The extent to which we are able to activate our muscles voluntarily depends on motivation and will power or the physical condition and level of fatigue of the muscles, for instance. The latter particularly leads to noticeable and measurable performance impairments. For a long time, the research on muscle fatigue was largely confined to changes in the muscle itself. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-muscle-fatigue.html Neuroscience Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:02:44 EST news242305355 Researchers at the University of Missouri have identified a communication breakdown between nerves and muscles in mice that may provide new insight into the debilitating and fatal human disease known as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-insight-spinal-muscular-atrophy.html Neuroscience Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:41:04 EST news236270454 Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes that carry eggs from a woman's ovaries to her womb. "Our experiments were conducted in mice, but this finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant," says Sean Ward, professor of physiology and cell biology, at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, who conducted the study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-caffeine-consumption-female-infertility-link.html Medical research Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:46:44 EST news230384776 Researchers at the University of Toronto are the first to indentify a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-potential-severe-disorder-implications-parkinson.html Neuroscience Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:49:08 EST news227353722 Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes that carry eggs from a woman's ovaries to her womb. "Our experiments were conducted in mice, but this finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant," says Professor Sean Ward from the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, USA. Ward's study is published today in the British Journal of Pharmacology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-caffeine-fertility-women.html Medical research Thu, 26 May 2011 03:21:09 EST news225598849