http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through which these molecules enter the cells. Until now, the "stop" signal mechanism that cells use to control the molecular traffic was unknown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cells-calcium-influx.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 May 2013 07:53:13 EST news287304785 A team of scientists from Canada, Thailand and Morocco have found that DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment that affects a significant percentage of AIDS patients. In a report appearing in the February 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, they describe how a network of steroid molecules found in the brain, termed "neurosteroids," is disrupted during HIV infection leading to brain damage. This suggests that treatment with one of these steroid molecules, called DHEA-S, may offset the disruption caused by the virus to prevent or reduce brain damage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-neurosteroid-brain-injury-hivaids.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:39:09 EST news278851136 Oxidative stress is a primary villain in a host of diseases that range from cancer and heart failure to Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Now, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that blocking the interaction of a critical enzyme may counteract the destruction of neurons associated with these neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a potential new target for drug development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-scientists-uncover-potential-drug-block.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:18:37 EST news277053507 Treatment with a novel agent that inhibits the activity of SIRT2, an enzyme that regulates many important cellular functions, reduced neurological damage, slowed the loss of motor function and extended survival in two animal models of Huntington's disease. The study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers will appear in the Dec. 27 issue of Cell Reports and is receiving advance online release. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-enzyme-inhibition-huntington-disease-animal.html Neuroscience Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:07:05 EST news273413207 High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-trigger-ms-nerve.html Medical research Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:27:49 EST news273252431 Researchers from the Computational Intelligence Group based at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's Facultad de Informática have used machine learning and data mining techniques to compare gene expresssion levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in two key regions of the hippocampus: the dentate gyrus, where the disease appears to have little or no effect, and the entorhinal cortex, where Alzheimer's disease produces major neuronal damage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-intelligence-avenues-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:38:08 EST news269026672 Microglia are the first line defence of the brain and are constantly looking for infections to fight off. Overactive microglia can cause uncontrolled inflammation within the brain, which can in turn lead to neuronal damage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Neuroinflammation shows that, honokiol (HNK) is able to down-regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory enzymes in activated microglia via Klf4, a protein known to regulate DNA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-japanese-traditional-therapy-honokiol-blocks.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:16:19 EST news251352973 Strong scientific evidence exists that eating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berry fruits has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes, scientists report. Their new article on the value of eating berry fruits appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-strong-scientific-evidence-berries-benefits.html Health Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:01:34 EST news250358486 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a single prion protein that causes neuronal death similar to that seen in "mad cow" disease, but is at least 10 times more lethal than larger prion species. This toxic single molecule or "monomer" challenges the prevailing concept that neuronal damage is linked to the toxicity of prion protein aggregates called "oligomers." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-lethal-species-prion-protein.html Medical research Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:57:36 EST news248021728 Regular exercise could help prevent brain damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, according to research published this month in Elsevier's journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-brain-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:25:14 EST news232622670