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(Medical Xpress)—Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-blocking-protein-onset-multiple-sclerosis.html Medical research Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:01 EST news287389936 The production of a certain kind of brain cell that had been considered an impediment to healing may actually be needed to staunch bleeding and promote repair after a stroke or head trauma, researchers at Duke Medicine report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-brain-injury-astrocytes-unexpected-role.html Medical research Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:01 EST news286022977 A study out today in the journal Cell Stem Cell shows that human brain cells created by reprogramming skin cells are highly effective in treating myelin disorders, a family of diseases that includes multiple sclerosis and rare childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cells-forged-human-skin-multiple.html Medical research Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:00:04 EST news279447246 (Medical Xpress)—Multiple sclerosis, a brain disease that affects over 400,000 Americans, causes movement difficulties and many neurologic symptoms. MS has two key elements: The nerves that direct muscular movement lose their electrical insulation (the myelin sheath) and cannot transmit signals as effectively. And many of the long nerve fibers, called axons, degenerate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-view-ms-unexpectedly-nerve-fibers.html Neuroscience Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:14:01 EST news279368035 A new substance class for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases now promises increased efficacy paired with fewer side effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-combination-pharmaceuticals-effective-treatment-multiple.html Medications Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:33:17 EST news273159191 Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system. Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations – acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord. The research team, led by Dr. Robin White of the Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, recently published their findings in the prestigious journal EMBO Reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-scientists-inhibitor-myelin-formation-central.html Medical research Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:33:09 EST news272629983 Animals that are socially isolated for prolonged periods make less myelin in the region of the brain responsible for complex emotional and cognitive behavior, researchers at the University at Buffalo and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine report in Nature Neuroscience online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-brain-plasticity-social-isolation-disrupts.html Neuroscience Sun, 11 Nov 2012 13:00:40 EST news271860226 (Medical Xpress)—In a new study appearing this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers have unlocked the complex cellular mechanics that instruct specific brain cells to continue to divide. This discovery overcomes a significant technical hurdle to potential human stem cell therapies; ensuring that an abundant supply of cells is available to study and ultimately treat people with diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-endless-myelin-forming-cells.html Neuroscience Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:14:08 EST news270987227 When the era of regenerative medicine dawned more than three decades ago, the potential to replenish populations of cells destroyed by disease was seen by many as the next medical revolution. However, what followed turned out not to be a sprint to the clinic, but rather a long tedious slog carried out in labs across the globe required to master the complexity of stem cells and then pair their capabilities and attributes with specific diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-doorstep-stem-cell-therapies-ms.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:02:44 EST news270396156 German biologists have deliberately transformed stem cells from the spinal cord of mice into immature nerve cells. This was achieved by changing the cellular environment, known as the extracellular matrix, using the substance sodium chlorate. Via sugar side chains, the extracellular matrix determines which cell type a stem cell can generate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-fate-stem-cells-immature-nerve.html Medical research Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:42:55 EST news260095363 Damaged myelin in the brain and spinal cord does not cause the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS), neuroimmunologists from the University of Zurich have now demonstrated in collaboration with researchers from Berlin, Leipzig, Mainz and Munich. In the current issue of Nature Neuroscience, they therefore rule out a popular hypothesis on the origins of MS. The scientists are now primarily looking for the cause of the development of MS in the immune system instead of the central nervous system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-multiple-sclerosis-myelin-trigger.html Neuroscience Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:28:38 EST news249557277 German researchers succeed in obtaining brain and spinal cord cells from stem cells of the peripheral nervous system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-neural-stem-cells.html Neuroscience Thu, 12 May 2011 11:19:23 EST news224417912