The treatment of brain diseases is on the verge of a breakthrough. Researchers from Aalborg University are developing a new method that ‘smuggles’ medicine past the brain’s defense systems, giving hope that diseases such as Alzheimer’s can one day be cured. Today, diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, epilepsy and Parkinson’s are not curable; we can...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Treating with antioxidants early in Parkinson’s disease process may halt degeneration and improve neuronal function
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a toxic cascade that leads to neuronal degeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and figured out how to interrupt it, reports a study to be published September 7 in the journal Science. Intervening with an antioxidant early in the disease process may break the degenerative cycle and improve neuron function...
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New drugs and treatments for Parkinson’s, but where are the doctors?
For many, hearing the word “Parkinson’s” conjures an image of tremors. But Parkinson’s disease, brought about by loss of nerve and other brain cells, is actually an incredibly complex movement disorder that can cause symptoms as wide-ranging as smell loss, thinking issues, depression and swallowing problems. More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. have the...
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Concussion in teenagers increases the risk of multiple sclerosis in later life
Concussion in teenagers increases the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in later life. However, there is no association with MS for concussion in younger children. This was reported by a new study, led by Scott Montgomery, Professor at Örebro University in Sweden. The results demonstrate how important it is to protect teenagers from head injuries. “Bicycle...
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New findings on brain functional connectivity may lend insights into mental disorders
Ongoing advances in understanding the functional connections within the brain are producing exciting insights into how the brain circuits function together to support human behavior — and may lead to new discoveries in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, according to a review and update in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published...
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USEQ: A Short Questionnaire for Satisfaction Evaluation of Virtual Rehabilitation Systems
Abstract: New emerging technologies have proven their efficacy in aiding people in their rehabilitation. The tests that are usually used to evaluate usability (in general) or user satisfaction (in particular) of this technology are not specifically focused on virtual rehabilitation and patients. The objective of this contribution is to present and evaluate the USEQ (User...
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Domiciliary VR-Based Therapy for Functional Recovery and Cortical Reorganization: Randomized Controlled Trial in Participants at the Chronic Stage Post Stroke
Abstract Background Most stroke survivors continue to experience motor impairments even after hospital discharge. Virtual reality-based techniques have shown potential for rehabilitative training of these motor impairments. Here we assess the impact of at-home VR-based motor training on functional motor recovery, corticospinal excitability and cortical reorganization. Objective The aim of this study was to identify...
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An end to Alzheimer’s? Scientists show how we could block the disease in its earliest stages
Researchers may have discovered how brain cells go bad in Alzheimer’s patients They found bead-like structures that form and indicate the disease are caused by two proteins The team from UNC Medical School also said those proteins could be used to create drug targets to slow or reverse symptoms Researchers may have discovered the ‘ground...
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Stabilizing TREM2, a potential strategy to combat Alzheimer’s disease
Uncovering the molecular mechanism behind a rare genetic risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease points to a new therapeutic target A gene called triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, or TREM2, has been associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, and Nasu-Hakola disease. Recently, a rare mutation in...
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Brain stimulation can boost creativity – but could it also help you hear inspirational voices?
Inspiration can come when we least expect it. Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, once said “creativity is just connecting things”. There’s truth in that but there is another source of creativity, too – the ideas that simply pop into our minds. In ancient times, these were seen as gifts from the muses or...