The ubiquitous human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) may play a critical role in impeding the brain’s ability to repair itself in diseases like multiple sclerosis. The findings, which appear in the journal Scientific Reports, may help explain the differences in severity in symptoms that many people with the disease experience. “While latent HHV-6 — which can be...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Alzheimer’s drug may help treat traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and death globally, but medications have generally failed to benefit patients. A new study found that memantine, a drug that is used to treat dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease, may be a promising therapy. The study examined the effect of memantine on blood levels of neuron-specific enolase...
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New algorithm helps neurological disorder patients to walk naturally
Millions of people cannot move their limbs as a result of a neurological disorder or having experienced an injury. But a newly developed algorithm, when coupled with robot-assisted rehabilitation, can help patients who had a stroke or a spinal cord injury to walk naturally. In the United States, there are approximately 17,000 new cases of spinal cord...
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Brains are more plastic than we thought
Practice might not always make perfect, but it’s essential for learning a sport or a musical instrument. It’s also the basis of brain training, an approach that holds potential as a non-invasive therapy to overcome disabilities caused by neurological disease or trauma. Research at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University (The Neuro)...
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Steering an enzyme’s ‘scissors’ shows potential for stopping Alzheimer’s disease
The old real estate adage about “location, location, location” might also apply to the biochemical genesis of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. Scientists had previously identified a couple of crucial steps in the formation of a protein called amyloid beta, which accumulates in clumps, or “plaques,” in the brains of...
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Virtual Reality Helps Reverse Complete Paralysis Post Spinal Cord Injury
Remember the paralyzed man who kicked off the 2014 World Cup in Brazil while using an exoskeleton? That was possible thanks to the lab of Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D. at Duke University from where we now get even more exciting news. A small group of individuals paralyzed due to spinal cord injury have managed to regain some control, as...
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Study identifies source of cell-specific change in Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers led by Arizona State University (ASU) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer’s disease, in specific cells in the brain. Using an extremely precise method of isolating cells called “laser capture microdissection,” researchers looked at three specific cell...
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Peptide complex in the brain is responsible for Alzheimer’s disease
Members of the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine at the Lomonosov Moscow State University have determined the structure of a peptide complex formed in the brain at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The research results will contribute to the rational design of compounds to block the progress of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with...
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Electrical stimulation of brain may help people with schizophrenia learn to communicate better
UCLA researchers have found that people with schizophrenia were able to more accurately determine whether two auditory tones matched or differed, after receiving a type of electrical brain stimulation. Being able to distinguish tones is essential for verbal communication. People with schizophrenia have difficulty discriminating between tones of differing frequencies. This is thought to impair...
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Study identifies new target to preserve nerve function
Scientists in the Vollum Institute at OHSU have identified an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the degeneration of axons, the threadlike portions of a nerve cell that transmit signals within the nervous system. Axon loss occurs in all neurodegenerative diseases, so this discovery could open new pathways to treating or preventing a wide...