Abstract Background Many studies have demonstrated the usefulness of repetitive task practice by using robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) devices, including Lokomat, for the treatment of lower limb paresis. Virtual reality (VR) has proved to be a valuable tool to improve neurorehabilitation training. The aim of our pilot randomized clinical trial was to understand the neurophysiological...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Researchers look for clues in big data to enlist stem cells for brain repair
A team at the University of Toronto’s Medicine by Design has combined the latest genomic technology with machine learning in a new study that sheds light on brain stem cells, providing insights that could one day help the brain heal itself. “This research tells us more about how adult neural stem cells are formed in...
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Researchers Link Defects in a Nuclear Receptor in the Brain to Autism Spectrum Disorders
Two University of Houston scientists are reporting that defects in a portion of the brain’s hippocampus, called the dentate gyrus, is regulated by the nuclear receptor LXRβ (Liver X receptor Beta). The dentate gyrus, or DG, is responsible for emotion and memory and is known to be involved in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Margaret Warner,...
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Physically fit women nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia
Women with high physical fitness at middle age were nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia decades later, compared to women who were moderately fit, according to a study published the March 14, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study measured the women’s cardiovascular fitness...
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The coffee cannabis connection
It’s well known that a morning cup of joe jolts you awake. But scientists have discovered coffee affects your metabolism in dozens of other ways, including your metabolism of steroids and the neurotransmitters typically linked to cannabis, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. In a study of coffee consumption, Northwestern scientists were surprised to...
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Cell therapy could improve brain function for Alzheimer’s disease
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Like a great orchestra, your brain relies on the perfect coordination of many elements to function properly. And if one of those elements is out of sync, it affects the entire ensemble. In Alzheimer’s disease, for instance, damage to specific neurons can alter brainwave rhythms and...
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New findings point to potential therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
Partial inhibition of the interaction between calcineurin and FKBP12, with low doses of the FDA-approved compound Tacrolimus, protect neurons against the toxic effects of a-synuclein, a protein critically implicated in Parkinson’s disease. A new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), sheds light on a mechanism underlying Parkinson’s disease and suggests that...
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Autism therapy: Brain stimulation restores social behavior in mice
A magnified image of a mouse cerebellar section shows multiple layers. New research shows this part of the brain may be a target for treating autism through brain stimulation. Scientists are examining the feasibility of treating autistic children with neuromodulation after a new study showed social impairments can be corrected by brain stimulation. The...
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Cognitive status doesn’t impact cortical A-beta, tau in Parkinson’s
(HealthDay)—Patterns of cortical β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau are not different for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who are cognitively normal (PD-CN) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and for healthy adults, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in JAMA Neurology. Joseph R. Winer, from the University of California in Berkeley, and colleagues conducted a...
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Suicidal thoughts rapidly reduced with ketamine, finds study
3-D model of Ketamine. Ketamine was significantly more effective than a commonly used sedative in reducing suicidal thoughts in depressed patients, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). They also found that ketamine’s anti-suicidal effects occurred within hours after its administration. The findings were published online last week in the American Journal of...