New research finds that an increase in brain magnesium improves learning and memory in young and old rats. The study, published in the January 28th issue of the journal Neuron, suggests that increasing magnesium intake may be a valid strategy to enhance cognitive abilities and supports speculation that inadequate levels of magnesium impair cognitive function, leading...
Category: <span>Mental health</span>
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Treating autism by targeting the gut
Experts have called for large-scale studies into altering the make-up of bacteria in the gut, after a review showed that this might reduce the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Until now, caregivers have relied on rehabilitation, educational interventions and drugs to reduce ASD symptoms, but now researchers suggest that treating this condition could be...
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A surprising new link between inflammation and mental illness
In the brain, a synapse (orange) is seen being wrapped around and attacked by immune cells called microglia (green), leading to synapse loss. Up to 75 percent of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus—an incurable autoimmune disease commonly known as lupus—experience neuropsychiatric symptoms. But so far, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying lupus’ effects on...
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Doctors use magnetic stimulation to ‘rewire’ the brain for people with depression
Dr. Andrew Leuchter talks with a patient who is about to undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation, which treats depression by sending magnetic pulses to a specific area of the brain. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on antidepressants, but the National Institutes of Health estimates that those medications work for only 60 percent to...
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Regenerating damaged nerves with ‘Pac-Man’ cells
Very small tubes filled with two kinds of growth factors show the regrowth of damaged nerve fibers (central area). On the right is a chemical signal that transforms immune system macrophages into healing cells. On the left is a more robust …more Biomedical engineers have found an unlikely ally in the struggle to regrow damaged...
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Molecule may help maintain brain’s synaptic balance
A receptor involved in creating one type of synaptic junctions offers a new way to examine how the brain forms Many neurological diseases are malfunctions of synapses, or the points of contact between neurons that allow senses and other information to pass from finger to brain. In the brain, there is a careful balance between...
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Potential therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease
Investigations by scientists in Japan illustrate how the loss of a key mitochondrial protein facilitates the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The findings are published in Nature Communications (June 2017). There is much evidence to suggest that dysfunction within cellular components contributes to the development and progression of the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease. However, exactly how individual genes...
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Culprit hidden in plain sight in Alzheimer’s disease development
Exposure chamber in Mexico. A new study by researchers at the University of Montana, Universidad del Valle de México, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Boise State, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, heightens concerns over the detrimental short- and long-term impact of airborne iron-rich strongly magnetic combustion-derived nanoparticles (CDNPs) present in young urbanites’ brains. Using...
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Virtual reality eases phantom limb pain
Testing at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre. Virtual reality can relieve the sensation of phantom limb pain. A new test devised by researchers at Aalborg University shows that VR technology can trick the amputee’s brain into thinking that it is still in control of a missing limb. If a hand, an arm or a leg...
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Motor neuron disease discovery offers new insights into potential treatment targets
Scientists have discovered how certain forms of motor neuron disease begin and progress at cellular and molecular levels, revealing potential new ways to slow down or even stop this process. The team are already working closely with pharmaceutical companies to use this knowledge to develop new treatments for motor neuron disease and other neurodegenerative conditions....