by University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston More than 2.5 million people in the United States alone experience a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, each year. Some of these people are plagued by a seemingly unrelated cascade of health issues for years after their head injury, including fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory issues, and sleep...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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Scientists show gene therapy protection of eyesight in models of multiple sclerosis
by Jim Fessenden, University of Massachusetts Medical School New research by Dorothy P. Schafer, Ph.D., at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals the molecular process in which synaptic connections in the brain are damaged in multiple sclerosis and how this contributes to neurodegenerative symptoms. The paper, published in Immunity, also shows how gene therapy...
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Treatment for depression must also restore proper functioning of the blood-brain barrier
by Laval University To better treat people with depression, not only must we treat the neurons affected by the disease, but we must also restore the integrity of the barrier that regulates exchanges between blood circulation and the brain. This is the conclusion of a study published today in PNAS by Université Laval researchers and...
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Researcher discovers previously rejected function in the brain’s blood vessels
by University of Copenhagen Allegedly, they should not exist in the brain, the so-called precapillary sphincters—a kind of squeezing ‘muscle clamp’ between the larger and smaller vessels of the bloodstream. Close-up of precapillary sphincter (the strong red mark in the middle of the greenly marked blood flow) from two-photon microscope. According to the research results, these...
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Researchers regrow damaged nerves with polymer and protein
by University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers have created a biodegradable nerve guide—a polymer tube—filled with growth-promoting protein that can regenerate long sections of damaged nerves, without the need for transplanting stem cells or a donor nerve. So far, the technology has been tested in monkeys, and the results of those...
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A rat had basically no brain—but it could still see, hear, smell and feel
by Aria Bracci, Northeastern University One day, a scientist in Craig Ferris’s lab was scanning the brains of very old rats when he found that one could see, hear, smell, and feel just like the other rats, but it was walking around with basically no brain—and likely had been since birth. Psychology professor Craig Ferris,...
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Older adults who have trouble sleeping at night may face a 25% higher risk of dementia, study finds
Scientists at Qingdao University in China analyzed 51 previous studies on sleep and cognitive health Insomniacs were at a 27% higher risk of dementia and cognitive problems Those who fell short of insomnia but got ‘insufficient’ sleep were at a 25% higher risk It’s not exactly clear why poor sleep affects dementia risks, but scientists...
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Rich rewards: Scientists reveal ADHD medication’s effect on the brain
Researchers scan the brain to uncover how medication for ADHD affects the brain’s reward system OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (OIST) GRADUATE UNIVERSITY Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. People with the condition are often prescribed a stimulant drug called methylphenidate, which treats these...
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Abbott’s Low Dose Neurostimulation for Chronic Pain: CES 2020
MEDGADGET EDITORSEXCLUSIVE, NEUROLOGY, NEUROSURGERY, PAIN MANAGEMENT Abbott is a giant medical technology company, but it kept understated at CES. We had a chance to learn a bit of what the company is doing at the world’s premiere gadget conference, which is the Proclaim XR low dose neuromodulation implant. The Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulator can...
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Brain blood flow sensor discovery could aid treatments for high blood pressure and dementia
by University College London A study led by researchers at UCL has discovered the mechanism that allows the brain to monitor its own blood supply, a finding in rats which may help to find new treatments for human conditions including hypertension (high blood pressure) and dementia. For decades, scientists have suspected that the brain had...