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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Genome therapy could lead to new treatment for life-threatening blood disorders
Genome therapy with beneficial natural mutation could lead to new treatment for life-threatening blood disorders By introducing a beneficial natural mutation into blood cells using the gene-editing technique CRISPR, a UNSW Sydney-led team of scientists has been able to switch on production of foetal haemoglobin – an advance that could eventually lead to a cure for sickle...
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A new era in the interpretation of human genomic variation
In a commentary published today in Genetics in Medicine, Heidi Rehm, PhD, highlights the pressing need for standardized human genomic variant interpretation and calls on more stakeholders to join the data sharing movement. “It is time we considered the sharing of variant interpretations a fundamental right of patients to ensure that they receive accurate clinical care,”...
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Two new genes linked to Alzheimer’s risk
A team of researchers led by Cardiff University has identified two genes that influence a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The new finding, which builds on the team’s previous work of identifying 24 susceptibility genes, enables a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease and offers further hope in developing new treatments. Dr...
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Creating music by thought alone
Neurologists have created a hands-free, thought-controlled musical instrument, which they’ve recently described in a report in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Researchers hope that this new instrument will help empower and rehabilitate patients with motor disabilities such as those from stroke, spinal cord injury, amputation, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “The Encephalophone is a musical instrument that you control...
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Mother, 47, is spared amputation after being treated with a revolutionary bandage: Bruise on her toe caused 95% of the flesh on her foot to ROT and medics told her she would lose her leg
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Angela Montes de Oca, 47, was clueless as to how the bruise developed Antibiotics failed to treat the infection, making doctors suggest amputation Ms Montes de Oca found a doctor online who said he could treat with a bandage She has now fully recovered and has returned to work without a wheelchair...
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New device detects tumor cells in blood
A team of researchers has patented a mobile device that can monitor cancer quickly, cheaply, effectively and noninvasively IMAGE: THE DEVICE IN OPERATION: A FIBER OPTIC SHINES A BLUE LIGHT ON THE SAMPLE, HIGHLIGHTING THE CELLS AS THEY FLOW FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. Researchers at the URV’s Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, led by...