Scientists may have found a way to regrow axons – a crucial part of a neuron also known as a nerve fiber – after injury. The findings may help patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, or other neurodegenerative conditions recover their motor skills. A team of researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts have developed...
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Scientists use magnetic fields to remotely stimulate brain — and control body movements
The minimally invasive technique could lead to advances in mapping the brain and treating neurological disease Scientists have used magnetic nanoparticles to stimulate neurons deep in the brain to evoke body movements of mice. This image shows a section of a mouse brain with injected magnetic nanoparticles (colored red) covering targeted cells in the striatum....
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Telemedicine as effective as in-person care for Parkinson’s disease
New findings from a nationwide program that links neurologists with patients with Parkinson’s disease in their homes via video conferencing shows that telemedicine can successfully deliver quality care. The study, which appears today in the journal Neurology, points to a new way to improve care for people who suffer from the disease, but may have not...
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Alzheimer’s: Low serotonin levels may drive development
Could Alzheimer’s disease be caused by low levels of serotonin, the brain chemical known to affect mood and sleep? New research investigates. It is not yet known what causes Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers are hard at work trying to unravel the neurological, molecular, and genetic underpinnings of the disease. One of the hypotheses put forth so...
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Scientists remotely hacked a brain, controlling body movements
Imagine someone remotely controlling your brain, forcing your body’s central processing organ to send messages to your muscles that you didn’t authorize. It’s an incredibly scary thought, but scientists have managed to accomplish this science fiction nightmare for real, albeit on a much small scale, and they were even able to prompt their test subject...
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Study: Contact in sports may lead to differences in the brains of young, healthy athletes
IMAGE: PEOPLE WHO PLAY CONTACT SPORTS SHOW CHANGES TO THEIR BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, WITH SPORTS THAT HAVE GREATER RISK OF BODY CONTACT SHOWING GREATER EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN, ACCORDING TO… view more TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2017–People who play contact sports show changes to their brain structure and function, with sports that have greater risk of body...
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When Will We Have a Cure for All Forms of Cancer?
Will We Ever Cure Cancer? Cancer is, without a doubt, one of the most dreaded diagnoses a person can receive in their lifetime. While there are many forms of cancer and their respective prognosis depend on a multitude of factors — such as the patient, the cancer’s stage, and available treatments — for the millions of...
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This Fluid-Filled Bag Lets Lambs Develop Outside the Womb. Humans Are Next
IN BRIEF Physicians at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia worked with 105-day-old lambs in order to test a synthetic device that imitates a woman’s uterus, hoping to limit mortality and disease in premature children that are born before 37 weeks. SYNTHETIC WOMBS Creating an artificial womb would be a feat of monumental proportions, as premature...
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Artificial intelligence is coming to medicine — don’t be afraid
utomation could replace one-third of U.S. jobs within 15 years. Oxford and Yale experts recently predicted that artificial intelligence could outperform humans in a variety of tasks by 2045, ranging from writing novels to performing surgery and driving vehicles. A little human rage would be a natural response to such unsettling news. Artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing us to...
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Are stem cells the link between bacteria and cancer?
Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths, primarily because most patients present at an advanced stage of the disease. The main cause of this cancer is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which chronically infects around half of all humans. However, unlike tumour viruses, bacteria do not deposit transforming genes in their...