Groundbreaking research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that the brain has lymphatic vessels, allowing it to process “waste” leaked from the blood vessels. This may shed fresh light on the relationship between the brain and the immune system. MRI brain scans confirm the existence of lymphatic vessels in the brain. The...
Tag: <span>Mental Health</span>
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Too much sugar may harm men’s mental health
The downfalls of high sugar consumption are not limited to poor dental health and weight gain; a new study finds that eating too much sugar may also increase men’s long-term risk of mental health disorders. Researchers found that men who consumed more than 67 grams of sugar daily from sweetened foods and beverages were much...
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Facebook and Brain-computer interface
In brief: Regina Dugan, Former DARPA executive and current head of Facebook’s mysterious Building 8, has released information about the work that the social media giant has been doing on brain-compute-interface meant to let you “communicate using only your mind” B8 the project the Facebook team is currently working on aims at 4 primary objects....
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Suppressing single protein greatly extends life span of mice with ALS- like disease
Summary: A set of experiments at Standford reveals that suppressing a protein called Ataxin 2 dramatically extends survival and improves motor function in a mouse model of ALS. ALS: A study led by researchers at Standford University School of Medicine has discovered a new possible therapeutic approach for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis- a progressive neurodegenerative disease....
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Retraining the brain to see after stroke
Patients who suffered from partial blindness after a stroke regained sight after undergoing Visual training designed by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Flaum Eye institute. A new study in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology gives first evidence that vision could be revived back in patients who suffered...
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Toxoplasma infection and neurodegenerative disease
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii, A protozoan parasite, infects almost a third of the world’s population. Workings on mice biomedical scientists reveal that Toxoplasma infection leads to a disruption of neurotransmitters in the brain and postulates that it triggers neurological disease in those already who are predisposed to such infection. Infection leads to a significant increase in...
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New drug for Parkinson’s Psychosis
Parkinson’s disease is recognized through tremors, slow body movements and other motor issues. Up to half of the patients develop psychosis during the disease. It often occurs in the later stages of the disease and as a side effect from drugs prescribed to help motor skills. For decades, physicians have struggled to solve the motor...
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Dizziness in Parkinson’s may be due to Cerebral Hypoperfusion
A study published in the Journal of Clinical ultrasound claims that cerebral hypoperfusion contributes to dizziness in patients with Parkinson’s disease even without Orthostatic hypotension. Jinse Park, M.D from Inje University in Busan, South Korea and colleagues conducted transcranial doppler and blood pressure monitoring for 10 minutes during the head-up tilt test in PD patients...
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Detecting Alzheimer’s disease earlier using … Greebles?
Unique graphic characters called Greebles may prove to be valuable tools in detecting signs of Alzheimer’s disease decades before symptoms become apparent. In an article published online last week in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Emily Mason, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville, reported research showing that...
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Conversion of brain cells offers hope for Parkinson’s patients
Researchers at Karolinska Institute have made significant progress in the search for new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. By manipulating the gene expression of non-neuronal cells in the brain, they were able to produce new dopamine neurons. The study, performed on mice and human cells, is published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Biotechnology. Production of...