Latest

Neurology

A patient with Myasthenia Gravis is shown.

·October 1, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Halt Autoimmune Disease Myasthenia Gravis in Mice

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have developed a gene-based therapy to stop the rodent equivalent of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis by specifically targeting the destructive immune response the disorder triggers in the body.

Featured Neurology

·September 19, 2012·4 min read

Scientists Show Biological Mechanism Can Trigger Epileptic Seizures

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center report that molecular disruptions in small neurons called granule cells – located in the dentate gyrus region of the brain – caused brain seizures in mice similar to those seen in human temporal lobe epilepsy.

Featured Neurology

·September 18, 2012·3 min read

Some Viruses Not to Blame for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome After All

Contrary to previous findings, new research finds no link between chronic fatigue syndrome and the viruses XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) and pMLV (polytropic murine leukemia virus). A study reveals that research that reported patients with chronic fatigue syndrome carried these two viruses was wrong and that there is still no evidence for an infectious cause behind chronic fatigue syndrome.

Featured Neurology

·September 17, 2012·3 min read

Toxic Protein Build-up in Blood Shines Light on Fatal Brain Disease

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells.

Autism Featured Neurology

·September 14, 2012·2 min read

Disorder of Neural Circuits in Autism Mouse Model is Reversible

Scientists have now identified a specific dysfunction in neuronal circuits that is caused by autism. The scientists also report about their success in reversing these neuronal changes in mouse models.

Featured Genetics Neurology

·September 13, 2012·3 min read

Neural Stem Cells Regenerate Axons in Severe Spinal Cord Injury

Researchers were able to regenerate an astonishing degree of axonal growth at the site of severe spinal cord injury in rats. Results were then replicated using two human stem cell lines, one already in human trials for ALS. “We obtained the exact results using human cells as we had in the rat cells,” said Tuszynski.

Featured Neurology

·September 11, 2012·3 min read

Improved Nanoparticles Deliver Drugs into Brain

A Johns Hopkins team says its bioengineers have designed nanoparticles that can safely and predictably infiltrate deep into the brain when tested in rodent and human tissue.

Featured Neurology

·September 10, 2012·3 min read

Her Vision is 20/20, But She Can’t Make Sense of What She Sees

A rare and baffling neurological disorder called Bálint syndrome, which badly impairs a patient's ability to make sense of what he or she sees is discussed. The article describes, in novelistic detail, the difficult adjustments two patients have had to make in their lives.

Featured Neurology

·September 7, 2012·2 min read

Strategy Developed to Improve Delivery of Medicines to the Brain

The experimental treatment method allows small therapeutic agents to safely cross the blood-brain barrier in laboratory rats by turning off P-glycoprotein, one of the main gatekeepers preventing medicinal drugs from reaching their intended targets in the brain.

Featured Neurology

·September 5, 2012·2 min read

NFL Players May Be at Higher Risk of Death from Alzheimer’s and ALS

Professional football players in this study were three times more likely to die as a result of diseases that damage brain cells compared to the general population. A player’s risk of death from Alzheimer’s disease or ALS was almost four times higher than the general population.

Featured Neurology

·August 30, 2012·3 min read

New Diagnostic Biomarkers Offer Ray of Hope for Alzheimer’s Disease

Investigators report on the development of imaging-based biomarkers that will have an impact on diagnosis before the Alzheimer's disease process is set in motion.

The image shows a brain made out of chocolate.

Featured Neurology

·August 29, 2012·2 min read

Chocolate: A Sweet Method for Stroke Prevention in Men?

Eating a moderate amount of chocolate each week may be associated with a lower risk of stroke in men, according to a new study published in Neurology.