Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue, such as muscle. Biomedical scientists and physicians who specialize in neurology are called neurologists, and are trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat, neurological disorders.
International Society for Stem Cell Research releases new guidelinesThe International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the world's leading professional organization of stem cell researchers, released new guidelines for the responsible development of safe and effective stem cell therapies for patients.
Ginkgo biloba does not reduce dementia, Alzheimer's disease riskThe medicinal herb Ginkgo biloba does not reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease development in either the healthy elderly or those with mild cognitive impairment, according to a large multicenter trial led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Secret of sharp memory in old age revealedResearchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine wondered if the brains of the elderly with still laser sharp memory -- called "super aged" -- were somehow different than everyone else's.
Ischemic stroke increases with higher nonfasting triglyceride levelElevated nonfasting triglyceride levels, previously associated with an increased risk for heart attack, also appear to be associated with an increased risk for ischemic stroke.
Education level linked to Alzheimer's disease, dementiaIndividuals with higher education levels appear to score higher on cognitive tests despite having evidence of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.
New drug alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis patientsA drug which was developed in Cambridge and initially designed to treat a form of leukaemia has also proven effective against combating the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS).
Statins do not increase risk of Lou Gehrig's DiseaseA U.S. Food and Drug Administration's analysis provides new evidence that the use of statins does not increase incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." The analysis was reported on Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
Family history of brain tumors raises brain cancer riskPeople with a family history of cancerous brain tumors appear to be at higher risk of developing the same kind of tumors compared to people with no such family history, according to a study published in the September 23, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Migraine linked to blood clots in veins, venous thrombosisPeople with migraines may also be more likely to develop blood clots in their veins, and are more likely to have strokes and other cardiovascular problems, revealed by researchers.
PET scans useful to assess Alzheimer's diseaseA type of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer's disease–related plaques in the brain, according to small study posted online today that will appear in the October 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Eating fish may prevent memory loss and stroke in old ageEating tuna and other types of fish may help lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke in healthy older adults, according to a study published in the August 5, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Epilepsy drug topiramate during pregnancy raises birth defects riskTaking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Exercise may prevent Early Alzheimer's diseaseMild Alzheimer's disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger brains compared to mild Alzheimer's patients with lower physical fitness, according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Pesticides may lead to Parkinson's diseaseThe association between Parkinson's disease and exposure to pesticides has been shown in patients with the neurological disorder compared with their unaffected relatives, according to a study in the online open access journal BMC Neurology.
Obesity in midlife increases dementia riskPeople in their 40s with larger stomachs have a higher risk for dementia when they reach their 70s, according to a study published in the March 26, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Psychological distress linked to increased risk of strokePsychological distress, but not depression, may increase the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the March_4, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have shown that stroke often leads to depression, but the evidence was mixed as to whether depression could lead to stroke.
Does ginkgo biloba affect memory?Taking the supplement ginkgo biloba had no clear-cut benefit on the risk of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the February 27, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Clot busting treatment effective if given in 6 hours after a strokeThe study, co-ordinated by the Royal Melbourne Hospital and conducted by the Australasian Stroke Trialists Network including the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Stroke Research Group demonstrates that clot busting (thrombolysis) treatment can be effective when administered up to six hours after a stroke.
Daytime dozing increases stroke risk in elderlyRegular daytime dozing forewarns of a significantly increased risk of stroke in older Americans, researchers reported at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2008.
Do animals think like autistic savants?When Temple Grandin argued that animals and autistic savants share cognitive similarities in her best-selling book Animals in Translation (2005), the idea gained steam outside the community of cognitive neuroscientists.
Stem cells may aid stroke recoveryNeural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Marijuana smoking impairs cognition in multiple sclerosis patientsPeople with multiple sclerosis (MS) who smoke marijuana are more likely to have emotional and memory problems, according to research published February 13, 2008, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Oxcarbazepine doesn't help prevent migraine after allContrary to some reports, the epilepsy drug oxcarbazepine does not appear to prevent migraine, according to research published in the February 12, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
New MS drug rituximab shows promise for multiple sclerosisA drug therapy, using rituximab, dramatically reduced the number of inflammatory lesions that form along nerve fibers in brains of multiple sclerosis patients, revealed by researchers recently.
DNA sequencing found virus killing transplant recipients in AustraliaIn the first application of high throughput DNA sequencing technology to investigate an infectious disease outbreak, link the discovery of a new arenavirus to the deaths of three transplant recipients who received organs from a single donor in Victoria, Australia in April 2007.
Parkinson's disease risk reduced with high blood pressure drugsParkinson's disease risk is reduced in people taking drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure, revealed by researchers in US.
Vitamin B12, folate deficiency raises dementia riskFolate deficiency is associated with a tripling in the risk of developing dementia among elderly people, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Epilepsy drugs may raise suicide risk, warns FDAAn increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (suicidality) in patients who take drugs called antiepileptics to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraine headaches, and other conditions, reported by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Deep brain stimulation may improve memoryA new study found that hypothalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery performed in the treatment of a patient with morbid obesity unexpectedly evoked detailed autobiographical memories.
Stem cells may improve muscles in muscular dystrophyUsing embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy - and more importantly, functioning - muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy.
Statins, cholesterol lowering drugs may not prevent Alzheimer's DiseaseTaking statins, which are cholesterol-lowering drugs, offers no protection against Alzheimer's disease, revealed by US researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Depressed girls can't smell the rosesCan't smell the roses? Maybe you're depressed. Smell too much like a rose yourself? Maybe you've got the same problem. Scientists from Tel Aviv University recently linked depression to a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands. It might explain why some women, without realizing it, wear too much perfume.
Novel anti-cancer strategy moves to clinicResearchers at Emory University have developed a novel anti-tumor compound that represents a distinct strategy: targeting one of the most important "intercept points" for cancer cells.
Restless legs syndrome doubles risk of stroke and heart diseasePeople with restless legs syndrome (RLS) are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart disease compared to people without RLS, and the risk is greatest in those with the most frequent and severe symptoms.
Musician's dystonia improved by stimulating hand musclesStimulating the hand muscles may help treat the condition called musician's dystonia. Musician's dystonia - a focal dystonia is a nerological movement disorder that causes muscles spasms in musicians.
Brain imaging and genetic studies link thinking patterns to addictionAlcoholics are more impulsive than non-addicted people making financial decisions, revealed by researcher Charlotte Boettiger at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Early treatment stops epilepsy seizuresIt is possible to suppress the development of epilepsy in genetically predisposed animals revealed by Yale School of Medicine researchers. This new study would open the door to treating epilepsy as a preventable disease.
Combination therapy and antibiotics may help multiple sclerosis patientsA preliminary study suggests that combining a medication currently used to treat multiple sclerosis with an antibiotic may slow the progress of the disease, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the February 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.