http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Using MRI, researchers may be able to predict which adults with mild cognitive impairment are more likely to progress to Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a study published online and in the June issue of Radiology. http://phys.org/news221280176.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:43:15 EST news221280176 Patrik Verstreken (VIB/K.U.Leuven, Belgium) has discovered the mechanism that ensures neurons can continue to send the right signals for long consecutive periods - a process that is disrupted in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's. Verstreken and his colleagues discovered that an enzyme called Skywalker controls the subtle balance in communication. http://phys.org/news220874027.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:56:37 EST news220874027 A gene therapy called NLX-P101 dramatically reduces movement impairment in Parkinson's patients, according to results of a Phase 2 study published today in the journal Lancet Neurology. The approach introduces a gene into the brain to normalize chemical signaling. http://phys.org/news219520787.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:00:16 EST news219520787 Patients with epilepsy worry more than their physicians do about the patients' potential memory loss accompanying their seizure disorder, according to a recent study. http://phys.org/news218827322.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:20:02 EST news218827322 A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers shows that adults who regularly take ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), have about one-third less risk of developing Parkinson's disease than non-users. http://phys.org/news218305349.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:40:11 EST news218305349 Measurements of hand movement control may help determine the severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, according to joint studies published in the February 15, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity, such as not being able to sit still, and inattention or difficulty staying focused. http://phys.org/news216925273.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:01:39 EST news216925273 In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists, led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified a gene mutation strongly linked to the brain disorder – and a signaling pathway that may be treatable with existing compounds. http://phys.org/news215876613.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:43:51 EST news215876613 Researchers from the University of Sydney's Centenary Institute have identified gene mutations that impair kidney function leading to a rare kidney disorder known as dicarboxylic aminoaciduria (DA). http://phys.org/news213450326.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:10:04 EST news213450326 Shooting steady pulses of electricity through slender electrodes into a brain area that controls complex behaviors has proven to be effective against several therapeutically stubborn neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Now, a new study has found that this technique, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), targets the same class of neuronal cells that are known to respond to physical exercise and drugs such as Prozac. http://phys.org/news211558459.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:40:01 EST news211558459 Nearly three-quarters of patients with Parkinson's disease experience fatigue or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), but clinicians should assess both problems separately in order to improve the profession's understanding of their distinct, but overlapping, physiology. That is the key finding of a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology. http://phys.org/news210421923.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:00:01 EST news210421923 The American Academy of Neurology has developed a new tool to help doctors gauge how well they are caring for people with Parkinson's disease. The new quality measures are published in the November 30, 2010, issue of Neurology. http://phys.org/news210270545.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:50:03 EST news210270545 Belgian researchers have improved the fruit fly as model for studying the connections between brain cells. The researchers developed a specific marker for a part of the fly's nerve cell which had previously been difficult to distinguish. Their discovery will not only contribute to gaining a better insight into brain development but also makes the fruit fly into a better model system for studying brain development and brain disorders. http://phys.org/news208782158.html Biology Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:03:38 EST news208782158 University of Utah medical researchers have uncovered a wiring diagram that shows how the brain pays attention to visual, cognitive, sensory, and motor cues. The research provides a critical foundation for the study of abnormalities in attention that can be seen in many brain disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder. The study appears Nov. 1, 2010, online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). http://phys.org/news207851600.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:40:01 EST news207851600 A team of international scientists led by Dr Florent Ginhoux of the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) of Singapore's Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have made a breakthrough that could lead to a better understanding of many neurodegenerative and inflammatory brain disorders. Their work, published in top scientific journal Science, uncovered the origins of microglia, which are white blood cells specific to the brain, and showed that, in mice, microglia had a completely different origin than other white blood cells. This understanding may lead to the development of new strategies to manipulate microglia for the treatment of various brain disorders. http://phys.org/news207392533.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:20:01 EST news207392533 Statins, the family of drugs used to lower cholesterol, might also reduce the risk of epileptic seizures in people with cardiovascular disease, according to a new statistical study by a drug safety expert at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. The findings could provide the basis for randomized, controlled clinical trials to test the efficacy of the drugs as anti-epileptic medication. http://phys.org/news207242888.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:28:20 EST news207242888 The last two decades have seen tremendous progress in understanding the genetic basis of human brain disorders. Research developments in this area have revealed fundamental insights into the genes and molecular pathways that underlie neurological and psychiatric diseases. In a new series of review articles published by Cell Press in the October 21 issue of the journal Neuron, experts in the field discuss exciting recent advances in neurogenetics research and the potential implications for the treatment of these devastating disorders. http://phys.org/news206796481.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:28:26 EST news206796481 Efforts to advance technology to aid people who have lost communication and movement abilities are getting support from an Arizona Biomedical Research Commission grant for a project combining resources and expertise at Arizona State University and the Children's Neuroscience Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital. http://phys.org/news206202055.html Technology Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:40:07 EST news206202055 Synaptic plasticity, one of the neurochemical foundations of learning and memory, is predominantly controlled by NMDA receptors.  One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological dysfunction caused by nerve cell damage, which in turn is caused by the over-activation of NMDA receptors. http://phys.org/news204190909.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:42:15 EST news204190909 (PhysOrg.com) -- A type of neuron that, when malfunctioning, has been tied to epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia is much more complex than previously thought, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory report in the Sept. 9 issue of Neuron. http://phys.org/news203169419.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:57:12 EST news203169419 A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience. http://phys.org/news201095490.html Medicine & Health Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:30:02 EST news201095490 Columbia University bioengineer Elisa Konofagou is making waves when it comes to researching treatments for degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. These aren't just any waves; they're ultrasound waves. http://phys.org/news198246365.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:40:01 EST news198246365 (PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to bipolar disorder, a successful diagnosis can be challenging. http://phys.org/news197204536.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:40:02 EST news197204536 (PhysOrg.com) -- The world's largest DNA scan for familial autism has uncovered new genetic changes in autistic children that are often not present in their parents. Identified in less than 1 percent of the population, these rare variants occur nearly 20 percent more in autistic children. http://phys.org/news195307025.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:00:01 EST news195307025 Defects in insulin function - which occur in diabetes and obesity - could directly contribute to psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. http://phys.org/news195236580.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:23:29 EST news195236580 Researchers in Germany have used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients quickly and without using radiation or contrast agents. Their findings appear in the online edition and July printed issue of the journal Radiology. http://phys.org/news194077911.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 May 2010 07:32:13 EST news194077911 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dozens of potential applications await a new neurological probing platform developed by European scientists. The new system offers the promise of new cures for neurological disease and a better understanding of how our brain works. http://phys.org/news192804260.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 May 2010 13:44:39 EST news192804260 Some depressed patients who don't respond to or tolerate antidepressant medications may benefit from a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the brain with a pulsing electromagnet, a study suggests. This first industry-independent, multi-site, randomized, tightly controlled trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) found that it produced significant antidepressant effects in a subgroup of patients, with few side effects. http://phys.org/news192117717.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:08 EST news192117717 Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified several small molecules that mimic a key but cumbersome protein in the brain, a discovery that could open the door to new therapies for a variety of brain disorders. The protein, designated by the acronym BDNF, is known to be involved in important brain functions that include memory and learning. http://phys.org/news190919340.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:10:01 EST news190919340 To their surprise, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have discovered that morphine (a derivate of the opium poppy that is similar to heroin) protects rat neurons against HIV toxicity - a finding they say might help in the design of new neuroprotective therapies for patients with the infection. http://phys.org/news190577379.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:30:01 EST news190577379 (PhysOrg.com) -- An estimated 14 million Americans - one in eight - are addicted to alcohol or will develop an alcohol use disorder. Yet despite the very high personal and economic costs, the vast majority of individuals with an alcohol use disorder never receive treatment. http://phys.org/news190296182.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:50:18 EST news190296182