Deep Brain Stimulation For Parkinson’s Improves Motion and Mood And Reduces Medications

On February 5, 2012, in Electrotherapy, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
deep brain stimulation electrode

A new multi-center study, including neurologists and neurosurgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, reveals that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) – a treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with medication-resistant muscle movement impairment or tremors – can improve those symptoms and reduce medications for patients implanted with the device. The study appears Online First in Lancet Neurology.

Researchers Identify Potential New Female Risk Factor For Developing Dementia And Alzheimer Disease

On January 2, 2012, in Health | Fitness, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Obese women sitting down

A hormone derived from visceral fat called adiponectin may play a role as a risk factor for development of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) in women, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study was completed by Thomas M. van Himbergen, Ph.D., from the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, and colleagues.

Diet Patterns May Keep The Brain From Shrinking

On December 28, 2011, in Cognition, Health | Fitness, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
omega-3

People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study author was Gene Bowman, ND, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Brain Size May Predict Risk For Early Alzheimer’s Disease

On December 21, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
MRI of the human brain

New research suggests that, in people who do not currently have memory problems, those with smaller regions of the brain’s cortex may be more likely to develop symptoms consistent with very early Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the December 21, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Cognitive Decline In Patients With Parkinson Disease Associated With Certain Patterns Of Brain Volume Decreases

On December 12, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Cognition, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
hippocampus

Patients with Parkinson disease-related dementia appear to have increased brain atrophy in the hippocampal, temporal and parietal lobes and decreased prefrontal cortex volume compared to patients with Parkinson disease without dementia, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archivesjournals. The study was conducted by Daniel Weintraub, M.D., of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues.

New Study To Test Unusual Hypothesis On Beta Brainwaves With Implications For Parkinson’ Disease And OCD

On December 2, 2011, in Neurological, QEEG, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
EEG

Before she could seek to convince the world that her computer model of a key brain circuit explains a fundamental, 80-year-old mystery of neuroscience with potential relevance to Parkinson’s disease, Stephanie Jones sought to convince Christopher Moore. The new Brown neuroscience professors are now close collaborators, but when they first started talking about the beta oscillations of the cortex, Moore thought Jones was plain wrong, if not a bit nuts.

New MRI Technique To Diagnose Or Rule Out Alzheimer’s Disease

On November 16, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
MRI of the brain

On the quest for safe, reliable and accessible tools to accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a new way of diagnosing and tracking Alzheimer’s disease, using an innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called Arterial spin labeling (ASL) to measure changes in brain function. The team determined that the ASL-MRI test is a promising alternative to the current standard, a specific PET scan that requires exposure to small amounts of a radioactive glucose analog and costs approximately four-times more than an ASL-MRI.

Young Woman With Amnesia Unable To Hold A Single Face In Short-Term Memory

On November 11, 2011, in Cognition, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Nathan Rose

A 22-year-old woman known as “HC” with amnesia since birth as a result of developing only half the normal volume of the hippocampus in her brain, has demonstrated to scientists that the ability to hold a single face or word in short-term memory is impaired. Included in this report is a video summary of the study results.

Imaging Technique Identifies Plaques And Tangles In Brains Of Severely Depressed Older Adults

On November 9, 2011, in Brain Imaging, Depression, Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
Brain Image

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the elderly, but little is known about the underlying biology of its development in older adults. In a small study published in the November issue of the peer-reviewed journal Archives of General Psychiatry, UCLA researchers used a unique brain scan to assess the levels of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in older adults with a type of severe depression called major depressive disorder (MDD).

A Step Toward Unraveling Alzheimer’s Disease Is Described

On November 1, 2011, in Neurological, submitted by Christopher Fisher, PhD
worm under microscope

Scientists outline new methods for better understanding links between specific proteins and the risks associated with Alzheimer’s disease in an article co-authored by University of Alabama researchers and publishing today in Science Express. In experiments using a series of model organisms, including yeast, microscopic roundworms and rats, the researchers show how basic mechanisms inside cells are disrupted when a specific human protein, known as the amyloid beta peptide, fails to properly fold.

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