For the first time, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that three different degenerative brain disorders are linked by a toxic form of the same protein. The protein, called Elk-1, was found in clumps of misshaped proteins that are the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. ...

Neurosurgeons from University Hospital Heidelberg performed the world's first operation on the 'habenula' to treat depression with cooperation from psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. The team of neurosurgeons and psychiatrists have for the first time successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the br ...

Brain stimulation therapies have received increased attention as of late. These treatments involve activating or touching the brain directly with electricity, magnets, or implants to treat depression and other disorders. One type of brain stimulation, Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), was previously detailed in "What is CES?" Part 1 and Part 2. BMED Report even created an "Electromedicine" category ...

A brief but nonetheless interesting update for the 8-15-09 edition of The Scientist Research News Update. Check out the incredible report of how regenerative medicine induced a spinal cord to regrow sensory axons to their target destination, a new director for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), gender differences in HIV/AIDS progression, the Avian flu and a link to Parkinson's disease, and how stresse ...