Neurons lack the ability to replicate their DNA, so they’re constantly working to repair damage to their genome. Now, a new study by Salk scientists finds that these repairs are not random, but instead focus on protecting certain genetic “hot spots” that appear to play a critical role in neural identity and function. The findings, […]
Study investigates the effects of depression on visual perception
Researchers specialized in psychiatry and psychology at the University of Helsinki investigated the effects of depression on visual perception. The study confirmed that the processing of visual information is altered in depressed people, a phenomenon most likely linked with the processing of information in the cerebral cortex. The study was published in the Journal of […]
Persistent loneliness during midlife can increase risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease
Being persistently lonely during midlife (ages 45-64) appears to make people more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) later in life. However, people who recover from loneliness, appear to be less likely to suffer from dementia, compared to people who have never felt lonely. Loneliness is a subjective feeling resulting from a perceived […]
COVID-19 patients have higher risk of stroke, finds study
New research found patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had a higher risk of stroke, compared with patients who had similar infectious conditions such as influenza and sepsis in prior studies. Those who had an ischemic stroke were more likely to be older, male, Black race, or have high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or an irregular […]
ESO guidelines focus on early management of transient ischemic attack
The European Stroke Organization (ESO) guidelines on management of Transient Ischemic Attack focus on issues specific to early TIA management. Therefore, aspects such as services organization including the role of stroke specialists and TIA clinics; usefulness of risk prediction tools such as the ABCD2 score; brain imaging (plain and perfusion CT, MRI), imaging of cervical […]
Ultrasound reveals the human brain vasculature down to the microscopic scale
Mapping the cerebral vascular network in human patients, at unprecedented scales: This tour de force has been achieved by the French laboratory Physics for Medicine Paris (ESPCI Paris-PSL, Inserm, CNRS). In a study published on the front page of Nature Biomedical Engineering, the research team details its method—ultrasound localization microscopy, which combines ultrafast sonography and […]
Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Increased Risk for Parkinson’s
New analyses of both observational and genetic data have provided “convincing evidence” that type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease. Dr Alastair Noyce “The fact that we see the same effects in both types of analysis separately makes it more likely that these results are real — that type 2 […]
Study provides evidence that bone marrow cell injections help heal the brain after stroke
Results of a clinical trial released in Stem Cells Translational Medicine provide evidence that treating patients with an injection of bone marrow cells may lead to a reduction in brain injury after a stroke. The study was conducted by Muhammad E. Haque, Ph.D., Sean I. Savitz, M.D., and colleagues from the Institute for Stroke and […]
New evidence supports the use of antisense oligonucleotides as feasible therapeutic strategy for MDS
Many cognitive neurodevelopmental disorders are a result of too many or too few copies of certain genes or chromosomes. To date, no treatment options exist for this class of disorders. MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) is one such disorder that primarily affects boys and results from a duplication spanning the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) locus […]
UTHSC researchers awarded $1.9 million to study white matter mechanisms underlying dementia
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded two UTHSC researchers over $1.9 million to study the pathogenesis of white matter damage, a main contributing factor to dementia. Francesca-Fang Liao, PhD, and Fu-Ming Zhou, PhD, both professors in the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, are co-investigators on the project titled "Blood-brain-barrier […]