KUMC Researchers Announce Breakthrough Method For Predicting Epileptic Seizures
...he brain. This scarring acts as an irritant to the nerve cells which can trigger an abnormal electrical discharge, causing a seizure. For patients with epilepsy, the implications of being able to reliably predict the onset of a seizure holds the promise for new, effective ways of combating epilepsy...Psychiatric Symptoms May Signal Brain Damage From Diet Pills
...ls may suffer irreversible loss of brain serotonin nerve terminals, possibly resulting in symptoms of anxiety, depression, cognitive and sleep problems, suggests the first author of a newly published report on fenfluramine side effects. National Institute of Mental Health researcher Una McCann, M.D., and ...Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Enhances Short-Term Brain Plasticity
... shut offthe blood supply to the forearm, blocking nerve signals to the brain andtemporarily mimicking what occurs after amputation. The loss of normal signalscaused the brain to reorganize. When the researchers applied TMS to the plasticcortex, or the part of the brain that was undergoing reorganization...Research Trial To Test New Drug For Diabetic Neuropathy
...y, a common complication of diabetes that impairs nerve function in the lower extremities and can lead to...ropathy. This drug shows great promise to improve nerve conduction for patients with diabetic neuropathy," says Zachary Simmons, M.D., associate professor ......ered by psychopharmaceuticals that act on distinct nerve pathways in thebrain." Other researchers in previous studies found that, in psychiatric patients, lowlevels of a signaling molecule, the neurotransmitter serotonin, may be relatedto psychiatric disorders characterized by hostility and aggression, Re...Tighter Chemical Binding = Better Meds
...d, keep HIV infections in check, andeven stimulate nerve regrowth in spinal cord injuries. At YaleUniversi... a protein called FKBP can stimulate the growth of nerve and braincells, which makes them excellent candidates for treating spinal cordinjuries as well as Pa......eptors located on thesurfaces of pain-transmitting nerve cells. The recent rodent studies by Basbaumand others are defining and refining scientific understanding of the rolesplayed by these and other molecules in specific pain syndromes. Their findingspoint to strategies that might be adopted to design m...Neurotransmitter-Induced Electrical Activity Identified As Key Regulator Of Synaptogenesis
...naptic cell, neurotransmitter is released from its nerve endings. The released transmitter molecules diffuse to the adjacent nerve cell and activate specific receptor proteins that are highly concentrated within the me...Metrifonate, A New Alzheimer Drug, Helps Behavior Problems
...t or evenprevent the disease by protecting against nerve cell degeneration." Morris JC, Cyrus PA, Orazem J, Mas J, Bieber F, Ruzicka BB, Gulanski B.Metrifonate benefits cognitive, behavioral, and global function in Alzheimer'sdisease patients. Neurology 50, 1222-1230, May 1998. Disclosure: Although Morris ...Effective Obesity Treatment Likely To Require Targeting Of Multiple Weight Control Systems
...hormones) increase -- a combination that activates nerve pathways that stimulateappetite and promote weight gain, while at the same time inhibiting pathwaysthat have the opposite effect. These dual responses maximize the body's tendencyto find a physiological balance (homeostasis), and consequently maximiz...Health Risk To "Cigarette Babies" Is Neglected, Duke Scientist Charges
...the development, structure and function ofspecific nerve pathways. "Such effects might explain why ...and respiratory system are not yet fullywired with nerve cells to allow them to respond reflexively to hypoxia. Thus,nicotine's damage to this critical survi......ar it becomes a "languagespecialist," in which its nerve cells wire themselves to perceive distinctionsbetween different types of sounds in its native language. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEFORE JUNE 22 Please feel free to call Ben Stein of the American Institute of Physics at301-209-3091. To read the ab...Scientists Report Cancer Fighting Drug As Possible Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis
...ulator. Myelin allows for the speedy conduction of nerve impulses that conveyinformation in the CNS. When myelin is damaged, the nerve fibers are no longerinsulated and nerve impulses cannot be conducted efficiently. The location andex...Research Explains Lithium's Dual Anti-Manic/Anti-Depressive Effect
...smitter, carrying messagesinstantaneously from one nerve cell to another in 85 percent of the brain," saidU...ne. Under normal circumstances, an impulse from a nerve cell releases a flood ofmessage-bearing glutamate aimed at a neighboring neuron across the synapse. ......s, including cardiovascular disease, eye problems, nerve damage andkidney malfunction. Unlike most conventional diabetes management programs, DTCA's DiabetesNetCareSM adopts a population management approach, managing all of the healthcare needs of all of the health plan members with diabetes -- reg...Mini-Pill Increases Risk Of Chronic Diabetes In Women With History Of Diabetes During Pregnancy
...ous complications including heart disease, stroke, nerve disease,vision problems and kidney failure. Lifestyle changes (such as dietary changesand increasing exercise) and oral medications prove effective in controllingdiabetes for most people. "Family planning is extremely important for women with a histo...Tiny Pellets Could Deliver Alzheimer's Drugs
...g the devastating illness. The protein is called nerve growth factor (NGF), a well-studied member of a fa...s patients were found to have a pronounced loss of nerve cells in the forebrain. These cells, it was discovered, could be regenerated with NGF. Since then, ......s ocated at the presynaptic(forepart) of dopamine nerve terminals which function to deliver messages toreceptors in the brain. A significant reduction in the density of thesetransporters has been found in postmortem examinations of the brains ofParkinson's and Alzheimer's patients. Thus, measurement of t......rotonin in brain cells is involved in transmitting nerve impulses, andthe antidepressant and anti-obesity drugs that block serotonin uptake intoplatelets are designed to enhance this effect. The serotonin in blood plasma,made by special cells in the intestines, is the only source of serotonin for theplatel......timulating these presynaptic receptors, located on nerve terminalsof glutamate-secreting neurons. In rats pretreated with the Lilly compound, PCPfailed to trigger the behavioral abnormalities, cognitive impairments, orglutamate increases in the prefrontal cortex. Affecting about 1 percent of adults, schiz...