NEWS
Tiny Brain Clumps Offer New Clues into the Cause of Autism
Brain “organoids” made from the stem cells of autism patients could help researchers determine the factors that lead to the disorder. By turning stem cells taken from autistic patients into tiny “organoids” that closely resemble the brains of human embryos,...
New evidence linking brain mutation to autism, epilepsy and other neuro disorders
Findings, published 15 July in Nature Communications, reveal the extent a mutation associated with autism and epilepsy plays in impairing a biochemical process in the brain. The study, led by University of Bristol researchers, could provide a new target for treating...
Iowa researchers gain important insight into sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is becoming increasingly recognized as a very real and devastating problem in which impaired breathing is thought to play a critical role. Researchers believe breathing may be impaired during and after seizures, without the...
Over 400 New Neurological Drugs in Development
America's biopharmaceutical research companies are currently developing 420 medicines for patients suffering from neurological disorders, including epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease. As highlighted in a new report from the...
Brain study reveals insights into genetic basis of autism
UNSW Australia scientists have discovered a link between autism and genetic changes in some segments of DNA that are responsible for switching on genes in the brain. The finding is the result of a world-first study of the human brain that identified more than 100 of...
Groundbreaking Clinical Trial to Assess Use of Newborn Stem Cells in the Treatment of Pediatric Stroke
Stroke in children is a cause of epilepsy. SAN BRUNO, Calif., July 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) announces the launch of an FDA-regulated clinical trial to investigate autologous stem cell therapy in children diagnosed as having had a prenatal...
Scanning the brain’s magnetic fields offers hope for epilepsy patients
Stewart Duguid used to have an epileptic seizure every fortnight. He never knew when they would strike, and they proved impossible to control with medication. "I had the tonic clonic seizures, the ones where you fall to the ground and shake," the 26-year-old said....
BREAKTHROUGH: New study confirms neuroprotective role of PrPC against epilepsy
For some time, scientists have been wondering what the physiological role of PrP is in its normal physiological state. Previous studies suggested that among its functions one was preventing the onset of seizure discharges in the brain (most likely by modulating the...
Epilepsy Association of Central Florida Launches EpilepsyStore.com as First Online Marketplace to “Shop Purple for a Purpose” and Bring Epilepsy Out of the Darkness
Nearly 3 million people in the United States live with epilepsy and 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. To raise awareness and funds for epilepsy to provide assistance to those in need, Epilepsy Association of Central Florida has launched...
PREGNANT WOMEN WITH EPILEPSY HAVE HIGH RISK OF UNEXPECTED COMPLICATIONS
Not the best news to share. Read the whole article and not just the first couple sentences to get the whole story. We have always known of the associated risk and have always reccomend talk to your neurologist/epileptologist before getting pregnant and always work...
Researcher Uncovers Treatment for Rare, Female-Only Type of Epilepsy
A treatment for a rare type of epilepsy that nearly always affects girls, discovered by a University of Adelaide professor, is being clinically trialled after the discovery of a gene mutation. The condition, known as Protocadherin 19 female epilepsy (PCDH19), begins...
UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN: How your brain forms memories
Study sheds new light on how the brain forms memories In the first study of its kind, UCLA and United Kingdom researchers found that neurons in a specific brain region play a key role in rapidly forming memories about every day events, a finding that may result in a...
Decision Making Anxiety and Depression Circuits Identified
Scientists have identified the specific neural circuitry that triggers anxiety in individuals when confronted with critical decisions. Our brains can actually gauge how critical a decision is and trigger anxiety in us accordingly! Do you freak out when you have to...
Cannabis Research Journal Supports Obama’s Statement On Medical Cannabis
Mary Ann Liebert, publisher of the newly launched peer-reviewed open access journalCannabis and Cannabinoid Research, strongly supports President Obama's statement that "...carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow...
New Drug To Provide Relief for Epilepsy and Tinnitus
A new drug may treat epilepsy and prevent tinnitus by selectively affecting potassium channels in the brain, UConn neurophysiologist Anastasios Tzingounis and colleagues report in the 10 June Journal of Neuroscience.d Epilepsy and tinnitus are both caused by overly...
How could we help reduce hospitalisation rates for people with epilepsy?
A new study offers fresh insights. It turns out that using newer anti-epilepsy drugs, providing specialist care and switching medications following epilepsy-related hospital admissions are associated with better outcomes for people living with epilepsy. The findings...
Functioning brain follows famous sand pile model
One of the deep problems in understanding the brain is to understand how relatively simple computing units (the neurons), collectively perform extremely complex operations (thinking). In 1999 Danish scientist Per Bak made the startling proposal that the brain worked...
Neurostimulation in epilepsy: New techniques, new promises
"Despite the advent of new pharmacological treatments and the high success rate of many surgical treatments for epilepsy, a substantial number of patients do not become seizure-free or experience major adverse events. This fact is an important motivation to...
BREAKTHROUGH: Amino Acid Appears to Block Seizures in Mice
Finding may pave way for much-needed treatments for people with epilepsy Finding suggests novel mechanism for treating epilepsy An amino acid whose role in the body has been all but a mystery appears to act as a potent seizure inhibitor in mice, according to a study...
Diabetic Diet for Autism?
Autism symptoms can be reduced in an animal model with low glycemic index diets, similar to those diabetics follow to control blood sugar levels, according to a new study. The study by Salk Institute scientists found that the brains of mice fed diets with a high...