Neuro Central

In our latest feature, Anders Björklund (Lund University) speaks to us about stem cell therapies for Parkinson's disease, including what the most significant breakthroughs have been in the field and how we mgiht overcome the current limitations of using these therapies: http://bit.ly/2wfsJHS
#Parkinsons #Parkinsonsdisease #stemcells #stemcelltherapy

Researchers from the University of Oregon suggest that noninvasive #EEG readings could present as easily detectable #biomarkers to help diagnose and improve treatment for #Parkinsons and other motor disorders: http://bit.ly/2X1n9V8

AbbVie has announced that it halted enrolment in all studies of Depatux-M after an interim analysis of INTELLANCE-1 demonstrated that the drug failed to prolong overall survival compared to placebo in individuals with newly diagnosed #glioblastoma: http://bit.ly/2QbDtQF

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have revealed that most individuals undergoing CAR T-cell therapy endured neurological side effects. Further understanding of these effects could help researchers to mediate them in the future.
Find out more about this here: http://bit.ly/2LMuxCE #CARTcell #CARTcelltherapy #immunotherapy #cancer

Could the #appendix be a starting point for #Parkinsons disease?
We spoke with Viviane Labrie (Van Andel Institute) to hear more about how disease-causing signals could be going from the gut to the brain. Take a look at this here: http://bit.ly/2JJbuqf #microbiome #gutmicrobiome

Researchers from The University of Chicago have revealed that by altering the gut #microbiome, long-term #antibiotic treatment reduces inflammation and slows the growth of amyloid plaques in the brains of male mice. However, the same treatment was found to have no effect on female animals: http://bit.ly/2JHbDud

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched their first-ever guideline on reducing the risk of #dementia. The Guidelines recommend that people can reduce their risk of dementia by:
– Getting regular exercise – Not smoking – Avoiding harmful use of alcohol ... – Controlling their weight – Eating a healthy diet – Maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol & blood sugar levels
Read all about this here: http://bit.ly/2Q4x4q4
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Scientists from the City of Hope National Medical Center have identified that polysaccharide A has the potential to prevent viral brain inflammation caused by #herpesvirus: http://bit.ly/2HiCZ8j #neuroinflammation

Cerebral organoids: past, present and future
As part of our Spotlight on #organoids, we have the pleasure of featuring a podcast from BioTechniques, where Jenny Straiton talks us through some interesting questions including: "Do neurons that fire together really wire together?" and "What's in the future for organoids?"
Listen to the podcast here: http://bit.ly/2IJtaCo

At the Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Disease Congress (26–31 March 2019, Lisbon, Portugal), we had the pleasure of speaking with Patrik Brundin (Van Andel Institute) about his talk on novel therapeutic targets for #Parkinsons disease.
Patrik also tells us how he's extremely optimistic for the future direction of the field. Read the interview now: http://bit.ly/2V1ZCq3

With #neuroinflammation being a big topic in #dementia research right now, we wanted to find out more about the link between this and #Alzheimers disease, including how #microglia play a role in brain homeostasis. Discover more about this here: http://bit.ly/2Pvs7Xj

BREAKING NEWS: Researchers have identified a newly-defined cause of #dementia that has similar symptoms to Alzheimer’s disease. https://bit.ly/2V91kGk

A Phase III study has shown that cannabidiol can reduce seizures by almost half in children with Dravet syndrome, a rare type of severe #epilepsy. https://bit.ly/2J6tvOU

Automation, optimization and vascularization are a select few challenges when using brain #organoids in research. How might we address these obstacles and what could we see in the future for these miniature models?
Find out here: http://bit.ly/2W7NOiH #brainorganoid

Neonatologists have determined that disruption of allopregnanolone (ALLO) delivery to the fetus during #pregnancy may increase the likelihood that the child is born with #autism spectrum disorder: http://bit.ly/2L6Efzu

New technology generates synthetic speech using brain activity
Researchers at UCSF have developed a brain–machine interface that uses brain activity to control a virtual vocal tract, generating entire spoken sentences based on an individual's brain activity: http://bit.ly/2IRX9Ho #neurotechnology

A cutting-edge treatment developed by Canadian researchers has significantly restored movement in individuals with #Parkinsons disease who were previously housebound: http://bit.ly/2GstOk4

BREAKING NEWS: Scientists at Yale University have partially restored brain circulation and function in post mortem pig brains for up to 4 hours after death: http://bit.ly/2GubhFi
This finding not only raises ethical and legal questions about the nature of death and #consciousness, but also challenges the long-held assumptions about the irreversible nature of the cessation of some brain functions after death.