News by Subject Medicine & Health

In the fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the tau protein is a major culprit. Found abundantly in our brain cells, tau is normally a team player -- it maintains structure and stability within neurons, and it helps with transport of nutrients from one part of the cell to another.

People with Parkinson's disease who engage in cognitive behavioral therapy -- a form of psychotherapy that increases awareness of negative thinking and teaches coping skills -- are more likely to overcome depression and anxiety, according to a Rutgers study.

Depression is common in people with Parkinson's disease and contributes to faster physical and mental decline, but it is often overlooked and undertreated. The good news is that participating in cognitive-behavioral therapy by telephone may be effective in reducing depression symptoms for people with Parkinson's, according to a study published in the April 1, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The conversion of skin cells into brain cells relies on proper insertion of L1 elements.

The blood-thinning drug heparin is used all over the world. But, the underlying sugar structures of heparin and the wider family of heparan sulfate sugars in cells have not been fully mapped. Now, a research group headed by a recent recruit from the UK, Dr Rebecca Miller at the University of Copenhagen has invented a method to map this type of sugar structure in detail. This method has vast potential to reveal important biological functions and allow new drugs to be developed.

Researchers have improved our understanding of how tremor -- the most common movement disorder -- happens, opening the possibility of novel therapies for this condition.

The molecule NCAM2, a glycoprotein from the superfamily of immunoglobulins, is a vital factor in the formation of the cerebral cortex, neuronal morphogenesis and formation of neuronal circuits in the brain, as stated in the new study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex. The deficit of NCAM2 causes an incorrect migration of neurons and alters the morphology, cytoskeleton and functionality of these cells in the central nervous system.

An important biological mechanism that is thought to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's may also be involved in regulating sleep, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Vision and eye problems like blurry vision, dry eyes, trouble with depth perception, and problems adjusting to rapid changes in light are much more common in people with Parkinson's disease than in people without the disorder, according to a study published in the March 11, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found such problems can influence a person's daily activities.