familymednews.com
Medulloblastoma is a rare but devastating childhood brain cancer. This cancer can spread through the spinal fluid and be deposited elsewhere in the brain or spine. Radiation therapy to the whole brain and spine followed by an extra radiation dose to the back of the brain prevents this spread and has been the standard of care. However, the radiation used […]
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Clinical scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and University College London are collaborating with pharmaceutical companies AbbVie, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb and Roche to investigate the role of neurofilament light (NfL) chain in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. NfL is a protein that provides structural support to […]
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Our brains are so primed to recognize faces—or to tell people apart—that we rarely even stop to think about it, but what happens in the brain when it engages in such recognition is still far from understood. In a new study reported today in Nature Communications, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shed new light on this issue. […]
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Prolonged exposure to blue light, such as that which emanates from your phone, computer and household fixtures, could be affecting your longevity, even if it’s not shining in your eyes. New research at Oregon State University suggests that the blue wavelengths produced by light-emitting diodes damage cells in the brain as well as retinas. The study, published today in Aging […]
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When antigens such as a virus or bacteria invade our body, the immune system springs into action: it creates antibodies that stick to the antigens so that they can identify and destroy the intruders. Did you know that these Y-shaped proteins, AKA antibodies, have been revolutionizing the treatment of cancer, inflammatory disease and autoimmune disease, and many others? Therapeutic antibodies […]
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In marriage, conflict is inevitable. Even the happiest couples argue. And research shows they tend to argue about the same topics as unhappy couples: children, money, in-laws, intimacy. So, what distinguishes happy couples? According to “What are the Marital Problems of Happy Couples? A Multimethod, Two-Sample Investigation,” a study published this August in Family Process, it is the way happy […]
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Researchers have demonstrated a universal decoding system in humans that determines how we perceive vibrations of different frequencies through touch. Their findings, published in eLife, suggest that this decoding system overrules our tactile sensory channels when we perceive vibrotactile stimuli. The system depends on neural discharge (or spike) patterns, regardless of the type of receptor that receives the stimuli, challenging […]
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After a series of studies, researchers at Lund University in Sweden, together with colleagues in Italy, have shown that not only one part, but most parts of the brain can be involved in processing the signals that arise from touch. The results open the way for a new understanding of how the brain’s network of neurons processes information, and thereby […]
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When a protein named “Merlin” fails to do its job, people can develop slow-growing, life-disrupting auditory nerve tumors that can disrupt their hearing and balance. This rare condition is called neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). Now scientists at Cincinnati Children’s have discovered much more about how Merlin does its job—by working behind the scenes through a network of more than 50 other […]
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A team of neuroscientists and engineers has developed a tiny, implantable device that has potential to help people with bladder problems bypass the need for medication or electronic stimulators. The team—from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago—created a soft, implantable device […]
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