Genetic Study Confirms the Immune System’s Role in NarcolepsySunday, May 3, 2009
Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a gene associated with narcolepsy, a disorder that
causes disabling daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks, irresistible bouts of sleep that can strike at any time, and disturbed
sleep at night. The gene has a known role in the immune system, which strongly suggests that autoimmunity, in which the immune
system turns against the body's own tissues, plays an important role in the disorder.
Risk of Autism Tied to Genes that Influence Brain Cell ConnectionsTuesday, Apr 28, 2009
In three studies, including the most comprehensive study of autism genetics to date, investigators funded in part by the National
Institutes of Health have identified common and rare genetic factors that affect the risk of autism spectrum disorders. The
results point to the importance of genes that are involved in forming and maintaining the connections between brain cells.
Support Cells, Not Neurons, Lull the Brain to SleepWednesday, Jan 28, 2009
Brain cells called astrocytes help to cause the urge to sleep that comes with prolonged wakefulness, according to a study
in mice, funded by the National Institutes of Health. The cells release adenosine, a chemical known to have sleep-inducing
effects that are inhibited by caffeine.
Researchers Identify Mechanism, Possible Drug Treatment for Tumors in NeurofibromatosisThursday, Oct 30, 2008
Researchers studying neurofibromatosis type 1 – a rare disease in which tumors grow within nerves – have found that the tumors
are triggered by crosstalk between cells in the nerves and cells in the blood. They also found that a drug on the market
for treating certain kinds of blood cancer curbs tumor growth in a mouse model of neurofibromatosis type 1.
Scientists Restore Movement to Paralyzed Limbs through Artificial Brain-Muscle ConnectionsWednesday, Oct 15, 2008
Researchers in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have demonstrated for the first time that a direct
artificial connection from the brain to muscles can restore voluntary movement in monkeys whose arms have been temporarily
anesthetized.
Four New Members Named to National Neurology Advisory CouncilThursday, Sep 18, 2008
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has appointed four new members to its major advisory panel,
the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. The NINDS, a component of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), is the nation's primary supporter of basic, translational, and clinical research on the brain and nervous system. NINDS
Director Story Landis, Ph.D., formally introduced the new members, who will serve through July 2012, at the Council's September
18, meeting.
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