Biomedical scientists have discovered that a defect in the ATP13A2 gene causes cell death by disrupting the cellular transport of polyamines. When this happens in the part of the brain that controls body movement, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease. With more than six million patients around the world, Parkinson’s disease is one of the…

A ubiquitous protein called sigma 1 receptor, which is known to protect cells from stress, appears key to the function and survival of the neurons most impacted by glaucoma, scientists report. Sigma 1 receptors are expressed on cells throughout the body, including the retinal ganglion cells in the back of the eye, which help connect…

Researchers have used real-time 3D animation to investigate motor impairments in children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study found that when teaching or coaching new movements to an individual with autism, the teacher or coach needs to understand the individual with autism’s specific motor learning characteristics. The results of their study, titled «Children…

To understand the effect of sleep seizures, researchers monitored the brain and heart activity of people with epilepsy as they slept. Both sleep and seizures work together to slow the heart rate, the researchers found. Seizures also disrupt the body’s natural regulation of sleep-related changes. Together, in some instances, this can prove deadly, causing Sudden…

A study found that stress, anxiety and depression during the first few weeks of the pandemic were associated with less and lower quality sleep. In a survey of more than 900 twins, about half of the respondents reported no change in sleep patterns, but 32.9 percent reported decreased sleep. Another 29.8 percent reported sleeping more.…

A new study analyzed data regarding ATV-related head and neck injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 1990 through 2014 involving patients younger than 18 years of age. The study, published in Clinical Pediatrics, found an average of more than 11,000 children and teens treated for nonfatal ATV-related head and neck injuries annually in emergency…

Toxic goiter affects the brain more than was previously known, a new study shows, and involves volume changes occurring in central parts of the brain. These findings are described as a key advance for a vulnerable group of patients. Toxic goiter, or hyperthyroidism, is a relatively common condition. Its incidence rises with age and most…

When two painful stimuli act on us at the same time, we perceive one of them as less painful. This phenomenon is part of the body’s own pain control system. A dysfunction of this inhibition is associated with chronic pain disorders. In the first study, the research team compared an established CPM model with a…

Scientists still know little about how opioid overdoses affect the brain and cognition. Researchers found that, while evidence exists to support a link between overdose, cognitive impairment and brain abnormalities, more research is needed in this area. To better understand the topic, Erin Winstanley and James Mahoney — researchers with the West Virginia University School…

People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study. «One exciting finding of this study is that as people’s fitness improved, their risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreased — it was not an all-or-nothing proposition,» said study author Edward Zamrini,…