The first study examining the relationship between parasite infections and MS in humans suggests that such infections may affect the immune response in a way that alters the course of MS.
A Mayo Clinic surgical team has found that using a 3-Tesla MRI in surgical decision making provides a new level of capability to predict surgical outcomes that improves patient care by minimizing the potential for unsuccessful tumor-removal surgeries. The Mayo Clinic report appears in the December issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Researchers have developed nanoparticles that seek out tumors and bind to their blood vessels, and then attract more nanoparticles to the tumor target. Using this system they demonstrated that the homing nanoparticle could be used to deliver a “payload” of an imaging compound, and in the process act as a clotting agent, obstructing as much as 20 percent of the tumor blood vessels.
It is estimated that 250,000 Americans over the age of 65 may have been misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and perhaps Parkinson’s disease, when in fact they have a treatable condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH.
MR imaging can make a dramatic difference in the management of patients with ankle pain, changing treatment in about one-third of the patients, a new study finds.
High quality and happy marriages the best stress busters for women, revealed in a new study by James A. Coan, which is published in the December 2006 issue of the journal Psychological Science. All women need to lower their stress levels and strong and happy marriage is the solution.
Reduce stress by holding the hands of your spouse! A University of Virginia neuroscientist has found that women under stress who hold their husbands’ hands show signs of immediate relief, which can clearly be seen on their brain scans.
You don’t need to sign up for pricey wine appreciation classes to parse the subtle difference between the black cherry bouquet of a pinot noir and the black currant scent of a cabernet sauvignon. Just pour yourself a couple glasses and sniff. Your brain will quickly help you become a modest oenophile. It’s up to you if you want to drink the lesson plan.
A new imaging molecule that can detect and map plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease could eventually lead to earlier diagnosis of the devastating disease, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles report in the Dec. 21, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
A new advanced magnetic resonance imaging technique developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the diagnosis of neurological problems, such as Chiari malformations, hydrocephalus and brain injury, will be evaluated for clinical use through a $1.4 million National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Research Partnership grant.