Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute (St. Joseph’s Hospital) and the Montreal Neurological Institute recently carried out a pilot study which suggests that a certain type of MRI scanning can proactively detect whether a patient is failing brain tumor treatment. It assesses the response before symptoms appear. Patients with recurring malignant brain tumors received scans through an imaging device known as MR spectroscopy. This device identifies metabolic changes. The study concluded that the use of metabolic imaging can identify chemical changes earlier than the technology of structural imaging such as CT scan or a conventional MRI. This imaging can be done frequently. It is non-invasive and poses no radiation hazards.

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems and NeuroMetrix have come together in a 50:50 joint venture, Peripheral Nerve Injury Repair LLC, for the development and commercial launch of a medical product to treat peripheral nerve injury. The product will be based on Cyberkinetics’ Andara Oscillating Field Stimulator (OFS) neurostimulation technology platform. The companies estimate that up to 100,000 people with laceration, stretch and compression injuries may benefit from nerve fiber growth repair treatment using Andara(TM) OFS(TM) Therapy.

The International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) and the Allen Institute for Brain Science have announced that INCF will be providing infrastructure and support services to improve the accessibility of Allen Institute’s Allen Brain Atlas-Mouse Brain. The Allen Brain Atlas-Mouse Brain is used by scientists worldwide for advanced brain research in health and disease.

A new preclinical study published in Stem Cells and Development states that the stem cells derived from blood in the umbilical cord may help curb Alzheimer’s disease. A team of researchers from the University of South Florida and Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc conducted this study. The study was conducted on a mouse model and demonstrated that targeted immune suppression using human umbilical chord stem cells reduced disease progression.

DePuy Spine Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, has launched a new minimally invasive spine system called the VIPER™2 Pedicle Screw Fixation System (VIPER2). The system offers comprehensive instrumentation and implant options that can be used on a wide range of spinal pathologies including deformity, trauma, tumor and degenerative disc disease. VIPER2 is the first and only complete minimally invasive rod and pedicle screw system that can be used to perform minimally invasive spinal fixation across the length of the entire thoracolumbar spine (T1 to Pelvis), with rods of any curvature and lengths from 30 to 480 mm.

Surgeons are using custom-made, FDA-approved device, STARband, to begin the cranial shaping process of children below 18 months of age diagnosed with craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis is a condition that leads to premature fusion of the cranial sutures, or fontanels, causing problems with normal brain and skull growth, which can result in developmental delays, visual impairment and misaligned ears, eyes, and jaws. Orthomerica Products Inc.’s STARband helmets, which are worn 23 hours daily for three to six months, channel head growth by applying constant and gentle pressure on raised areas of the head, while leaving room for growth in depressed areas.

The FDA has approved the first generic versions of Requip (ropinirole hydrochloride) tablets for the treatment of moderate to severe Restless Legs Syndrome. Requip tablets have been approved in the 0.25 milligram, 0.5 milligram, 1 milligram, 2 milligram, 3 milligram, and 4 milligram dosages. Roxane Laboratories Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Par Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. have received approval to market the ropinirole hydrochloride tablets.

The FDA has granted approval for the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filed by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to market the generic Cerebyx®, fosphenytoin sodium injection. The drug is used in generalized convulsive status epilepticus and for the prevention and treatment of seizures when neurosurgery is being performed. The fosphenytoin sodium injection is available in 100 mg Phenytoin sodium equivalents/2 mL and 500 mg Phenytoin sodium equivalents/10 mL single dose vials.

A new study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry has indicated that Eli Lilly and Co.’s Prozac, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, may be an agent in slowing down the disease process of the relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The patients who were treated with Prozac had fewer new areas of inflammation than those treated with placebo just after eight weeks, the period the drug takes to begin relieving depression.

Researchers at Northwestern University have come up with a nano-engineered gel that has been shown to curb the formation of scar tissue at the site of spinal injuries, thereby allowing the spinal chord fibers to regenerate. The gel has to be injected into the spinal chord as a liquid, which then turns into a scaffold, supporting the new nerve fibers.