Using positron emission tomography (PET) researchers associated with the journal ‘Biological Psychiatry’ have found out that a mechanism of brain inflammation is a major reason behind the development of schizophrenia. This has led them to suggest that anti-inflammatory agents hold a potential for use in the treatment of schizophrenia. They further maintain that medications under this category with powers to target, especially, the activation of microglia need to be studied.

A recent study has concluded that the use of statin drugs leads to reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by 67%. The multi-center trial assessed cognitive changes in the patients for four years. Widely used as drugs to lower cholesterol levels, statins are also safer drugs. Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation holds global patent rights for the use of statins for the treatment of AD.

Recent tests of Tysabri (developed by the Irish company Elan) have come up with positive results which were put before the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in Montreal. The doctors have concluded that the drug has the potential to come up as an effective treatment for patients suffering with multiple sclerosis. The medication is also useful in slowing down the progression of disability.

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.

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.

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.

A new study has shown that pramipexole (Mirapexin®/Sifrol®) can significantly reduce sleep disturbance, often the most troublesome symptom experienced by people with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). The important finding, presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Chicago, U.S.A., highlights the benefit of an RLS treatment, which effectively targets the core symptoms of the condition, such as an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, as well as secondary symptoms, including sleep disturbance.

Genentech and Biogen Idec’s Phase II/III study of Rituxan (rituximab) on patients suffering from primary-progressive multiple sclerosis failed to meet its primary endpoint, which was the time to confirmed disease progression during the 96-week treatment period. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of four courses of Rituxan in 439 patients. Most events in the Rituxan arm were mild to moderate and the overall adverse event rates for the drug were 16.4%, as compared to 13.6% for placebo.

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University have discovered a gene that may help develop new methods of treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the study found a direct link between mutations in the gene, known as GIGYF2 and family history of patients with the disease.