Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehab.
Research
New approach for treating degenerative diseases
A new paper reveals a new connection between a particular ion transport protein and the cell’s garbage disposal, which grinds up misfolded proteins to stave off their toxic accumulation. The results, published in Developmental Cell, identify a target for treating debilitating degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Nutrient research reveals pathway for treating brain disorders
A University of Queensland researcher has found molecular doorways that could be used to help deliver drugs into the brain to treat neurological disorders. Dr Rosemary Cater led a team which discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2. The research also highlights the importance of eating choline-rich foods – such as eggs, vegetables, meat, nuts and beans. The research is published in Nature and funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Survey reveals how well people really know signs of stroke
A survey conducted by MedStar Health found people could be overly confident about their ability to recognise the serious warning signs of someone having a stroke. The national survey of 1000 people found 64 per cent of respondents said they were “confident” about their knowledge of stroke symptoms, but just 23 per cent could name the signs that make up the widely known acronym BEFAST which outlines sudden changes that can be signs of stroke.
Company news
PLT Health Solutions secures licence from Health Canada for Nutricog
PLT Health Solutions has received a license from the Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) of Health Canada to market its ingredient Nutricog® Cognitive Performance Complex to support cognitive health. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, users of Nutricog demonstrated significant improvements compared to placebo across multiple cognitive domains, including learning, memory, sustained attention, working memory and executive function, where increases in cognitive speed were seen concurrently with improvements in accuracy while multitasking.
Medtronic receives FDA approval for closed-loop spinal cord stimulator
Medtronic has announced that the US FDA has approved the Inceptiv™ closed-loop rechargeable spinal cord stimulator (SCS) for the treatment of chronic pain. Inceptiv is the first Medtronic SCS device to offer a closed-loop feature that senses biological signals along the spinal cord and automatically adjusts stimulation in real time, keeping therapy in harmony with the motions of daily life.
