Insight
A study using wearable brain-scanning technology has revealed how brain function differs in people with multiple sclerosis. This research marks the first use of a newly developed technique called OPM-MEG in MS, demonstrating its potential to study neurological disease. OPM-MEG (magnetoencephalography with optically pumped magnetometers) measures electrical brain activity in real time by detecting magnetic [...]
DMT may protect the brain from stroke damage by stabilising the blood–brain barrier and reducing inflammation, new research suggests. The naturally occurring psychoactive compound dimethyltryptamine (DMT) significantly reduced brain damage in animal models of stroke by protecting the blood–brain barrier – the membrane that controls what passes from the bloodstream into brain tissue – and [...]
Military veterans who develop epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury may face a higher risk of death than those with epilepsy but no history of brain injury. The study analysed 210,182 veterans with epilepsy, including 28,832 who had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) within five years before diagnosis. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine [...]
Common viral infections such as flu, HIV, hepatitis C and shingles can increase the risk of stroke and heart disease, according to a large review of 155 studies. The meta-analysis found that people who caught flu were up to six times more likely to have a heart attack in the month after infection, while those [...]
An international research team has identified a previously unknown genetic disease that affects movement and muscle control. The disease — called Mutation in NAMPT Axonopathy (MINA) syndrome — causes damage to motor neurons, the nerve cells that send signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles. It’s the result of a rare genetic mutation [...]
A smartphone platform that helps doctors monitor Parkinson’s symptoms has raised US$5.6m to expand its commercial capacity and advance dementia-monitoring technology. The funding brings total investment to US$11.2m for the clinically validated system, which uses smartphones to track changes in movement, speech and cognition. Kneu Health’s platform includes a tremor measurement tool cleared by the [...]
People with both gum disease and cavities face an 86 per cent higher risk of stroke compared with those with healthy mouths, a long-term study has found. The research, which tracked nearly 6,000 adults over 20 years, also linked poor oral health to a 36 per cent greater likelihood of heart attacks and other cardiovascular [...]
A biology teacher has become the first UK patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of a global clinical trial. Emily Henders, 37, received the treatment at University College London Hospital last week after being diagnosed with MS on Christmas Eve 2021. CAR T-cell therapy is tailored for each patient [...]
ONWARD Medical has raised €50.85m to advance spinal cord stimulation technologies and expand commercialisation of its movement restoration systems. The funding comes from a private placement of 11.3 million new shares at €4.50 per share, extending the company’s cash runway through at least the end of 2026. The Netherlands-based neurotechnology company, which also operates a [...]
Researchers have directly seen and measured the protein clusters thought to spark Parkinson’s disease for the first time, marking a major milestone in understanding the condition. These microscopic clusters, known as alpha-synuclein oligomers, have long been suspected as the starting point for Parkinson’s but had remained undetectable in human brain tissue until now. A team [...]
