News
Long-term air pollution may raise the risk of motor neurone disease and worsen outcomes after diagnosis, new research suggests. The study, one of the largest to examine this link, tracked 1,463 people newly diagnosed with MND in Sweden, comparing them with over 7,300 population controls and nearly 1,800 sibling controls to account for genetic and [...]
UK pharmacies say an aspirin shortage is forcing them to ration supplies for patients with acute heart conditions and emergency prescriptions. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and the Independent Pharmacies Association said they are struggling to source the drug, citing manufacturing delays as part of the reason for the shortage. The NPA said pharmacists have [...]
MS may damage the brain for years before symptoms appear, new research has found. Scientists have gained new insight by examining thousands of proteins circulating in the blood, providing the clearest picture so far of when the condition first attacks the myelin sheath, the protective layer that surrounds nerve fibres. The results show that the [...]
Two people with spinal cord injuries have received BCI therapy, a brain-computer interface designed to restore movement. The procedures bring the total number of people to receive ONWARD Medical's investigational ARC-BCI system to seven. A brain-computer interface allows direct communication between the brain and external devices, translating brain signals into commands that can control movement. [...]
A team has developed a selective compound that inhibits an enzyme tied to inflammation in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. The compound preserves normal brain function while crossing the blood-brain barrier, the protective membrane that separates the brain from the bloodstream. The driver is an enzyme called calcium-dependent phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). [...]
OpenAI has invested in co-founder Sam Altman's brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs. The generative AI provider was a major investor in the company's US$252m seed round. A brain-computer interface allows direct communication between the brain and external devices. The potential for an investment was rumoured in the middle of last year. OpenAI said [...]
A brain cap and algorithms may one day let paralysed people trigger limb movement without surgery, researchers in Italy and Switzerland say. People with spinal cord injuries can lose some or all movement in their arms or legs. In many cases, the nerves in the limbs still work and movement signals are still produced. The [...]
Researchers have discovered a biochemical route that could lead to new Parkinson's treatments. The findings reveal how harmful protein build-up in brain cells causes the death of movement-controlling nerve cells, a hallmark of the condition. The research was led by scientists at Case Western Reserve University. Xin Qi, the study's senior author and [...]
Most people aged 65 and over with lower-risk head injuries do not have positive results on CT imaging, new research has found. CT, or computed tomography, is a detailed X-ray that creates cross-sectional images. The team, led by Yahy Al Fathil, a resident physician in the emergency department at Northern Hospital Epping in [...]
Israel has reported a sharp rise in PTSD and suicides among its troops after two years of conflict. The country's defence ministry says it has recorded a nearly 40 per cent increase in PTSD cases among its soldiers since September 2023, and predicts the figure will increase by 180 per cent by 2028. [...]
