Research
The first three paralysed people have been implanted with a nerve stimulation device in a groundbreaking clinical trial aimed at restoring bowel and bladder function after a spinal cord injury. The potentially life-changing ImPRESS project at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, brings together a coalition of charities, industry, clinicians and researchers. UK charity Spinal [...]
A new brain imaging technique has detected tiny pulsing blood vessels that could reveal early Alzheimer's disease and track changes linked to ageing. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is currently the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability in older people worldwide. The method [...]
DMT, a psychoactive compound found in plants and the human brain, shows protective effects against stroke damage in new research using animal and cell models. The compound reduced infarct size, brain swelling and inflammation while repairing blood-brain barrier function, according to the study. Researchers found that dimethyltryptamine (DMT) worked through Sigma-1 receptors to limit microglial [...]
Scientists have created tiny capsules that deliver anti-inflammatory proteins to reduce brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. The system, named AstroCapsules, encloses human astrocytes – star-shaped brain cells that support healthy nervous system function – inside small, biocompatible hydrogel containers. When equipped with an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), the encapsulated [...]
Gene therapy slowed Huntington's disease progression by 75 per cent in a recent trial, in what researchers describe as the first effective treatment for the condition. The therapy means that decline expected in one year would instead take four years, potentially giving patients decades of better quality life, researchers said. Researchers from University [...]
Oral bacteria that settle in the gut may produce chemicals that damage brain cells and play a role in Parkinson's disease, researchers have suggested. Scientists found that Streptococcus mutans – the bacterium responsible for tooth decay – was more common in the guts of Parkinson’s patients than in healthy people. The finding adds to the case for [...]
Routine blood tests tracked over time may help predict injury severity and survival chances after spinal cord damage, according to a University of Waterloo study. The research team used advanced analytics and machine learning – a form of artificial intelligence that can detect patterns in large datasets – to assess whether daily hospital blood samples [...]
CTE, a brain condition linked to repeated head injuries in sport, has for the first time been identified in people who had experienced homelessness. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – often linked to boxing, rugby and American football – was detected in post-mortem examinations of people with a history of homelessness, marking the first confirmed cases [...]
Former footballer Chris Kamara told an awards audience he is "through to the other side" of his brain injury, speaking at the National Diversity Awards. The 67-year-old broadcaster, diagnosed with speech apraxia in 2022, said the "kindness of people" had helped him in his recovery. Speech apraxia is a motor speech disorder that affects the [...]
Stem cell injections turned into immature brain cells and improved movement in mice with stroke damage, suggesting the therapy could one day repair lasting brain injury. The transplanted cells survived for five weeks, developing into neurons – the brain’s communication cells – and forming links with existing brain tissue. They also reduced inflammation and strengthened [...]
