Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research news
Brain damage reveals part of the brain necessary for helping others
A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour from researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford, and shows for the first time how a region called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has a critical role in helping, or ‘prosocial’ behaviours. Lead author Professor Patricia Lockwood said: “Prosocial behaviours are essential for addressing global challenges. Yet helping others is often effortful and humans are averse to effort. Understanding how effortful helping decisions are processed in the brain is extremely important.”
Altering cellular interactions around amyloid plaques may offer novel Alzheimer’s treatment
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have made a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research by identifying a novel way to potentially slow down or even halt disease progression. The study, which focuses on the role of reactive astrocytes and the plexin-B1 protein in Alzheimer’s pathophysiology, provides crucial insights into brain cell communication and opens the door to innovative treatment strategies.
Using VR to map the brain
Through high-tech imaging and virtual reality, a University of South Florida medical engineering professor is creating a detailed map of the brain that can be used to better understand developmental disorders, such as autism, and provide earlier, more effective treatments for brain injuries and diseases. Funded by a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, George Spirou is expanding on his four decades of brain research to focus on the part of the brain that processes sound, called the calyx of Held – the largest nerve terminal in the human brain. Auditory dysfunction is often the source of symptoms of disorders, such as autism, which typically result in social and cognitive impairment.
Company and financial neuro-rehab news
Neuren Phase 2 trial shows significant improvements in Pitt Hopkins syndrome
Neuren Pharmaceuticals has announced top-line results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of NNZ-2591 in children with Pitt Hopkins syndrome (PTHS). Statistically significant improvement from baseline was observed by both clinicians and caregivers from treatment, across all 4 efficacy measures that were specifically designed to assess the core characteristics of PTHS. There are no approved treatments for PTHS despite its severely debilitating impact on the lives of patients, as well as their parents and siblings.
Ashvattha Therapeutics to present data at the CMSC and SNMMI
Ashvattha Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company advancing a new class of nanomedicine therapeutics that traverse tissue barriers to selectively target activated cells in regions of inflammation, today announced that the company will present preclinical data at the upcoming Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging 2024 annual meetings. The presentations will demonstrate the therapeutic potential of Ashvattha’s novel CSF1R dendranib for MS, based on symptom reduction in a mouse experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model of MS.
Swan NeuroTech wins grant at event focused on underrepresented demographics in tech
Swan NeuroTech, a company working to treat nerve damage, took home first place in the life sciences category at an event focused on elevating underrepresented voices in the tech sector.
Policy and society news
Academic neurology in the UK: a plea to turn away from the precipice
An Open Access Article has been published in Oxford Academic Press, Brain, where Devine et al. argue that recent changes to clinical neurology training in the UK have the potential to exacerbate an existing crisis in academic neurology.
