You are here: MEDICA Portal. Our Topics in 2009.
Topic of the Month March: Blood
Nerve Stimulation Can Help Reorganise Brain
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[23/07/2012] University of Texas at Dallas researchers recently demonstrated how nerve stimulation paired with specific experiences, such as movements or sounds, can reorganise the brain. This technology could lead to new treatments for stroke, tinnitus, autism and other disorders. Nerve Stimulation Can Help Reorganise Brain - Read more
Gene Mutation Lead to Enlarged Brain Size, Cancer, Autism, Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[04/07/2012] A research team led by Seattle Children's Research Institute has discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. Mutations in three genes, AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA, were also found to be associated with a constellation of disorders including cancer, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, autism, vascular anomalies and skin growth disorders. Gene Mutation Lead to Enlarged Brain Size, Cancer, Autism, Epilepsy - Read more
Glycogen Accumulation in Neurons Causes Brain Damage
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[03/05/2012] Collaborative research by groups headed by scientists Joan J. Guinovart and Marco Milán at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has revealed conclusive evidence about the harmful effects of the accumulation of glucose chains (glycogen) in fly and mouse neurons. Glycogen Accumulation in Neurons Causes Brain Damage - Read more
Genome Sequencing Finds Unknown Cause of Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[24/02/2012] Only 10 years ago, deciphering the genetic information from one individual in a matter of weeks to find a certain disease-causing genetic mutation would have been written off as science fiction. Now researchers of the University of Arizona applied Next Generation Genome Sequencing to decipher the entire DNA from a patient who had died from sudden unexplained epileptic death. Genome Sequencing Finds Unknown Cause of Epilepsy - Read more
Substance in Cancer Medicine Could Prevent Heart Attacks
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[24/11/2011] A substance in medicines for cancer and epilepsy could also prevent heart attacks, according to researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who have been using it to stimulate the body’s own defence system against blood clots. Substance in Cancer Medicine Could Prevent Heart Attacks - Read more
Ultrathin Flexible Brain Implant Offers Unique Look at Seizures
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[18/11/2011] Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a flexible brain implant that could one day be used to treat epileptic seizures. In animal studies, the researchers used the device – a type of electrode array that conforms to the brain's surface – to take an unprecedented look at the brain activity underlying seizures. Ultrathin Flexible Brain Implant Offers Unique Look at Seizures - Read more
“The cell activity can be modulated as desired“
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[08/11/2011] What exactly happens in the brain during an epileptic seizure? And can this knowledge help in finding better therapies for patients in the future? “The cell activity can be modulated as desired“ - Read more
Success of Brain Surgery for Severe Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[02/09/2011] Two-thirds of people with severe and otherwise untreatable epilepsy were completely cured of their frequent seizures after undergoing neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, according to a new study. Success of Brain Surgery for Severe Epilepsy - Read more
Psychiatric Disorders Linked with Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[20/04/2011] Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, have conducted the first study of its kind to examine in detail, the basis of psychiatric disorders which occur in people with epilepsy. Psychiatric Disorders Linked with Epilepsy - Read more
Helping Epilepsy Patients With Ictal Asystole
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[24/03/2011] Researchers have found that cardiac pacing may help epilepsy patients with seizure-related falls due to ictal asystole, an unusual condition in which the heart stops beating during an epileptic seizure. Helping Epilepsy Patients With Ictal Asystole - Read more
On the trail of rare diseases
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[01/09/2010] The womb is more than the origin of life and the center of the universe – physicians and scientists have suspected this for a while. Allegedly the womb is also responsible for “programming” the foundations for many diseases (1) – like diabetes, hypertension and allergies – in the fetus. On the trail of rare diseases - Read more
Idiopathic Childhood-Onset Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[14/06/2010] A study conducted by researchers in the Netherlands confirmed that children with idiopathic new-onset epilepsy have a significantly higher rate of remission than those with remote symptomatic epilepsy. Idiopathic Childhood-Onset Epilepsy - Read more
New Device Adapts to Brain’s Surface
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[22/04/2010] A new brain implant that essentially melts into place, fitting to the brain's surface, could pave the way for better devices to monitor and control seizures, and to transmit signals from the brain past damaged parts of the spinal cord. New Device Adapts to Brain’s Surface - Read more
Reading the Brain without Poking it
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[08/07/2009] A University of Utah study shows that brain signals controlling arm movements can be detected accurately using new microelectrodes. These sit on the brain but do not penetrate it. Reading the Brain without Poking it - Read more
Pregnancy Safe with Epilepsy
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[28/04/2009] New guidelines show it is relatively safe for women with epilepsy to become pregnant, but caution must be taken, including avoiding certain drugs that can cause birth defects. Pregnancy Safe with Epilepsy - Read more
Nerve-Stimulation Device Shows Promise
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[27/03/2009] Researchers have developed a new nerve-stimulation treatment for intractable epilepsy which reduced the number of seizures by more than 50 percent. Nerve-Stimulation Device Shows Promise - Read more
„There Is no Need to Outline any Horror Scenarios“
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[08/01/2009] Juice in the head: Neuroprosthetics which are connected to nerve endings in the brain electrically stimulate certain brain regions. Thus, the implants are supposed to reduce the effects of Parkinson’s or to help with depressions or the Tourette syndrome. Nevertheless, many people feel uneasy about the idea that a machine perches in their head possibly influencing their behaviour. „There Is no Need to Outline any Horror Scenarios“ - Read more
One of the Keys for the 21st Century (Part 2)
( Source: MEDICA.de )
[01/09/2008] by Wiebke Heiss / MEDICA.de One of the Keys for the 21st Century (Part 2) - Read more
