March 18, 2014 Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine found a form of epilepsy in sea lions that is similar to one found in humans. In a published paper in the Journal of Comparative Neurology, the team wrote that California sea lions exposed to a toxin in algae develop a form of epilepsy similar to a temporal lobe epilepsy. Hundreds of sea lions wash up along the California coast each year suffering from seizures that have been caused by domoic acid a neurotoxin that produces memory loss, tremors, convulsions and death. This acid is produced by algae blooms that have been growing along the coastline in recent years. Researchers studied the brains of sea lions that had been exposed to this toxin and they discovered a pattern of damage in the hippocampus. We found there was a loss of neurons in specific patterns that closely matched what is found in people, Paul Buckmaster, PhD, DVM, professor of comparative medicine at Stanford, said in a statement. And there is synaptic reorganization a rewiring of surviving neurons. This also matches what is found in humans with temporal lobe epilepsy. Temporal lobe epilepsy is one … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Mar-2014 Contact: Ruthann Richter richter1@stanford.edu 650-725-8047 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. California sea lions exposed to a toxin in algae develop a form of epilepsy that is similar to one in humans, according to a new study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. Every year, hundreds of sea lions wash up along the California coast, suffering seizures caused by exposure to domoic acid, a neurotoxin that can produce memory loss, tremors, convulsions and death. Domoic acid is produced by algae blooms that have been proliferating along the coast in recent years, accumulating in anchovies and other small fish that the sea lions feed on, said Paul Buckmaster, PhD, DVM, professor of comparative medicine at Stanford. Buckmaster and his colleagues studied the brains of affected sea lions and found they had a pattern of damage in the hippocampus the brain's memory center much like that in humans with temporal lobe epilepsy. "We found there was a loss of neurons in specific patterns that closely matched what is found in people," he said. "And there is synaptic reorganization a rewiring of surviving neurons. This also matches what is found in humans with temporal lobe epilepsy." He … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Mar-2014 Contact: Steffanie Marchese steffanie.marchese@autismspeaks.org 646-385-8537 Autism Speaks NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 18, 2014) Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the sixth class of The Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellows funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Nine Fellows will be awarded more than $530,000 combined in research grants over the next two years. The fellowship program focuses on developing rising talent within the autism research community. The Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowship was established in 2008 in memory of Sir Dennis Weatherstone, the former Chairman and CEO of J.P. Morgan . The program honors his family's enduring commitment to the education of promising scientists beginning careers in autism research. Fellows will work directly with mentors who are leading investigators in the autism field. "We thank the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Weatherstone family for this tremendous investment in the future of autism research," says Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Rob Ring. "The Autism Speaks Weatherstone program builds careers as it supports research that advances our understanding, prevention and treatment of autism." This years class of nine fellows was selected from a particularly diverse and strong field of candidates, adds Ed Clayton, Autism Speaks … Continue reading →

A biotech startup formed by Atlas Venture is collaborating with Biogen Idec to develop a treatment for inherited forms of Ataxia a degenerative neurological condition that leads to physical disabilities, according to a company statement. They include the loss of coordination of hands, fingers, arms, legs but it can also cause a curvature of the spine and heart problems such as arrhythmias. Ataxion has raised $17 million in a Series A round to develop treatments for inherited versions of the disease from Atlas Venture and Biogen. Friedreichs ataxia is the most common version of the orphan disease, which affects under 200,000 people. The condition, which tends to show symptoms in adolescence, has no known cure and has been the subject of increasing attention from the life sciences industry and research institutions. It reflects a broader life sciences industry trend of developing treatments for orphan diseases because theres a higher barrier to entry and it allows companies to keep exclusivity for longer periods of time than conditions with larger patient populations. Atlas Venture formed Ataxion last year when it licensed the technology from Danish biotech company Aniona, since renamed Saniona. The treatments under development focused on using potassium channel activators to … Continue reading →