Editor's Choice Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 10 Aug 2012 - 9:00 PDT Current ratings for: Epilepsy Drug Can Reverse Memory Loss In Alzheimer's Patients 5 (1 votes) 5 (1 votes) The study, conducted by researchers at the Gladstone Institutes, also found that the drug, called levetiracetam, alleviates other Alzheimer's related impairments by suppressing abnormal brain activity. Levetiracetam is often prescribed to individuals who suffer from epilepsy. At present, around 5.4 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer's, and this figure is expected to increase three fold by the year 2050. Dr. Lennart Mucke, M.D., who directs neurological research at Gladstone, and is a professor of neurology and neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with which Gladstone is affiliated, explained: Essential brain functions, such as memory, need healthy activity in neuronal networks in order to work efficiently. However, Alzheimer's disease interferes with these brain networks, causing disruptions that can result in epileptic seizures. Gladstone Postdoctoral Fellow Pascal Sanchez, Ph.D., explained: "But whether such neuronal-network disruptions also impair memory was unknown. So we screened seven FDA-approved anti-epileptic medications - including levetiracetam - in our Alzheimer's mouse model to … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2012) Scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute have discovered how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The research offers a potential target for drugs to treat the condition. Earlier research already has shown that the gene is defective in children with autism, but its effect on neurons in the brain was not known. The new studies in mice show that abnormal action of just this one gene disrupted energy use in neurons. The harmful changes were coupled with antisocial and prolonged repetitive behavior -- traits found in autism. The research is published online August 10 in the scientific journal PLoS One. "A number of genes and environmental factors have been shown to be involved in autism, but this study points to a mechanism -- how one gene defect may trigger this type of neurological behavior," said study senior author Cecilia Giulivi, professor of molecular biosciences in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a researcher affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute. "Once you understand the mechanism, that opens the way for developing drugs to treat the condition," she said. The defective gene appears … Continue reading →

Good luck and experimental therapy may have helped U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk recover more extensively than he would have with standard care after he suffered a stroke in January. The 52-year-old is making excellent progress, according to medical experts not involved in his care who watched a video released this week by the Illinois Republican's office. Kirk is seen in the video climbing stairs and walking on a treadmill with a therapist's help. Kirk credits lead researcher and physical therapist T. George Hornby at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, whose work may change standard therapy for stroke patients. During Kirk's nine weeks participating in Hornby's research, he walked nearly 15 miles and climbed 145 flights of stairs. "We basically treat them like athletes," said Hornby, who is testing what happens when stroke patients walk 10 times farther than they would in a standard physical therapy session. Instead of walking once down an unobstructed hallway, for example, a patient is asked to walk around obstacles, to walk while things are bumping into him and to climb stairs. "We're really pushing them to the limit on how hard they can work," the researcher said. First to enroll in the new Hornby-led study, … Continue reading →