Parkinson’s disease is characterised by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the area of the midbrain known as the substantia nigra. Although mitochondrial stress – an accumulation of damaging superoxide and free radicals – is believed to be the cause of…
Blog Archives
New Insight into Reducing Stroke Damage
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the developed world and is also the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability; many survivors never recover sufficient function to live independently. Although rapid intervention to restore blood flow…
No More (Involuntary) Laughing and Crying
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) occurs in people with brain injury or underlying neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease and is characterised by unpredictable and uncontrollable fits of laughing or crying that may not reflect the…
Targeting the Tangles
Although the relative importance of β-amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has been the subject of much debate, early emphasis was placed on the development of drugs to block production of β-amyloid. Although such…
11β-HSD1 Inhibitor Improves Spatial Memory in Ageing Mice
Inhibitors of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1), a microsomal enzyme that converts cortisone into cortisol, are being developed to treat diabetes and metabolic disorders and now, in a study supported by the Wellcome Trust, researchers at the University of Edinburgh…
Common Pathway for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Nitrosylation of proteins is emerging as a key post-translational modification important in both normal physiology and a wide spectrum of diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Physiological levels of nitric oxide (NO) can be neuroprotective, in part at least, by inhibiting caspase…
Potential New Drugs for Epilepsy
Over 30% of the 50 million people who are affected by epilepsy do not have their seizures adequately controlled, even with the best available medicines. The 29 amino acid neuropeptide, galanin, is a potent endogenous anticonvulsant that activates galanin receptors…
Role for MMPs in Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with mutations in the huntingtin gene on human chromosome 4. Although the functions of normal huntingtin protein are not entirely clear, it is known that abnormal huntingtin (mutantHtt, or mHtt) – and…
Study Finds Compounds that Boost Neurogenesis: Possible moa for Dimebon
Following from positive phase II results, the announcement earlier this year that Dimebon (latrepirdine) failed to show a significant effect in a phase III clinical trial in Alzheimer’s patients was a major blow to patients, families and doctors. A study…
Link Between Sporadic and Familial ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide. The disease results in progressive loss of motor neurones leading to muscle weakening and atrophy, and is usually fatal within 5 years of…
