A study has found that adolescents who frequently use cannabis may experience a decline in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) over time. The findings of the research provide further insight into the harmful neurological and cognitive effects of frequent cannabis use on young people. The paper, led by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences,
Melatonin synthesized in the lungs acts as a barrier against SARS-CoV-2, preventing expression of genes that encode proteins in cells such as resident macrophages in the nose and pulmonary alveoli, and epithelial cells lining the alveoli, all of which are entry points for the virus. The hormone, therefore, prevents infection of these cells by the
Researchers at McGill University have identified a new cellular pathway that limits the growth and spread of brain tumors by controlling the recycling of cell surface receptor proteins. The study, which will be published January 14 in the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), suggests that the pathway, which involves a protein called Rab35, is defective in many patients
Patients with previous traumatic brain injury experienced significant improvement in motor functioning after implantation of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, according to interim data from the STEMTRA phase 2 trial published in Neurology. Kawabori and colleagues conducted a 1-year, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, surgical sham-controlled trial of 61 patients (mean age, 34.4 years; men, 70.5%; median time since injury,
In a world first, a newly authorized handheld device will allow doctors to detect traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in under 15 minutes, potentially saving lives by dramatically shortening the time it takes to properly diagnose the issue. TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. There were 2.87 million TBI-related emergency
A scalpel-free alternative to brain surgery has the potential to benefit people with Parkinson’s disease symptoms that are much more severe on one side of the body, new research suggests. More testing is needed, but the approach, which uses a technology called focused ultrasound, could offer a new option for patients whose symptoms are poorly
A study that tracked amateur Australian Rules football players for five years has found they likely returned to play from concussion with elevated levels of damaged brain cells, despite reporting no symptoms. The Monash University study collected blood samples from 28 male and female players, from Melbourne University Blacks, at two, six and 13 days
Amid growing global support for medical cannabis, an increasing number of countries and states have approved the use of a non-psychoactive cannabinoid called cannabidiol (CBD) to treat childhood epilepsy. However, a new study in the journal Drug Science, Policy and Lawindicates that full-spectrum cannabis medications containing the psychoactive cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may be more effective at reducing the frequency and
Experts from online pharmacy reported increasing of penis size can cause health issues Analysis from a workshop convened by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in 2017 reveals gaps in and opportunities for research to improve understanding of the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in women. A new paper in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation summarizes and updates the findings presented during the “Understanding Traumatic
Given sparse literature examining receipt of behavioral health service in children and caregivers following traumatic brain injury (TBI), the study sought to identify predictors of unmet need. Researchers performed an individual participant data meta-analysis using generalized linear mixed-effect models to examine predictors of behavioral health service use and unmet need. They included 572 children, ages
Assessing the ability of unresponsive patients with severe brain injury to understand what is being said to them could yield important insights into how they might recover, according to new research. A team at the University of Birmingham has shown that responses to speech can be measured using electroencephalography, a non-invasive technique used to record
The SanBio Group has published the interim analysis data from its Phase II clinical STEM cell therapy for the TRAumatic brain injury (STEMTRA) trial of investigational product, SB623, to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. A cell-based product, SB623 is developed from allogeneic modified and cultured adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that go
Study reports brain tumors may arise when damaged brain tissue does not heal correctly. Researchers say some glioblastoma form when the normal healing process gets derailed by mutations. This process could begin many years before patients become symptomatic of brain cancer. The healing process that follows a brain injury could spur tumour growth when new
In an in-depth study of how COVID-19 affects a patient’s brain, National Institutes of Health researchers consistently spotted hallmarks of damage caused by thinning and leaky brain blood vessels in tissue samples from patients who died shortly after contracting the disease. In addition, they saw no signs of SARS-CoV-2 in the tissue samples, suggesting the
The evidence for the harmful effects of alcohol on brain health is compelling, but now experts have pin-pointed three key time periods in life when the effects of alcohol are likely to be at their greatest. Writing in The BMJ in December 2020, researchers in Australia and the UK say evidence suggests three periods of dynamic brain
College football players may underestimate their risk of injury and concussion, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open. Christine Baugh, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and member of the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is the corresponding author of the article, “Accuracy
A broken heart is often harder to heal than a broken leg. Now researchers say that a broken heart can contribute to lasting chronic pain. In a reflections column published Dec. 21 in the Annals of Family Medicine, pain experts Mark Sullivan and Jane Ballantyne at the University of Washington School of Medicine, say emotional pain
The CDC’s healthy brain initiative aims to improve “understanding of brain health as a central part of public health practice” through education to health care providers and patients. The Pharmacy Times Cognitive Health Focus series offers pharmacists information to help them actively participate as members of the health care team in addressing brain health. Practitioners can identify cognitive
Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that a combination of an LSU Health-patented drug and selected DHA derivatives is more effective in protecting brain cells and increasing recovery after stroke than a single drug. The findings are published in Brain Circulation. Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor, Professor of Neurology and
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric disorder brought on by physical and/or psychological trauma. How its symptoms, including anxiety, depression and cognitive disturbances arise remains incompletely understood and unpredictable. Treatments and outcomes could potentially be improved if doctors could better predict who would develop PTSD. Now, researchers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have
