While nutritional supplements such as vitamin D may help with pain and discomfort, researchers are looking into how acupuncture stimulates the brain into making the body feel better.
According to findings published in Brain Research, scientists have discovered a sensation called deqi that is obtained through the treatment, which deactivates the feelings of pain in the brain, resulting in the person thinking they feel better.
Experiments on mice may help scientists understand the workings of the prion protein linked to brain disease vCJD.
Swiss researchers say there is evidence that prions play a vital role in the maintenance of the sheath surrounding our nerves.
They say it is possible that an absence of prions causes diseases of the peripheral nervous system.
One expert said there was growing evidence that the prion had a number of important roles in the body. Read the rest of this entry »
An ingredient found in the natural supplement green tea may help treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.
According to a study published in Natural Chemical Biology, mixing EGCG, a green tea ingredient, with the chemical DAPH-12 may help destroy amyloids—proteins that can lead to brain diseases.
Some feel this study is significant as no other research has found a chemical combination to destroy amyloids. Read the rest of this entry »
A new study suggests that the nutritional supplement vitamin E can protect a patient’s brain after they suffer a stroke.
Researchers from the Ohio State University revealed that a specific kind of vitamin E can help prevent cells from dying after a stroke, according to findings published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.
Vitamin E can be found in eight different forms. However, it was tocotrienol, or TCT, that was used for this study.
Coloured lights could be used to find treatments for brain disorders such as epilepsy, a study has suggested.
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team discovered a way to shut down brain activity using flashes of yellow and blue lasers.
They hope to adjust this to switch off neurons that generate an electrical impulse abnormally, causing seizures.
This could help experts understand how the brain works and, ultimately, offer treatment targets, Nature reports. Read the rest of this entry »
Scientists have discovered two genes that appear responsible for one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
Glioblastoma multiforme rapidly invades the normal brain, producing inoperable tumours, but scientists have not understood why it is so aggressive.
The latest study, by a Columbia University team, published in Nature, pinpoints two genes.
The researchers say that the findings raise hopes of developing a treatment for the cancer. Read the rest of this entry »
