neurology

neurology

neurology

Using triptans for migraine during pregnancy does not increase risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring

Prenatal exposure to triptans—alone or in combination with other migraine medications—does not increase the risk of developmental disorders in children up to age 14, according to research published in Neurology. The study is based on data from more than 26,000 pregnancies in a national registry in Norway and includes autism spectrum disorders, language disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, among other diagnoses.

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A drug reduces the symptoms that precede migraine in a phase III trial

A migraine treatment drug, ubrogepant, also reduces common non-headache symptoms that occur in the hours before a migraine, according to the results of a large phase III clinical trial published in Nature Medicine. The results suggest that this could be the first acute treatment for symptoms that occur before migraine and have a significant impact on daily life, such as dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, and neck pain.

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Two clinical trials show safety of stem cell therapies against Parkinson's disease

Two independent clinical trials demonstrate the safety of stem cell therapies for Parkinson's disease. The papers, published in Nature, investigate the use of cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, respectively. Parkinson's disease is characterised by the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons. Cell therapy, which replenishes dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, could provide a treatment with fewer adverse effects than current treatments. However, further research is needed to test the efficacy and benefits of these new therapies.

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Maternal diabetes is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, according to a review

A review of 202 studies involving more than 56 million mother-child pairs has observed an association between maternal diabetes — including pre-pregnancy and gestational diabetes — and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or intellectual disability. The authors, who publish the results in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, call for a cautious interpretation of the association, as there is currently little evidence of a causal relationship.

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The myelin content of the brain decreases after running a marathon

In marathon runners, the myelin content of specific regions of the brain is reversibly reduced, according to a study carried out in the Basque Country. This observation is consistent with animal evidence suggesting that myelin lipids - a substance that surrounds neurons - can act as energy reserves in extreme metabolic conditions, as detailed by the authors in Nature Metabolism. The analysis is based on magnetic resonance imaging of eight men and two women before and after running a marathon. According to the study, the myelin content was fully recovered two months after the race.

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Evidence on the toxicity of microplastics in the human brain and strategies for their elimination examined

An article reviews evidence on the accumulation of microplastics in human brain tissue recently published in Nature Medicine. The authors highlight practical measures to reduce exposure, noting that switching from bottled water to filtered tap water could reduce microplastic intake from 90,000 to 4,000 particles per year. The paper is a commentary in Brain Medicine. 

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Astrocytes, like neurons, would also store memories

Until now, memories have been explained by the activity of neurons that respond to learning events and control recall. A study published in Nature changes this theory by showing that non-neuronal cells in the brain called astrocytes - star-shaped cells - also store memories and work in concert with clusters of connected neurons called engrams to regulate the storage and retrieval of memories.

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