Thursday, January 25, 2024

Team uses magnetized neurons to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms

While electrical deep brain stimulation is an established method for treating disordered movement in Parkinson's disease, implanting electrodes in a person's brain is an invasive and imprecise way to stimulate nerve cells. Researchers report in Nano Letters on a new application for the technique that effectively relieves motor symptoms in mice without damaging surrounding brain tissue. 

In traditional DBS, a battery pack externally sends electrical signals through wires, activating nerve cells in a region of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus (STN). The new application, called magnetogenetics, uses very small magnets to wirelessly trigger specific, gene-edited nerve cells in the brain. Click here to learn more.

Re-coding the brain: Is CRISPR capable of curing Huntington's disease?

When CASGEVY, the first CRISPR-based therapy, was approved by the FDA in December, it gave CRISPR technology the validation it needed. While the research around using CRISPR for neurodegenerative diseases is still very much in the early stages, Huntington’s disease (HD) has been identified as a perfect candidate for CRISPR gene editing, because it's an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a single mutation and the presence of an abnormal protein.

One of the most promising CRISPR studies for HD comes from researchers at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, who were able to demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas9 editing can be used to correct the mutation in HTT, replacing the hyperexpansion with a normal CAG repeat. Preclinical research has been promising and could hopefully progress into clinical trials. Click here to learn more.

People who cut high sugar foods from their diets see symptoms of RLS improve

Saying no to sweet treats is difficult, and even tougher to avoid the laundry list of other foods packed with sugar, from breads to condiments. Sugar is a staple of the American diet. Science has not concluded that eating foods high in sugar is a cause of restless leg syndrome, but some scientists with the condition have gone ahead and stripped it from their diets anyway only to find their symptoms subside.

Dr George Lundberg, an American board-certified pathologist and self-proclaimed ‘antisugar guy’, experienced the effects of dessert close to bedtime first-hand. “Lo and behold, in the dark of that night, and continuing off and on for a few fitful hours, I had bad RLS. Shifting, tossing, turning, compulsively seeking a new sleeping position only to have to soon move again,” Dr Lundberg said. He did not repeat his late-night sugar binge in subsequent weeks, and the restless leg symptoms did not come back. Click here to learn more.

What is the difference between a neurologist and a neurosurgeon?

With similar-sounding names and overlapping specialties, it can be easy to conflate neurologists and neurosurgeons. While they both are highly trained physicians who specialize in treating conditions relating to the central nervous system, each specialty focuses on different techniques to treat those conditions. The main difference between these two physicians is that a neurologist treats patients primarily through the use of medications, and a neurosurgeon treats patients through surgical techniques. Click here to learn more.

Are you ready to volunteer for clinical trials?

Getting involved in clinical research can make a difference. Help make a difference in your health and the health of your friends and neighbors by registering with Quest Diagnostics to become an important addition to their research database. 

You'll receive communications from Quest about research studies you may be eligible to participate in. There’s no obligation or cost, and you may opt out at anytime. Click here to learn more about Quest Clinical Trials Connect and register to join the HIPAA Authorization for Research Database.