Neuromedicine News From the University of Rochester Medical Center
December 2010
Children with High Blood Pressure More Likely to Have Learning Disabilities »
Children who have hypertension are much more likely to have learning disabilities and ADHD than children with normal blood pressure. When variables such as socio-economic levels are evened out, children with hypertension were four times more likely to have cognitive problems.
Stem Cell Advance a Step Forward for Treatment of Brain Diseases »
Scientists have created a way to isolate neural stem cells from human brain tissue with unprecedented precision. It’s an important step toward developing new treatments for a number of conditions – for instance, creating oligodendrocytes that might help people with multiple sclerosis, or dopamine neurons to help people with Parkinson’s disease.
Microglia Play Unexpected Role in Critical Brain Function » 
The microglia, long thought to be activated in the brain only when fighting infection or injury, are constantly active and likely play a central role in one of the most basic, central phenomena in the brain – the creation and elimination of synapses. The finding catapults the humble microglia cell from its well-recognized duty of protecting the brain to direct involvement in creating the cellular networks at the core of brain behavior.
Video: Ania Majewska discusses implications of the new findings about microglia.
A New Target Against Alzheimer’s, Other Neurodegenerative Diseases »
Cells in the brain called pericytes that have not been high on the list of targets for treating diseases like Alzheimer’s may play a more crucial role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases than has been realized. The findings cast the pericyte in a surprising new role as a key player shaping blood flow in the brain and protecting sensitive brain tissue from harmful substances.
Video: Berislav Zlokovic and colleagues discuss their latest findings in this video abstract from Neuron.
Rochester Spearheads FDA Initiative to Speed Development of Pain Therapies »
A new initiative by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to accelerate the identification of improved pain treatments will be led by the University of Rochester Medical Center. The initiative will include professional societies, patient advocacy groups, industry and government working together to help bring more treatment options to patients in pain, which is the most common symptom that causes patients in the United States to see a physician.
Patient Feature: Donna’s story »
A months-long odyssey filled with uncontrolled seizures ends with an extremely rare diagnosis and then successful treatment. .
