Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue, such as muscle. Biomedical scientists and physicians who specialize in neurology are called neurologists, and are trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat, neurological disorders.
Musical activity may improve cognitive aging – A study conducted by Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist in Emory’s Department of Neurology, and cognitive psychologist Alicia MacKay, PhD, found that older individuals who spent a significant amount of time throughout life playing a musical instrument perform better on some cognitive tests than individuals who did not play an instrument.
Differences in brain structure indicate risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease — Thinning of key cortical areas predicts dementia up to a decade in advance – Subtle differences in brain anatomy among older individuals with normal cognitive skills may be able to predict both the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the following decade and how quickly symptoms of dementia would develop.
Stroke survivors with irregular heartbeat may have higher risk of dementia – Stroke survivors who have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation may be at higher risk of developing dementia than stroke survivors who do not have the heart condition, according to research published in the March 8, 2011, print issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Increasing triglyceride levels linked to greater stroke risk — Study finds higher cholesterol levels only increase risk of stroke in men – Increasing levels of non-fasting triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in men and women, revealed by researchers in Denmark.
Eating berries may lower risk of Parkinson’s – New research shows men and women who regularly eat berries may have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, while men may also further lower their risk by regularly eating apples, oranges and other sources rich in dietary components called flavonoids.
Spike reported in number of people with HIV having a stroke – While the overall hospitalization rate for stroke has declined in recent years, the numbers have jumped dramatically for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), suggesting they may be up to three times more likely to suffer a stroke than people uninfected by the virus that causes AIDS.
Anti-Epileptic Drugs Associated With Increased Risk of Fracture in Older Adults – Most anti-epileptic drugs are associated with an increased risk of non-traumatic fracture in individuals 50 years of age and older, revealed by researchers in a study published in the Archives of Neurology.
Statin risks may outweigh benefits for patients with a history of brain hemorrhage – People with brain hemorrhage – a type of stroke – should avoid taking cholesterol lowering drugs called statins, revealed by researchers in US.
Researchers: Pay more attention to epilepsy, affects millions of people – Epilepsy, a common and serious neurologic disorder that affects millions of people, is not getting the public attention and funding for research it deserves, according to an editorial on a study published in the January_4, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Mid-life cholesterol levels not linked to Alzheimer’s disease – Contrary to earlier research, a new, long-term study suggests that cholesterol level in mid-life may not be linked to later development of Alzheimer’s disease.
High-dose aspirin reduces pain for severe headache and migraine – An inexpensive, hundred-year-old therapy for pain ? aspirin ? is effective in high doses for the treatment of severe headache and migraine caused by drug withdrawal, according to a new study by researchers with the UCSF Headache Center.
Researchers discover genetic link between immune system, Parkinson’s disease – A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson’s disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. “Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson’s disease” appears online in Nature Genetics.
