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Neurology
SA experts torchbearers in new concussion treatment
South African experts have played a leading role in developing new world guidelines on how to prevent and reduce the risk of concussion in...
Largest CTE study flags young athletes’ brain trauma risk
Experts are urgently calling for more oversight of junior contact sports, after the largest-ever study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in young athletes found...
Reflux medication-use linked to dementia – US analysis
A recent study adds to the ongoing discussion about proton pump inhibitors and cognition, after an analysis of 5 700 older adults suggested that...
Groote Schuur team changes lives with epilepsy surgery
Groote Schuur is the first government hospital to perform a procedure to alleviate seizures in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy – an operation, known...
Novel treatment offers hope to ADHD children
A collaborative study has found that stimulating the brain using electrodes could ease symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, and help...
Paralysed man can move and feel after neural bypass
A man who was paralysed from the chest down after a diving accident in 2020 is now able to lift his arms again, and...
New drugs a boost for Alzheimer's treatment but finding cause must be a priority
While the world finally has a disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer’s – and by the end of this year, likely to have another – and...
Chronic constipation linked to cognitive decline – US study
A large study has found that infrequent bowel movements are associated with a startling 73% increased risk of cognitive decline, including deficits in memory...
Experts hail latest results for Alzheimer’s drug, despite side effects
Eli Lilly’s experimental drug donanemab slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s by 60% for patients in the earliest stages of the brain-wasting disease, according to...
US study identifies component in breast milk that boosts brain function
A team of researchers has discovered that myo-inositol, a small cyclic sugar molecule found in breast milk – and also in a typical adult...
Doctor who killed children diagnosed with post-partum depression, court hears
Post-partum depression was under the spotlight this week when High Court proceedings in New Zealand began unravelling the circumstances leading to the tragic deaths...
Hope for Parkinson’s treatment by 2030
A former diabetes trial drug could offer new hope in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, say scientists, whose recent trial findings indicated that the...
Depression after TBI could be new clinical disorder – US study
A recent study has suggested that depression after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) could actually be a clinically distinct disorder rather than a traditional...
Childhood ADHD medicines not linked to higher substance use later – US study
Providing a smidgen of reassurance to parents and clinicians, researchers say children prescribed with stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not have...
Suggested link between HRT and dementia – Danish study
A nationwide study carried out in Denmark found that using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to counteract the effects of menopause, even for short periods,...
Children learn even when not paying attention – Canadian study
Children’s apparent inability to pay attention allows them to outperform adults when it comes to retaining information they were instructed to disregard, say researchers.
Their...
Napping linked to larger brain volume in study collaboration
Daytime napping may help to preserve brain health by slowing the rate at which that organ shrinks as we age, according to scientists, whose...
Exercise may reduce women's Parkinson’s risk, 30-year study finds
Regular exercise might reduce a woman’s chances of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 25%, the results of a nearly 30-year study of...
How Epstein-Barr virus is linked to MS – Swedish study
Scientists have shed light on how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), saying that certain antibodies produced to fight the...
FDA approves Japan’s Alzheimer’s agitation drug
The first approved drug for agitation in Alzheimer’s patients has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals’ brexpiprazole being...
Promising results for new Alzheimer's drug
An experimental Alzheimer's drug developed by Eli Lilly slowed cognitive decline by 35% in a closely watched late-stage trial, the company said yesterday, raising...
Reduce dementia risk with hearing aids, suggests Chinese study
A recent study by Chinese scientists has provided the best evidence yet to suggest hearing aids could mitigate the potential impact of hearing loss...
Parkinson’s ‘game changer’ research findings open up new possibilities
Research funded by former film star and Parkinson’s sufferer Michael J Fox has resulted in the clearest evidence yet that the presence of a...
Why cognitive fluctuations are common in all forms of dementia
It is not uncommon for people living with dementia to experience fluctuations in their cognitive abilities and levels of awareness. They can sometimes be fully...
Brain atrophy link to anti-Aβ drugs in Alzheimer's treatment – Australian meta-analysis
Recent research by Australian scientists found that anti-amyloid-beta (anti-Aβ) drugs, used to manage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), could compromise long-term brain health by accelerating brain...
Early signs of MS risk in children often missed – US study
Imaging tests may miss early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children who have no symptoms of the disease, according to a recent study...
Parkinson’s disease linked to common chemical – global study
Investigators are calling for a complete ban on the chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), saying exposure has long been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s...
Sports industry may have helped downplay dangers of concussions and head injuries
Fresh doubt has been cast over the sports industry’s influence on concussion and head injury research, and stirred up old allegations that sporting bodies...
Pregnant women abuse risks babies’ brain development: SA cohort study
Abuse during pregnancy has been linked to alterations in brain structure in infants, according to a local study, with researchers saying the indications were...
Viral illnesses linked to dementia, neurodegenerative diseases – US study
At least 22 viral illnesses were linked with an increased risk of subsequent neurodegenerative disease, US National Institutes of Health researchers found, with viral...
Even one, moderate concussion can lead to cognitive deterioration – large study
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have found that having three or more concussions is linked with worsened brain function in later...
Modified Atkins and keto diets beneficial for paediatric epilepsy control – Indian meta-analysis
In children with drug-resistant epilepsy, the modified Atkins and ketogenic diets were more effective than usual care in achieving large short-term reductions in seizures...
Study confirms health lifestyle role in reducing dementia
Over-60s who enjoy a combination of healthy lifestyle choices like eating well, regularly exercising, playing cards and socialising at least twice weekly, are likely...
Blood test spots ‘toxic’ protein years before Alzheimer’s signs – US study
Researchers are now able to detect “toxic” small aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of people with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as...
No link between sedatives in pregnancy and child’s autism risk – large Chinese study
Researchers found in this study of 1.5m children that after adjusting for possible confounders and accounting for possible parental genetic or familial factors, benzodiazepine...
Brain ageing in black people faster from midlife than for white people – US cohort study
A cross-sectional analysis of two community-based cohorts found that from midlife, black people showed an accelerated pattern of brain ageing – the association of...
Scientists hail Alzheimer’s breakthrough despite two trial candidates’ deaths
While the eagerly-awaited findings of a trial involving nearly 1 800 people was widely celebrated as a major breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's,...
Brain changes in autism more sweeping than thought – UCLA study
Brain changes in autism are comprehensive throughout the cerebral cortex rather than just particular areas thought to affect social behaviour and language, according to...
Prescription 'smart drugs' have opposite effect in healthy adults – Australian study
Specially prescribed medications aimed at boosting cognition in neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD don’t increase overall cognitive performance in healthy individuals – in fact, they...
Menopausal hot flashes a possible marker for brain health – US study
Women who experience more hot flashes and night sweats during menopause may have more of a brain biomarker called white matter hyperintensities, which has...