News by Subject Medicine & Health

UAlberta researchers believe they have a clearer picture of why people living with HIV so commonly suffer from dementia and other neurocognitive disorders. They found a number of critical peroxisomal proteins were virtually absent in the brains of HIV patients. The team believes the finding offers a strong clue as to the underlying cause of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and that it could lead to new biomarkers to rapidly diagnose HAND in patients.

The rhythms of brainwaves between two people taking part in a conversation begin to match each other. This is the conclusion of a study published in the magazine Scientific Reports, led by the Basque research centre BCBL. According to scientists, this interbrain synchrony may be a key factor in understanding language and interpersonal communication.

Probiotics, being live microbes, exert numerous beneficial health effects on the host cells. Such probiotics are commercially available as dietary supplements, foods, pharmaceutical formulations. Yakult, Activia yogurt, DanActive fermented milk provide health benefits like boosting up the immune system, treating digestive problems, mental illness, neurological disorders, cancer, etc.

Several studies have reported associations between proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) use and dementia. New research published this week in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), puts these claims to rest. The study authors report that there is no convincing evidence to support the suggestion that PPI use increases dementia risk.

A new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that genetic defects may damage the supporting cells of the brain -- the glial cells -- which may lead to a number of brain disorders, including schizophrenia. The study is based on groundbreaking tests with mice whose brains were colonized with human glial cells.

New research has identified the culprit behind the wiring problems in the brains of people with schizophrenia. When researchers transplanted human brain cells generated from individuals diagnosed with childhood-onset schizophrenia into mice, the animal's nerve cell networks did not mature properly and the mice exhibited the same anti-social and anxious behaviors seen in people with the disease.