Coffee and cannabis influence the same regions of the brain in different ways, Northwestern University researchers suggested. Neurotransmitters related to the decreased after drinking 4-8 cups of coffee per day, the opposite of what occurs after using cannabis. (Journal of Internal Medicine)
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who died last week at age 76, lived over 50 years with ALS. just what made his case so unusual.
A "missing part" of a man's brain . At about 3.5 inches at its longest, it appeared to stem from an osteoma near the nasal cavity that wore away part of the bone, allowing air to enter the brain. (Washington Post)
Researchers used DNA sequences from more than 520,000 people to discover 22 in the human genome, bringing the total to 32. Eleven new susceptibility loci found indicate mechanisms not previously implicated in stroke pathophysiology. (Nature Genetics)
Preliminary results of a 100-patient trial of (HSCT) treatment for relapsing-remitting MS showed success, researchers reported at the European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation annual meeting in Lisbon. (Fortune)
Clinical research in neurology has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years, but a decrease in applicants for NIH funding raises concerns about the neuroscience pipeline and the future of research, in a 2016 survey. (Neurology)
Generating infinitive spoken verbs begins to worsen in early stages of Alzheimer's disease, researchers in Spain found. "Since deficits seem to take place in early stages of the disease, it is a suitable neuropsychological tool for the detection not only of cognitively healthy people who will convert to mild cognitive impairment, but also from mild cognitive impairment to dementia," they wrote. (Journal of Alzheimer's Disease)
Merck KGaA announced positive results from its phase IIb clinical trial of Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor for relapsing MS. (MarketWatch)
The FDA halted Solid Biosciences' trial of for Duchenne muscular dystrophy after the first patient experienced an adverse reaction. (Endpoints News)
Cancer drug romidepsin (Istodax) . The mice were deficient in the Shank3 gene, a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder in humans. (Nature Neuroscience)