Stay Positive


"In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

- Alert Camus








Friday, May 6, 2016

Remyelinating drug Saving nerves


Sunday, 1 May 2016

Remyelinating drug Saving nerves

Wootla B, Denic A, Warrington AE, Rodriguez M.A monoclonal natural human IgM protects axons in the absence of remyelination. J Neuroinflammation. 2016 ;13(1):94.
BACKGROUND:Whereas demyelination underlies early neurological symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS), axonal damage is considered critical for permanent chronic deficits. Intracerebral infection of susceptible mouse strains with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) results in chronic induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) with progressive axonal loss and neurologic dysfunction similar to progressive forms of MS. We previously reported that treatment of chronic TMEV-IDD mice with a neurite outgrowth-promoting natural human antibody, HIgM12, improved brainstem NAA concentrations and preserved functional motor activity. In order to translate this antibody toward clinical trial, we generated a fully human recombinant form of HIgM12, rHIgM12, determined the optimal in vivo dose for functional improvement in TMEV-IDD, and evaluated the functional preservation of descending spinal cord axons by retrograde labeling.
FINDINGS: SJL/J mice at 45 to 90 days post infection (dpi) were studied. A single intraperitoneal dose of 0.25 mg/kg of rHIgM12 per mouse is sufficient to preserve motor function in TMEV-IDD. The optimal dose was 10 mg/kg. rHIgM12 treatment protected the functional transport in spinal cord axons and led to 40 % more Fluoro-Gold-labeled brainstem neurons in retrograde transport studies. This suggests that axons are not only present but also functionally competent. rHIgM12-treated mice also contained more mid-thoracic (T6) spinal cord axons than controls.
CONCLUSIONS:This study confirms that a fully human recombinant neurite outgrowth-promoting monoclonal IgM is therapeutic in a model of progressive MS using multiple reparative readouts. The minimum effective dose is similar to that of a remyelination-promoting monoclonal human IgM discovered by our group that is presently in clinical trials for MS.

The TMEV model has been a model of viral induced demyelination and now it is claimed that it is a model of progressive MS. I am not sure on what grounds. It has nerve loss?

This study says that one delivery of antibody stops 40% nerve loss, which sounds great. If they had done more the mouse's immune system would have got rid of it, but one injection and it saves the brain..great 

Maybe it is time that this approach was put to the test. One injection should be all that is needed. 

I first saw this approach well over a decade ago and we are still awaiting the human results.
 
 
 


 

Monday, May 2, 2016

Tidbits of random info





What have you to wait for when it is already here and now? You have only to look and see. Look at your self, at...

Corgi

Racoon
 




adoptable dog
























The brain dictionary

It is thought that the meanings of words and language are represented in a semantic system distributed across much of the cerebral cortex. However, little is known about the detailed functional and anatomical organization of this network. Alex Huth, Jack Gallant and colleagues set out to map the functional representations of semantic meaning in the human brain using voxel-based modelling of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings made while subjects listened to natural narrative speech. They find that each semantic concept is represented in multiple semantic areas, and each semantic area represents multiple semantic concepts. The recovered semantic maps are largely consistent across subjects, however, providing the basis for a semantic atlas that can be used for future studies of language processing. 

An interactive version of the atlas can be explored at http://gallantlab.org/huth2016



Where exactly are the words in your head? Scientists have created an
interactive map showing which brain areas respond to hearing different
words. The map reveals how language is spread throughout the cortex and
across both hemispheres, showing groups of words clustered together by
meaning. The beautiful interactive model allows us to explore the
complex organization of the enormous dictionaries in our heads.

Explore the brain model for yourself here: http://gallantlab.org/huth2016

Read the paper here: http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.10...

28th April 2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Mindful Awareness

UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center

Mindfulness is making the news these days. It has been depicted in the media primarily as a tool to hone attention, to cultivate sensory awareness, and to keep us in the present moment.

Developing these tools takes effort and determination, but why is it we can sometimes be mindful without really even trying? Perhaps we were naturally mindful at points in life before we ever learned what mindfulness was. Maybe we feel naturally connected, present, and at ease in nature. Or we become mindful while talking authentically with a friend, or in the midst of music, art, or athletic activity.

Mindfulness is not only a meditation technique, but also a state of being. This state is available to anyone; it is a natural human capacity. Mindfulness practice, as a tool, is tremendously helpful to cultivate this awareness, and the state can arise at any moment. Mindfulness is also connected to a set of powerful outcomes: happiness, emotional regulation, compassion, altruism, and kindness.

We encourage you to attend an array of offerings to cultivate the moment-to-moment awareness, which is the foundation of our practice.



 Link: http://marc.ucla.edu/

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help prevent recurrence of depression.


Review finds mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help prevent recurrence of depression.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Shauna Shapiro: Mindfulness Meditation and the Brain


 
 published on Jun 20, 2014

Psychologist,
researcher, and mindfulness teacher Shauna Shapiro talks about the
encouraging research behind meditation and its potential to change the
makeup of our brains and our level of happiness.




Spasticity and Exercise in MS - National MS Society




Uploaded on Jan 27, 2010
MS
Learn Online is the National MS Society's online educational webcast
series. This video features Michael Kaufman, MD, who talks about
spasticity's effect on the ability to exercise for people with multiple
sclerosis.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symp...




 

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy