News & Events in Neurology at UC San Diego Health System

Neurological Institute

News and Events at the Neurological Institute

Attendees of the Essential Tremor Symposium, Autumn 2012 at UC San Diego Health System

Read recent news in neurology, neurosurgery and neurosciences. Also visit UC San Diego Health System media coverage and social media.

Pinning Down the Pain
March 27, 2013
Schwann cell protein plays major role in neuropathic pain An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overar... (More)

UC San Diego Health System Listed among Nation’s Top Neurosurgery and Spine Programs
March 15, 2013
University of California, San Diego Health System has been named among “100 Hospitals with Great Neurosurgery and Spine Programs” by Becker's Hospital Review, a news publication for hospital and health system leadership. According to the Becker's ... (More)

Drug Treatment Corrects Autism Symptoms in Mouse Model
March 13, 2013
An old drug gives hope for new treatment in autism Autism results from abnormal cell communication. Testing a new theory, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used a newly discovered function of an old drug... (More)

Man Walks Again After Surgery to Reverse Muscle Paralysis
February 27, 2013
After four years of confinement to a wheelchair, Rick Constantine, 58, is now walking again after undergoing an unconventional surgery at University of California, San Diego Heath System to restore the use of his leg. Neurosurgeon Justin Brown, MD, ... (More)

Rewriting a Receptor’s Role
February 19, 2013
Synaptic molecule works differently than thought; may mean new therapeutic targets for treating Alzheimer’s disease In a pair of new papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Royal Netherlands Academ... (More)

Excess Protein Linked to Development of Parkinson’s Disease
February 07, 2013
Accumulation appears to progressively disrupt neuronal function and viability Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say overexpression of a protein called alpha-synuclein appears to disrupt vital recycling proces... (More)

Regulating Single Protein Prompts Fibroblasts to Become Neurons
January 10, 2013
Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts is sufficient to directly convert the cells – abundantly found in connective tissues – into functional neurons. The findings, which could have far-reaching implications for the development of ne... (More)

Genomic “Hotspots” Offer Clues to Causes of Autism, Other Disorders
December 20, 2012
Johnathan Sebat, PhD An international team, led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered that “random” mutations in the genome are not quite so random after all. Their study, to be publishe... (More)

The Changing Face of Alzheimer’s Disease Research
December 12, 2012
For years Alzheimer’s researchers have focused on testing experimental drugs on patients who already have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and significant changes in cognition, memory and behavior. It has now become quite clear that researchers have been ... (More)

UC San Diego Medical Center One of First Five Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the Nation
December 05, 2012
Rigorous requirements highlight significant difference in the treatment of complex stroke cases UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest is one of the first five facilities in the country, and the only center in San Diego County, to be certified as a ... (More)

In Schizophrenia Patients, Auditory Cues Sound Bigger Problems
November 30, 2012
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System have found that deficiencies in the neural processing of simple auditory tones can evolve into a cascade of dysfunctional information pr... (More)

Two from UCSD School of Medicine Named Members of the Institute of Medicine
October 15, 2012
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) today announced the names of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates during its 42nd annual meeting.  Included are two new members from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine: David A. Brenner, MD... (More)

Common RNA Pathway Found in ALS and Dementia
October 01, 2012
Two proteins previously found to contribute to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, have divergent roles.  But a new study, led by researchers at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School... (More)

Neural Stem Cells Regenerate Axons in Severe Spinal Cord Injury
September 13, 2012
New relay circuits, formed across sites of complete spinal transaction, result in functional recovery in rats In a study at the University of California, San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare, researchers were able to regenerate “an astonishing deg... (More)

Nutritional Supplement Offers Promise in Treatment of Unique Form of Autism
September 06, 2012
In mice, added amino acid reduced associated epilepsy, eased neurobehavioral symptom An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego and Yale University schools of medicine, have identified a form... (More)

Multi-dimensional Brain Measurements Can Assess Child’s Age
August 16, 2012
Timing of brain maturation is more tightly controlled than previously known A national team of researchers led by investigators at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed a multidimensional set of brain measurement... (More)

Alzheimer’s Cognitive Decline Slows in Advanced Age
August 02, 2012
The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is advancing age. By age 85, the likelihood of developing the dreaded neurological disorder is roughly 50 percent. But researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine sa... (More)

Protein Build-Up Leads to Neurons Misfiring
July 18, 2012
Imaging technique offers novel way to monitor neurodegenerative disorders in live animal models of Parkinson’s disease Using a two-photon microscope capable of peering deep within living tissue, researchers at the University of California, San Dieg... (More)

Using Biomarkers to Identify and Treat Schizophrenia
July 11, 2012
Researchers say lab-based tests may be boon to both clinicians and researchers In the current online issue of PLoS ONE, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a set of laboratory-based bio... (More)

Gene Mutations Cause Massive Brain Asymmetry
June 25, 2012
Discovery could help lead to prevention of radical surgery in rare childhood disease Hemimegalencephaly is a rare but dramatic condition in which the brain grows asymmetrically, with one hemisphere becoming massively enlarged. Though frequently dia... (More)

Proposed Drug May Reverse Huntington’s Disease Symptoms
June 20, 2012
Single treatment produces long-term improvement in animal models With a single drug treatment, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine can silence the mutated gene respo... (More)

New Surgical Technique May Reverse Paralysis, Restore Use of Hand
June 15, 2012
Justin M. Brown, MD, reconstructive neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System, is one of only a few specialists in the world who have pioneered a novel technique to restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury. In a delicate four-hour ... (More)

Clarity Begins at Exome
June 13, 2012
Sequencing Protein-making Part of Genome Can Change Diagnosis and Patient Care In the June 13 issue of Science Translational Medicine, an international team led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports ... (More)

UC San Diego Researchers Receive New CIRM Funding
May 25, 2012
Stem cell grants covers heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and spinal cord injuries Five scientists from the University of California, San Diego and its School of Medicine have been awarded almost $12 million in new grants from the California... (More)

Novel Approaches to Treating Alzheimer’s Disease Include Early Intervention
May 15, 2012
Researchers at the Comprehensive Alzheimer’s Program at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have announced two new clinical trials for patients with either mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and one trial for Mild Cogni... (More)

Smoked Cannabis Reduces Some Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
May 14, 2012
Controlled trial shows improved spasticity, reduced pain after smoking medical marijuana A clinical study of 30 adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has shown that smoked cannabis... (More)

Insulin Resistance, Inflammation and a Muscle-Saving Protein
May 01, 2012
In the online May 2 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine publish three distinct articles exploring: the complex interactions of lipids and inflammation in insulin resi... (More)

Clinical Decline in Alzheimer’s Requires Plaque and Proteins
April 23, 2012
Without p-tau protein present, impact of amyloid is “not significantly different from zero” According to a new study, the neuron-killing pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which begins before clinical symptoms appear, requires the presence of ... (More)

Pulse Pressure Elevation Could Presage Cerebrovascular Disease in Alzheimer’s Patients
April 06, 2012
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have shown that elevated pulse pressure may increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  Th... (More)

How Genes Organize the Surface of the Brain
March 29, 2012
The first atlas of the surface of the human brain based upon genetic information has been produced by a national team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare Sys... (More)

Chronic Stress Spawns Protein Aggregates Linked to Alzheimer’s
March 26, 2012
Repeated stress triggers the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein aggregates inside the brain cells of mice, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new study published in the March 26 Onlin... (More)

Combined Health Agencies Honors Four UC San Diego Health Heroes
March 15, 2012
Brain stimulation surgery for patients with Parkinson’s disease; promoting liver health on a national level; leading one of the nation’s top ALS clinics; and designing a law that protects the rights of students with epilepsy: these are significant r... (More)

New Drug Target Improves Memory in Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
March 07, 2012
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Cincinnati, and American Life Science Pharmaceuticals of San Diego have validated the protease cathepsin B (CatB) as a target for imp... (More)

UC San Diego among First in Nation to Treat Brain Cancer with Novel Viral Vector
March 01, 2012
Directly injected viral vector, Toca 511, is designed to spread through brain cancer cells and kill them while leaving healthy cells unharmed UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center researchers and surgeons are among the first in the nation to treat pat... (More)

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Offers New Hope for Deadly Brain Tumor
February 03, 2012
One of few clinical trial sites, worldwide Jim Black is fighting the meanest, most aggressive, most common kind of brain tumor in the United States: recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).  In the United States, each year, approximately 10,000 pat... (More)

Scientists Link Evolved, Mutated Gene Module to Syndromic Autism
January 26, 2012
A team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that newly discovered mutations in an evolved assembly of genes cause Joubert syndrome, a form of syndromic autism. The findings are published in the J... (More)

Researchers Induce Alzheimer’s Neurons From Pluripotent Stem Cells
January 25, 2012
First-ever feat provides new method to understand cause of disease, develop drugs Led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, scientists have, for the first time, created stem cell-derived, in vitro models of ... (More)

New Fluorescent Dyes Highlight Neuronal Activity
January 25, 2012
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new generation of fast-acting fluorescent dyes that optically highlight electrical activity in neuronal membranes. The work is published in this week’s online E... (More)

National Academy of Sciences Honors UC San Diego Professor
January 20, 2012
17 individuals in U.S. recognized for major contributions to science The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) will honor 17 individuals with awards in recognition of their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the p... (More)

UC San Diego’s William C. Mobley Recognized for Contributions to Down Syndrome
January 04, 2012
Jérôme Lejeune Foundation U.S. Scientific Committee Chair acknowledged by U.S. Congress, honored with international prize in Paris William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego Schoo... (More)

Of Mice and Men, a Common Cortical Connection
November 16, 2011
MRI study finds genetic basis of brain development largely similar in mice and humans A new study using magnetic resonance imaging data of 406 adult human twins affirms the long-standing idea that the genetic basis of human cortical regionalization... (More)

Non-Coding RNA Relocates Genes When It’s Time To Go To Work
November 10, 2011
Cells develop and thrive by turning genes on and off as needed in a precise pattern, a process known as regulated gene transcription. In a paper published in the November 9 issue of the journal Cell, researchers at the University of California, San ... (More)

Neurological Disorder Impacts Brain Cells Differently
November 09, 2011
In a paper published in the November 9 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of Washington describe in deeper detail the pathology of a devastating neurological... (More)

Autism Linked with Excess of Neurons in Prefrontal Cortex
November 08, 2011
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence shows that brain overgrowth in boys with autism involves an abnormal, excess number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication ... (More)

Hippocampus Plays Bigger Memory Role Than Previously Thought
November 01, 2011
Human memory has historically defied precise scientific description, its biological functions broadly but imperfectly defined in psychological terms. In a pair of papers published in the November 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers a... (More)

Combination of Available Tests Helps Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
October 19, 2011
With age, forgetfulness and other signs of memory loss sometimes appear, prompting elderly individuals to seek a medical evaluation amid fears that they may be experiencing early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia... (More)

Starving Inflammatory Immune Cells Slows Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis
September 01, 2011
In a paper published today in the journal Scientific Reports, a pair of researchers at the University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences report that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acid... (More)

Major NIH Grant Funds Novel Alzheimer’s Drug Development at UC San Diego
August 23, 2011
As part of its $50 million Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine an inaugural grant designed to fast-track development of a ... (More)

Alzheimer’s Disease May Be More Difficult to Detect in People Over 80
August 10, 2011
A new study led by a researcher with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and VA San Diego Healthcare System suggests that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be more difficult to detect in people over the age of 80 than in those betw... (More)

Weaker Brain “Sync” May Be Early Sign of Autism
June 28, 2011
UCSD researchers say finding could lead to earlier diagnoses and treatment In a novel imaging study of sleeping toddlers, scientists at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence report that a diminished ability of a young ... (More)

Stem Cell Model Offers Clues To Cause of Inherited ALS
June 28, 2011
An international team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to reveal for the fi... (More)

Potential New Drug Candidate Found for Alzheimer’s Disease
May 31, 2011
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the Medical University of South Carolina and American Life Science Pharmaceuticals of San Diego have demonstrated that oral administration of a cysteine protease inhibitor, E64d, not only reduc... (More)

As gravity wanes and pressures gain, it’s pain and bane for the brain
May 24, 2011
With NASA’s help, UCSD students to study what happens when blood floods headward in microgravity In space, the old movie slogan declares, “no one can hear you scream.” On the other hand, you might look like it, with puffy face, swollen eyes and dis... (More)

Of Frogs, chickens and People
May 19, 2011
Highly conserved dual mechanism regulates both brain development and function Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered new details of an unusual biological mechanism in the brains of diverse species t... (More)

Sex Hormone Precursor Inhibits Brain Inflammation
May 12, 2011
UCSD scientists say molecule moderates condition linked to neurodegenerative diseases Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a steroid hormone that inhibits inflammation in the brain. The findings,... (More)

The Slow Road to a Synapse
May 11, 2011
Researchers explain why some neuronal proteins take their time getting to the terminal Grappling with a question that has defied scientific explanation for decades, a small team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of ... (More)

UC San Diego Official Study Site of Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI)
April 26, 2011
$40-million, five-year observational clinical study, sponsored by Michael J. Fox Foundation, will seek biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is one of 18 official study sites for the Parkinson’... (More)

UC San Diego Opens New Down Syndrome Center
March 10, 2011
Effort will study and treat condition in adults Doctors and scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine will soon open one of the first programs in the United States to combine academic research with the treatment of a... (More)

Loss of Key Protein Boosts Neuron Loss in ALS
March 04, 2011
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or more popularly, Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a notorious neurodegenerative condition characterized by the progressive deterioration of brain and spinal cord neurons, resulting in the gradual but catastrophi... (More)

Research Sheds Light on Cellular Basis of Depression
February 23, 2011
Recent studies suggest that neurons in a particular area of the brain called the lateral habenula (LHb) are activated in models of depression. These neurons are activated by stimuli linked to disappointment or anticipation of a negative outcome, and... (More)

Unraveling How Prion Proteins Move Along Axons to the Brain
February 17, 2011
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins (PrPC) – found within many mammalian cells – up and down long, neuronal transport pathways.  Identifying nor... (More)

Learning Causes Structural Changes In Affected Neurons
February 03, 2011
When a laboratory rat learns how to reach for and grab a food pellet – a pretty complex and unnatural act for a rodent – the acquired knowledge significantly alters the structure of the specific brain cells involved, which sprout a whopping 22 perce... (More)

Schizophrenia Gene Mutation Found; Target for New Drugs
February 03, 2011
In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists, led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has ... (More)

Genetic Clues to Compulsive, Self-Injurious Behavior in Rare Childhood Disorder
January 28, 2011
Research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine provides new clues for the compulsive behavior and cognitive defects associated with a rare childhood neurological disease called Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND). Two pathways found ... (More)

Babies Process Language in a Grown-Up Way
January 06, 2011
Babies, even those too young to talk, can understand many of the words that adults are saying – and their brains process them in a grown-up way. Combining the cutting-edge technologies of MRI and MEG, scientists at the University of California, S... (More)

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