http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. How do we know that certain combinations of letters have certain meanings? Reading and spelling are complex processes, involving several different areas of the brain, but researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the USA have now identified a specific part of the brain - named the left fusiform gyrus - which is necessary for normal, rapid understanding of the meaning of written text as well as correct word spelling. Their findings are published in the February 2010 issue of Cortex. http://www.physorg.com/news180181796.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:30:52 EST news180181796 Patients with a cluster headache, which is characterized by bouts of excruciating pain usually near the eye or temple, were more likely to report being pain-free within 15 minutes of treatment with high-flow oxygen than patients who received a placebo treatment, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news179513515.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:20:40 EST news179513515 Men who regularly take part in moderate-to-heavy intensity exercise such as jogging, tennis or swimming may be less likely to have a stroke than people who get no exercise or only light exercise, such as walking, golfing, or bowling, according to a study published in the November 24, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news178216345.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:32:40 EST news178216345 Women who store fat on their waist in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop dementia when they get older, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. http://www.physorg.com/news178209036.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:50:04 EST news178209036 (PhysOrg.com) -- Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death. http://www.physorg.com/news177092671.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:50:01 EST news177092671 (AP) -- Some studies suggest that head injuries can set up professional football players for later mental problems. Now congressmen and experts want to know more about injuries to high school players. http://www.physorg.com/news176128287.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:33:31 EST news176128287 She was only 30 years old, but she was experiencing the classic symptoms of a stroke. Her speech suddenly became slurred, and her left hand became clumsy while eating. http://www.physorg.com/news175787653.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:55:17 EST news175787653 By examining data from a 20-year-old clinical trial, a research team based at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (MGH-MIND) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), has found evidence supporting the findings of their 2008 study - that elevated levels of the antioxidant urate may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. The report - which will appear in the December 2009 Archives of Neurology and has been released online - analyzed blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from participants in a 1980s trail of potential Parkinson's medications, confirming the previous study's findings in a totally different group of patients. http://www.physorg.com/news174584895.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:02 EST news174584895 New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news174583624.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:29:29 EST news174583624 An international team of scientists has identified two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The findings are reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news171461698.html Medicine & Health Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:17:05 EST news171461698 (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat infantile spasms, a rare disorder that can cause hundreds of seizures per day in children less than a year old. http://www.physorg.com/news170083987.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:50:04 EST news170083987 People who smoke and have multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at increased risk of brain shrinkage and increased brain lesions related to the disease, according to a study published in the August 18, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Smoking has already been linked to an increased risk of developing MS. http://www.physorg.com/news169751811.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:00:02 EST news169751811 "Silent" strokes, which are strokes that don't result in any noticeable symptoms but cause brain damage, are common in people over 60, and especially in those with high blood pressure, according to a study published in the July 28, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news167935660.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:48:03 EST news167935660 Elderly people with no memory or thinking problems are more likely to later develop thinking problems if they have a growing amount of "brain rust," or small areas of brain damage, according to a study published in the July 14, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news166721895.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:33 EST news166721895 Researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have collaborated to uncover important new insights into the neurological basis of autism. http://www.physorg.com/news166097754.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:16:25 EST news166097754 A new study appearing in Neurology and Urodynamics evaluates the use of a daytime diaper that uses a musical "wetting alarm" for children in day-care centers. The findings show that wetting alarm diaper training is an effective option for toilet training in a child-friendly way. http://www.physorg.com/news163268051.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:14:35 EST news163268051 About half of all people who have a major stroke following a warning stroke (a transient ischemic attack or mild stroke) have it within 24 hours of the first event, according to research published in the June 2, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news163092729.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:34:05 EST news163092729 A pain condition common in people with migraines also has a high prevalence in patients with cluster headache, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Jefferson Headache Center at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience. http://www.physorg.com/news162659975.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 May 2009 16:20:17 EST news162659975 Eating fish -- long considered 'brain food' -- may really be good for the old grey matter, as is a healthy dose of sunshine, new research suggests. http://www.physorg.com/news162107255.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 06:48:14 EST news162107255 Researchers have cleared a safety hurdle in efforts to develop a gene therapy for a form of muscular dystrophy that disables patients by gradually weakening muscles near the hips and shoulders. http://www.physorg.com/news159030717.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:15:59 EST news159030717 A test developed by physician-scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help assess more quickly the ability of Alzheimer's drugs to affect one of the possible underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease in humans, accelerating the development of new treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news158563736.html Medicine & Health Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:30:11 EST news158563736 (PhysOrg.com) -- While science has yet to discover what makes that little ol' ant think he'll move that rubber tree plant, researchers at the University of Toronto Mississauga have identified an enzyme in ant brains that determines if they will defend the nest or gather food. http://www.physorg.com/news157652094.html Biology Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:15:42 EST news157652094 Looking for a better treatment for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, researchers have found that a protein in tick saliva shows promise in limiting the severity of the disease in an animal model in a study published in the Annals of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news157283436.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:51:05 EST news157283436 Epilepsy is a common medical condition characterized by convulsions and short periods of confusion. It affects more than 50 million people worldwide. But intractable epilepsy, which affects more than 1 million Americans and is often resistant to drug treatment and surgery, is arguably worse. http://www.physorg.com/news156603451.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:58:06 EST news156603451 Although large numbers of headache sufferers, particularly individuals who struggle with migraines, attribute their pain to the weather, there has been little scientific evidence to back up their assertions. Now, a study of more than 7,000 patients, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), provides some of the first large-scale data on how environmental conditions -- weather, as well as air pollution -- influence headache pain. Reported in the March 10 issue of the journal Neurology, the findings demonstrate that higher temperatures, and to a lesser degree, lower barometric pressure, contribute to severe headaches. http://www.physorg.com/news155843261.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:48:23 EST news155843261 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the pathogen that causes mononucleosis, appears to play a role in the neurodegeneration that occurs in persons with multiple sclerosis, researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Trieste, Italy, have shown. http://www.physorg.com/news155229747.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:22:54 EST news155229747 Robot-assisted therapy may help stroke patients attain gains in their physical abilities long after the stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2009. http://www.physorg.com/news154196470.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:23:36 EST news154196470 Eating a Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with less risk of mild cognitive impairment -a stage between normal aging and dementia -or of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment into Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news153419152.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:28:54 EST news153419152 By the time they have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, many patients' decision-making ability is so impaired that they cannot give informed consent to participate in research studies. http://www.physorg.com/news151152545.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:49:05 EST news151152545 Patients who develop multiple sclerosis before age 18 appear to experience more relapses of symptoms than those diagnosed with the disease as adults, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news151001543.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:52:23 EST news151001543