Author Archives: Özge Özkaya, PhD

An opinion piece titled “A serious and often overlooked issue for patients with brain diseases: Swallowing” by Dr. Donald Bolser, a professor at the University of Florida recently published in the independent news and views website The Conversation, highlights the importance of detecting and treating impaired swallowing in people with brain disease.

A signaling pathway involving a protein called sonic hedgehog (Shh) is compromised in amyloid lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, found a study published in PLOS One.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect changes occurring in the brain during the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the short-term, according to a study published in the Neuroimage: Clinical.

Researchers at Flinders University in Australia identified a new potential biomarkers in the urine of patients with amyloid lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Researchers in the U.S. showed that thanks to a computer-brain interface device that they developed people with different forms of paralysis, including amyloid lateral sclerosis (ALS), can type using direct brain controls faster than was previously possible.

Heavy metal pollution may not be as important as previously thought in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to new research by Italian scientists.

A protein called Nrf2 could clear away harmful miss-folded proteins causing Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases by activating “house keeping” mechanisms in the cells according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers from the U.S. found a way to allow small substances to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach areas of the brain that are normally inaccessible. This means that drugs that are developed for the treatment of neurological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could reach the brain and exert their activity.

Muscle fibers secrete and concentrate a protein called fibroblast growth factor binding protein 1 (FGFBP1) at the neuromuscular junctions, the area of contact between motor neurons and muscle fibers, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Long-term use of Rilutek (riluzole) is associated with a better outcome in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, whereas short-term use seems to have little effect on survival according to a study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.