Research into brain and spine disorders with video
July 25th 2010 22:35
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This month, all three of Michigan's major research universities shared the results of their efforts to understand the workings of the brain and spinal column. A Michigan State University researcher was awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to test how a protein can help heal damage from Parkinson's Disease. A team of researchers at the University of Michigan published a study about the functioning of the cell, which may lead to better understanding of conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Finally, an expert guide to the most important advances in medicine identified a study and subsequent article by a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor concerning death rates after spinal fusion surgery as one of the most significant medical articles published in 2009.
Michigan State earns $1.5 million grant for Parkinson's research
John Goudreau, who has been studying Parkinson's disease for nearly a decade at MSU and has received more than $2 million in external funding for clinical and translational research, believes a protein known as parkin can rescue certain nerve cells from injury induced by Parkinson's disease. The National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke was impressed enough with Goudreau's reseach that they awarded him $1.5 million to test his hypothesis. His findings could lead to new therapies to treat the disorder, which afflicts as many as one million Americans, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
In a press release, Godreau said, "Parkinson's is a progressive disease, and much of the research has been focused on slowing that progression by preventing cell injury and death. But we are looking at why some neurons in the brain are able to fight off the disease through a unique ability to revive after being hit with an injury that kills other cells."
There is a "selective vulnerability" with Parkinson's disease, he said, where nerve cells in the mid-brain are damaged while cells in the hypothalamic region of the brain are spared since they have the capacity to quickly bounce back after being damaged. Goudreau's research team has discovered that the protein parkin is essential for these hypothalamic neurons to recover.
"Understanding how parkin promotes recovery from injury may allow us to provide cells injured by Parkinson's disease the necessary tools to survive."
Goudreau and his team also are working on clinical research regarding Parkinson's disease; those interested in learning more or taking part in clinical trials can call (517)884-2274.
University of Michigan scientists study cell's recycling center
In a study published online last week in the multidisciplinary journal Nature Communications, a team composed almost entirely of University of Michigan researchers described the workings of a protein that controls calcium channels in lysosomes.
While this may sound obscure, the team's findings may end up being of vital importance to people with neurological diseases caused by failure of the lysosome, the cell's recycling center, to work properly. Among those diseases are ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease or CMT. ALS strikes one or two out of every 100,000. CMT is is an incurable inherited disorder of nerves characterized by loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation in the feet and legs. It is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, with 36 in 100,000 affected.
Wayne State study recognized as one of most significant of 2009
Faculty of 1000 Medicine, which bills itself as "the expert guide to the most important advances in medicine," identified "Mortality after Lumbar Fusion Surgery," by Sham Maghout Juratli, M.D., assistant professor of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, as one of the as one of the most important articles published in medicine last year. The article was originally published in the journal Spine last year and was summarized in Wayne State University science, health, and technology news for the year 2009, part 2 .
"I am very pleased that our article was recognized as an important ‘must read' article by the Faculty of 1000 Medicine," Dr. Juratli said in a press release. "It is very important to us as occupational health specialists to evaluate the health and disability outcomes related to commonly performed procedures, and I am honored that our scientific contribution is being recognized in the professional community."
Dr. Juratli's study found that pain medications are involved in more than 20 percent of deaths that occur in the years after spinal fusion surgery for low back pain. The risk of analgesic-related death is highest among patients with degenerative disc disease -- especially men aged 45 to 54 -- according to the findings.
The new results raise concern about the long-term risk of death after spinal fusion, especially deaths related to pain medications. The deaths reflect the high use of opioid (narcotic) analgesics by patients with back pain, despite the lack of strong evidence for their effectiveness.
"Analgesic-related deaths are responsible for more deaths and more potential life lost among workers who underwent spinal fusion than any other cause," Dr. Juratli and her colleagues said. They believe initial efforts to reduce analgesic-related deaths should focus on patients with degenerative disc disease, especially men.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly a million people in the United States. The symptoms include tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity and less facial expression. No cure exists for the disease and current medications become less effective over time. William Langston, CEO and scientific director of the Parkinson's Institute, discusses stem cell-based research strategies to better understand the disease and to find new therapies.
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