Nerves

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease with few treatment options. But in a new clinical trial, scientists have tested a promising new therapy involving injections of stem cells, which seems to slow progression of the disease.

Researchers have mapped the nerve pathways that supply brown adipose tissue, or ‘brown fat’. It’s the first step in developing a way of stimulating the nerves to burn fat as a novel treatment for obesity and related metabolic conditions.

A new study has found that during exercise, the vagus nerve, essential to the body’s ‘rest and digest’ response, has a more important role in heart function than we thought. The findings could help treat diseases like heart failure.

A complete spinal cord injury results, tragically, in total paralysis of all limbs and muscles below the injury site. But now, scientists at EPFL have demonstrated in mice a new gene therapy that can regenerate nerves and restore the ability to walk.

Scientists have discovered how a unique kind of cell death, due to iron toxicity, creates a snowball effect that advances cognitive decline. With this finding, a whole new approach to treatment could be developed.

Multiple sclerosis sufferers can experience long periods of remission, but increasingly damaged nerves make relapses more frequent and severe. Scientists now believe, with a little molecular encouragement, those damaged nerves can heal themselves.

A third of the US population lives with chronic pain. While the economic burden is well known, it also has a huge impact on mental health, opioid misuse and quality of life. Scientists now say they know the genetic hack to cut off the pain entirely.

A new study has found direct evidence that an over-the-counter antihistamine can repair the protective nerve sheath that’s damaged in people with multiple sclerosis, opening the door to a potential new treatment for the debilitating disease.

Researchers have discovered that some of the most painful ant stings are caused by neurotoxins that affect the body in a way that's never been seen before. Their findings further our understanding of how pain works and how it might be treated.

Researchers have used microparticle therapy to boost the number of ‘good’ immune cells, reversing nerve cell damage in mice with MS-like symptoms. The finding may to lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

Engineers at ETH Zurich have developed a wearable system that can help patients regain movement and mobility after a stroke. The system consists of a motion-sensing watch and an earpiece that zaps a nerve to help rewire neural circuits.

Current methods for repairing nerve injuries can be hit-and-miss. For the first time, researchers have combined two kinds of silk - from silkworms and spiders - to create a promising, biocompatible method of regenerating injured nerves.