First step to developing a test for MND
November 5th, 2010 - 4:17 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Nov 05 (ANI): Scientists have identified a common signature of nerve damage in the brains of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) patients.
The study was funded by the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC).
These are the first results to be published from the ongoing Oxford Study for Biomarkers in MND/ALS (BioMOx).
MND research is being held back by the lack of an early diagnostic test and predictable markers of the progression of the disease - biomarkers.
Patients still wait too long for a certain diagnosis of MND and clinical trials are hampered by lengthy study times and variability of the disease between people living with MND. If MND biomarkers can be identified then they could dramatically improve the speed and accuracy with which MND can be diagnosed, and how future treatments are assessed.
This study used an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, to look for areas of the brain that are universally damaged in patients with MND as compared to healthy controls. From this, Dr Martin Turner and colleagues at the University of Oxford found a unique similarity of nerve damage in a region of the brain that connects the motor neurones to the brain as well as damage to a region that acts as a connection between the left and right sides of the brain known as the ‘corpus callosum’.
Talking about the study findings, Turner said: “The finding of a common pattern of nerve pathway damage in a varied group of MND patients holds the promise of a much needed biomarker.
“This study confirms the ability of advanced MRI techniques to sensitively detect nerve damage in a wide range of people living with MND. It builds on a decade of international work, and shows that MRI is now a frontrunner in the quest to generate biomarkers of disease activity in MND.”
Dr Brian Dickie, director of research development at the MND Association, adds: “MRI scanning provides an exciting ‘window on the brain’, allowing researchers to link the changes occurring in the central nervous system with the ‘real world’ symptoms of MND. Understanding these changing events is going to be central to the development of future treatments.”
The findings has been published in the journal Neurology. (ANI)
- Stem cell breakthrough could offer cure for motor neurone disease - May 24, 2010
- Queen joins the '3D revolution' - Nov 19, 2010
- New technique diagnoses brain cancers non-invasively - Jan 29, 2012
- Mini-strokes create lasting damage to the brain - Jan 29, 2011
- Defective cellular battery triggers brain disease - Jan 18, 2012
- Technique 'poised to untangle brain's complexity' developed - Apr 11, 2011
- Lactate levels in brain help in monitoring aging process - Nov 03, 2010
- New brain imaging technique shows effects of Parkinson's drug - Dec 01, 2010
- New research promises treatment for swallowing disorders - Apr 29, 2010
- Space travel impacts eyes, brain - Mar 13, 2012
- Novel molecular pathway underlying Parkinson's disease identified - Sep 14, 2010
- Better brain implants with the help of neurons - Jul 10, 2011
- MRI scans show structural brain changes in people at Alzheimer's risk - Nov 17, 2010
- Toxin that plays key role in triggering Parkinson's disease identified - Feb 11, 2011
- Boffins find protein that lets brain repair damage from multiple sclerosis - Jun 08, 2010
Tags: areas of the brain, biomarkers, corpus callosum, diagnostic test, dr brian, frontrunner, left and right sides of the brain, lengthy study, magnetic resonance imaging, martin turner, medical research council, mnd association, motor neurone disease, motor neurones, mri technique, mri techniques, nerve damage, nerve pathway, oxford study, university of oxford