Neuroscience

Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in neurology, including brain research, neurodegenerative diseases, and cutting-edge treatments for neurological conditions.

UCLA Health Discovers First Stroke Rehabilitation Drug to Repair Brain Damage

Drug replicated recovery of the movement control produced by rehab in mice

A new study by UCLA Health researchers and colleagues has discovered what researchers say is the first drug to fully reproduce the effects of physical stroke rehabilitation in model mice, following from human studies. The findings, published March 15, 2025 in Nature Communications, tested two candidate drugs derived from their studies on the mechanism of the brain effects of rehabilitation, of which one resulted in significant recovery in movement control after stroke in the mouse model. Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability because most patients do not fully recover from the effects of stroke. There are no drugs in the field of stroke recovery, requiring stroke patients to undergo physical rehabilitation which has shown to be only modestly effective. The open-access article is titled “Parvalbumin Interneurons Regulate Rehabilitation-Induced Functional Recovery After Stroke and Identify a Rehabilitation Drug.”

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Neuroscientist/Author to Be Awarded Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing About Science

Stanislas Dehaene, PhD

Throughout his career as a scientist and author, Stanislas Dehaene, PhD, has demystified the inner workings of the mind. His writing has introduced readers to the brain’s intricate architecture, with its specialized neuronal locations and structures primed to react to language, numbers, subliminal messages, and more. For his imaginative ability to turn complex and enthralling scientific research into beautifully crafted prose, Dehaene will be presented with the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science at The Rockefeller University on March 17. The prize, named after noted physician-scientist and essayist Lewis Thomas, honors scientists as inspirational authors.

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MIT Engineers Turn Skin Cells Directly into Neurons for Cell Therapy

A new, highly efficient process for performing this conversion could make it easier to develop therapies for spinal cord injuries or diseases like ALS

Converting one type of cell to another — for example, a skin cell to a neuron — can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a “pluripotent” stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron. Researchers at MIT have now devised a simplified process that bypasses the stem cell stage, converting a skin cell directly into a neuron. Working with mouse cells, the researchers developed a conversion method that is highly efficient and can produce more than 10 neurons from a single skin cell. If replicated in human cells, this approach could enable the generation of large quantities of motor neurons, which could potentially be used to treat patients with spinal cord injuries or diseases that impair mobility.

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Scientists Solve Decades-Long Parkinson’s Mystery; PINK1 Elucidated

Researchers stand in front of image of two PINK1 molecules bound to mitochondrion. L–R: Professor David Komander, Dr. Nicholas Kirk, Dr. Sylvie Callegari, and Dr. Alisa Glukhova. (Credit: WEHI)

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) (Australia) researchers have made a huge leap forward in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, solving a decades-long mystery that paves the way for development of new drugs to treat the condition. First discovered over 20 years ago, PINK1 is a protein directly linked to Parkinson’s disease – the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world. Until now, no one had seen what human PINK1 looks like, how PINK1 attaches to the surface of damaged mitochondria, or how it is switched on. In a major breakthrough, researchers at the WEHI Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre have determined the first-ever structure of human PINK1 bound to mitochondria, in findings published March 13, 2025 in Science. The work could help find new treatments for the condition that currently has no cure or drug to stop its progression. The article is titled “Structure of Human PINK1 at a Mitochondrial TOM-VDAC Array.”

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Neurotech’s ENCELTO (Revakinagene Taroretcel-Iwey) Approved by the FDA for Treatment of Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 (MacTel)

ENCELTO is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for MacTel

On March 6, 2025, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotech company focused on developing transformative therapies for chronic eye diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has approved ENCELTO™ (revakinagene taroretcel-lwey) for the treatment of macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). MacTel is a neurodegenerative disease of the retina in adults that causes progressive and irreversible vision loss, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. ENCELTO utilizes an encapsulated cell therapy technology designed to continually deliver therapeutic doses of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to the retina to assist in slowing the progression of the disease. ENCELTO is the first and only FDA-approved treatment available for MacTel.

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