Latest Neurofibroma Stories

Scientists have developed a way to evaluate new treatments for some forms of attention deficit disorder. Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed that they can use brain scans to quickly test whether drugs increase levels of a brain chemical known as dopamine. In a study published last year, the same group found that raising dopamine levels in mice alleviates attention deficits caused by neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a condition that...

Children's National study focused on positive effects of lovastatin Researchers at Children's National Medical Center have found that a cholesterol-lowering statin drug appears to be safe in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and may improve learning disabilities, including verbal and nonverbal memory. This is the first time that the drug lovastatin has been studied in children with NF1. The study, led by Maria T. Acosta, MD, a pediatric neurologist and researcher at Children's...

Neurofibromatosis (NF1) is a genetic condition which affects one in every 3,000 people. The severity of symptoms can range from benign 'café au lait' patches on the skin, through small tumors under the skin and deep plexiform neurofibromas, to malignant tumors of the nerve sheath. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that a simple blood test for the protein melanoma-inhibitory activity (MIA) could be used to indicate the presence of...

Ten States Down, Derek Brown Prepares for the Publix Georgia Marathon in March Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 17, 2011 Derek Brown is set to win again as he takes on the Publix Georgia Marathon, his 13th marathon so far on behalf of his 19 year-old brother, Austin who lives with Neurofibromatosis (NF). Austin, who was diagnosed at age three is Derek's motivation to continue competing until he has finished a marathon in all 50 states. So far, he has completed thirteen marathons in eleven...

This finding has particular importance because several neurodevelopmental disorders have recently been linked to genetic mutations in the complex developmental cascade containing Erk and its sister proteins. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have pinpointed a crucial function for a key player in the development of the nervous system. They found that this player "“ a protein called Erk "“ is necessary for nerve fibers to be wrapped with an insulating substance...

Genetic mutation found to alter activity of neurons in brain's prefrontal cortexImagine if your brain lost its working memory "” the ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind's eye. That's the plight faced by millions of people with neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1. The genetic condition affects one in 3,500 people and is the most common cause of learning disabilities.Now a UCLA research team has uncovered new clues about how NF1 disrupts working memory. Published in the July...

Researchers have discovered how a genetic disease known mainly for its life-threatening tumors also can cause sudden death from cardiovascular disease in children, and are mounting a clinical trial to develop treatments for the problem.Scientists from the Indiana University School of Medicine found that the mutation that causes neurofibromatosis type 1 disease leads to arterial inflammation and damage that is similar to the long-term damage that can occur as people age. They reported their...

Research identifies mechanism that makes cells become tumorousResearchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth (UK), the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Cornell University in New York, Weil Medical College in New York and the Center for Neural Tumor Research in Los Angeles, have for the first time identified a key mechanism that makes certain cells become tumorous in the brain. The resulting tumors occur most often spontaneously but can also occur in numbers as...

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown once again that "ready, fire, aim," nonsensical though it may sound, can be an essential approach to research.The scientists robotically "fired" 2,000 compounds into culture plates containing tumor cells to see if the compounds had any effect. When the robotic screener found one substance had scored a hit by inhibiting growth of the tumor cells in its plate, researchers analyzed what that...

An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary characteristics, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA.Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), an autosomal dominant disorder affecting approximately 1 in 3,000 individuals worldwide, is characterized by multiple café au lait macules (CALMs; small areas of discoloration of the...