Massachusetts General Hospital

01/17/2012: Press Release: Brainstorm Initial Patient Results Support NurOwn Safety

Press release states no significant side effects noted in initial Brainstorm participants.

01/16/2012: Phytopharm Releases Positive Preliminary Results

Phytopharm lead drug candidate Cogane has demonstrated efficacy in genetic preclinical model of ALS.

12/21/2011: Veterans with ALS - New Disability Rating Rule

As of January 19th, 2012, veterans with service connected ALS will be eligible for a 100% disability rating.

12/18/2011: Increased expression of regulatory enzyme may protect against neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease

Treatment that increases brain levels of an important regulatory enzyme may slow the loss of brain cells that characterizes Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

12/14/2011: Trophos Phase III Trial Results Announced

Trophos, a French pharmaceutical company, announced results from its phase III trial of Olesoxime.

11/28/2011: The Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) Launches New Website

The Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) has launched their new website devoted to supporting clinical research of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron disease (MND).

11/24/2011: Rebuilding the Brain’s Circuitry

Neuron transplants have repaired brain circuitry and substantially normalized function in mice with a brain disorder, an advance indicating that key areas of the mammalian brain are more reparable than was widely believed.

11/21/2011: Knopp Announces Positive Phase II Results

Phase II Dexpramipexole, funded by Knopp Biosciences, shown to be safe and tolerable in patients with ALS.

11/20/2011: Novel ALS drug slows symptom progression, reduces mortality in phase 2 trial

Treatment with dexpramipexole – a novel drug believed to prevent dysfunction of mitochondria, the subcellular structures that provide most of a cell's energy – appears to slow symptom progression in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

11/15/2011: Ceftriaxone, NP001, and Dexpramipexole Trials Close Enrollment

The phase III trial of Ceftriaxone; Neuraltus, the Phase II study of NP001 in ALS; and EMPOWER, the Phase III study of Dexpramipexole in ALS, are no longer recruiting participants.

10/03/2011: Biomarker for Huntington's disease identified

In a new research paper BWH and MGH researchers identify a transcriptional biomarker that may assist in the monitoring of Huntington's disease activity and in the evaluation of new medications.

09/20/2011: Christopher J. McDougle named director of the Lurie Center for Autism

Christopher J. McDougle, MD has been named director of the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital and MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

08/12/2011: ALS Trial Expert Available to Answer Questions about Clinical Trials

NEALS and ALSA launch new "clinical trial expert" effort to help people with ALS navigate the world of clinical research.

07/19/2011: MGH ranks #2 in nation

MGH ranks #2 in 2011-2012 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" rankings

07/01/2011: Care redesign teams move forward with recommendations

The Partners Strategic Initiative is an ongoing effort to improve care and increase efficiency across all Partners institutions, including the MGH.

06/23/2011: Rare genetic disorder provides unique insight into Parkinson’s disease

MGH investigators may have found the mechanism behind a previously reported link between the rare genetic condition Gaucher disease and the common neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease.

06/10/2011: Third Annual Tarbell Lecture features Anne B. Young, MD, PhD

MGH Hotline 6.10.11 A world-renowned neurological researcher and clinician who has helped break down barriers for women in her field, Anne B. Young, MD, PhD, chief of the Department of Neurology, has a great deal of wisdom and insight to offer to colleagues.

05/11/2011: Mild obesity appears to improve survival in ALS patients

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be an exception to the rule that being overweight is a health hazard. In a retrospective study of over 400 ALS patients, MGH researchers found that those who were mildly obese survived longer than patients who were normal weight, underweight or even overweight.

04/13/2011: Differences in brain structure indicate risk for developing Alzheimer's disease

Subtle differences in brain anatomy among older individuals with normal cognitive skills may be able to predict both the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the following decade and how quickly symptoms of dementia would develop.

04/08/2011: Anne Young, MD, PhD, donates $1M to Department of Neurology

ANNE YOUNG, MD, PHD, chief of Neurology, made history for women in academic medicine by making a $1 million gift to the Department of Neurology through a deferred charitable gift annuity.

03/27/2011: Advanced technology reveals activity of single neurons during seizures

The first study to examine the activity of hundreds of individual human brain cells during seizures has found that seizures begin with extremely diverse neuronal activity, contrary to the classic view that they are characterized by massively synchronized activity.

03/24/2011: BrainGate neural interface system reaches 1,000-day performance milestone

An investigational implanted system being developed to translate brain signals toward control of assistive devices has allowed a woman with paralysis to accurately control a computer cursor at 2.7 years after implantation, providing a key demonstration that neural activity can be read out and converted into action for an unprecedented length of time.

03/11/2011: Lunder Building patient floors enhance patient- and family-oriented care

The top five floors of the Lunder Building are dedicated adult inpatient units for neuroscience and cancer patients. While the patient floors follow a standard design, each has highlights specific to a particular patient population. This week, MGH Hotline will highlight unique features of Floors 6 through 8, which are devoted to neuroscience patients, and provide a general description of a Lunder Building inpatient room. A subsequent issue will focus on Floors 9 and 10, which are dedicated to cancer patients, and will highlight the Lunder Building’s nursing, support services and common areas.

03/03/2011: Brain rhythm predicts real-time sleep stability, may lead to more precise sleep medications

A new study finds that a brain rhythm considered the hallmark of wakefulness not only persists inconspicuously during sleep but also signifies an individual's vulnerability to disturbance by the outside world.

02/18/2011: Lunder Building to “Go Live” this summer

MGH Hotline 2.18.11 In preparation for the summertime transition of several hospital programs and services to the Lunder Building, the MGH Go Live Group for the new facility was established under the auspices of Jean Elrick, MD, senior vice president for Administration.

02/10/2011: Tumor microvesicles reveal detailed genetic information

The MGH research team that previously discovered tumor-associated RNA in tiny membrane-enclosed sacs released into the bloodstream by cancer cells has now found that these microvesicles also contain segments of tumor DNA, including so-called "jumping genes" that copy and insert themselves into other areas of the genome.

02/04/2011: Acute Stroke Quality Task Force recognizes fastest treatment time

MGH Hotline 02.04.11 TIME IS BRAIN when it comes to treating stroke.

01/10/2011: Statin risks may outweigh benefits for patients with a history of brain hemorrhage

A computer decision model suggests that for patients with a history of bleeding within the brain, the risk of recurrence associated with statin treatment may outweigh the benefit of the drug in preventing cardiovascular disease, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of Neurology.

08/09/2010: Brain rhythm predicts ability to sleep through a noisy night

People who have trouble sleeping in noisy environments often resort to strategies like earplugs or noise-canceling headphones that muffle the sound, but a new study from MGH investigators may lead to ways to block disturbing sounds within the brain.

07/16/2010: MGH ranks among top

The MGH ranked third among the country's top hospitals on the annual list of "America's Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report.

07/16/2010: MGH residents and fellows make great save during soccer game

SPAIN MAY HAVE WON the World Cup, but a team of MGH medical residents and fellows had a victory of their own on the soccer field this summer when they helped save the life of another player.

05/28/2010: Overcoming the odds

MGH Hotline 5.28.10

05/17/2010: New study characterizes cognitive and anatomic differences in Alzheimer’s disease gene carriers

In the most comprehensive study to date, neurologists have clearly identified significant differences in the ways that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects patients with and without the apolipoprotein E ε4 gene, a known genetic risk factor for the neurodegenerative disease.

03/22/2010: Blacks less likely than whites, Hispanics to get evidence-based stroke care

Blacks hospitalized with the most common type of stroke are less likely than white or Hispanic patients to receive evidence-based stroke care, according to a new study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

03/10/2010: Surviving a brain stem stroke

Stroke is one of the leading causes of serious, long-term disability in the United States. The Stroke Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital Vascular Center successfully treat one of emergency medicine’s toughest stroke cases.

03/02/2010: Alzheimer's-associated protein may be part of the innate immune system

Amyloid-beta protein – the primary constituent of the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients – may be part of the body's first-line system to defend against infection. In their report in the March 3 issue of PLoS One, a team led by MGH researchers describe their evidence that amyloid-beta protein is an antimicrobial peptide.

03/02/2010: Mass. General Researchers Seek Participants for Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Trial

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are seeking recently diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) patients to participate in a clinical trial investigating whether inosine taken to raise the body’s level of urate — a naturally occurring antioxidant — can be used to slow the progress of PD.

01/07/2010: Cutting-edge research, industry-changing model of care improves the lives of patients

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most prevalent and aggressive type of muscular dystrophy, affecting one in every 3,500 live male births in the world. It is also one of the most common lethal genetic diseases of children worldwide.

12/16/2009: New Web Tool May Help Predict Risk of Second Stroke

Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke.

10/12/2009: Study supports possible role of urate in slowing Parkinson’s disease progression

By examining data from a 20-year-old clinical trial, a research team based at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Harvard School of Public Health, has found evidence supporting the findings of their 2008 study – that elevated levels of the antioxidant urate may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

10/02/2009: In Memoriam: Lisa Krivickas, MD

MGH Hotline 10.02.09 Lisa Krivickas, MD, associate chief of the MGH Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a physician in the Department of Neurology, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, Sept. 22 at the age of 45.

09/09/2009: MassGeneral Hospital for Children study explains some mysteries of neonatal seizures

A study led by MassGeneral Hospital for Children investigators is providing new insight into the mechanism of neonatal seizures, which have features very different from seizures in older children and adults.

07/21/2009: Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

The Carol and James Herscot Center for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) at Massachusetts General Hospital and MassGeneral Hospital for Children is using genetic research to better understand TSC and other diseases like cancer, autism and obesity.

07/08/2009: Antiangiogenesis treatment improves hearing in some NF2 patients

Treatment with the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab improved hearing and alleviated other symptoms in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). The study by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) represents the first report of a successful NF2 treatment not involving surgery or radiation.

06/15/2009: Turning thoughts into action

Dr. Leigh Hochberg from the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital is using neurotechnology to harness brain signals that accompany movement. The ultimate goal of the work is to "turn thought into action," with the hope of one day assisting people with ALS, spinal cord injury and stroke to regain control over their environment.

05/26/2009: Mass. General’s Rudy Tanzi a “Rock Star of Science”

Alzheimer’s disease researcher Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital adds another distinction to his scientific career when he joins Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and other rock celebrities in a designer menswear photo shoot as a “Rock Star of Science” in the June issue of GQ Magazine.

05/18/2009: Videoconferencing can increase patient access to stroke specialists

Massachusetts General Hospital neurologist Dr. Lee Schwamm leads a national policy endorsing telestroke as an effective means of stroke evaluation.

05/08/2009: Videoconferencing can increase patient access to stroke specialists

High-quality videoconferencing can increase patient access to stroke specialists; and a transient ischemic attack, once known as a “mini” or “warning” stroke, should be treated with the same urgency as a full-blown stroke, according to two separate statements published today in Stroke.

04/02/2009: Modification of mutant huntingtin protein increases its clearance from brain cells

A new study has identified a potential strategy for removing the abnormal protein that causes Huntington’s disease from brain cells, which could slow the progression of the devastating neurological disorder.

02/26/2009: Alzheimer’s-associated plaques may have impact throughout the brain

The impact of the amyloid plaques that appear in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease may extend beyond the deposits’ effects on neurons– the cells that transmit electrochemical signals throughout the nervous system.

02/26/2009: International collaboration identifies new gene associated with ALS

A collaborative research effort spanning nearly a decade between researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and King’s College London has identified a novel gene for inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

12/19/2008: Home for Christmas

One year ago, a team of intensive care experts at Massachusetts General Hospital collaborated to save Karla Leavenworth's life.

09/15/2008: New screening tool for identifying major depression in patients with epilepsy

Commentary on NDDI-E screening tool for detecting symptoms of major depression, while excluding adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs or temporal lobe epilepsy memory problems

07/07/2008: You Can Rate Toasters, And Now Doctors

09/01/2011: MGH Fund Update Summer 2011

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The MGH Fund Update is a publication for supporters of the MGH Fund, Mass General's fundamental resource for providing life-saving patient care, advancing biomedical research, and creating healthcare solutions in our community and around the globe.

05/23/2010: Therapy Times

Tuesdays With an SLP
Paige Nalipinski, senior speech language pathologist and project coordinator at MGH, writes about ALS care guidelines and her experience working with patients at the MGH ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic.

05/01/2010: Lancet Neurology

Safety and efficacy of lithium in combination with riluzole for treatment of amyotrophic lateral scl
Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a time-to-event design assessing the safety and efficacy of lithium in combination with riluzole in patients with ALS.

11/01/2009: Dystonia Newsletter 2009

Dystonia Newsletter 2009
The “Dystonia Update” is an annual newsletter from the research laboratories of Xandra O. Breakefield, PhD and Nutan Sharma, MD, PhD about dystonia research at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the newsletter you will learn about ongoing research projects and the people behind dystonia research, and find answers to commonly asked questions.

07/01/2008: Muscle & Nerve

Arimoclomol at dosages up to 300 mg/day is well tolerated and safe in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of arimoclomol in ALS were assessed.

12/01/2007: Dystonia Update Annual Newsletter

Dystonia Newsletter 2007
The “Dystonia Update” is an annual newsletter from the research laboratories of Xandra O. Breakefield, PhD and Nutan Sharma, MD, PhD about dystonia research at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the newsletter you will learn about ongoing research projects and the people behind dystonia research, and find answers to commonly asked questions.

12/15/2006: Dystonia Update 2006

Dystonia Update 2006
The “Dystonia Update” is an annual newsletter from the research laboratories of Xandra O. Breakefield, PhD and Nutan Sharma, MD, PhD about dystonia research at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the newsletter you will learn about ongoing research projects and the people behind dystonia research, and find answers to commonly asked questions.

12/01/2006: Dystonia Newsletter 2006

Dystonia Newsletter 2006
The “Dystonia Update” is an annual newsletter from the research laboratories of Xandra O. Breakefield, PhD and Nutan Sharma, MD, PhD about dystonia research at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the newsletter you will learn about ongoing research projects and the people behind dystonia research, and find answers to commonly asked questions.

07/01/2006: Annals of Neurology

Trial of celecoxib in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial to determine if celecoxib is safe and effective in ALS.

01/01/2006: Neuroendocrine Clinical Center Bulletin

Neuroendocrine Clinical Center Bulletin | Effect of Obesity on Growth Hormone Secretion
The Mass General Neuroendocrine Clinical Center Bulletin shares the latest information for health care professionals about clinical and research topics in neuroendocrine conditions.

12/13/2005: Neurology

Tolerance of high-dose (3,000 mg/day) coenzyme Q10 in ALS
An open-label dose-escalation trial was performed to assess the safety and tolerability of high doses of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in ALS.

11/09/2004: Neurology

A clinical trial of creatine in ALS
A randomized double-blind, placebo controlled trial on 104 patients with ALS from 14 sites to evaluate the efficacy of creatine supplementation in ALS.

08/26/2003: Neurology

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of topiramate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter randomized clinical trial to determine if long-term topiramate therapy is safe and slows disease progression in patients with ALS.

09/28/2010: Brain Aneurysm Symposium

Our Vascular Center clinicians invite you to join us for a Brain Aneurysm Symposium, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. Learn who is at risk for developing brain aneurysms, and about treatment options and ongoing research to help patients with this difficult condition.