Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have linked a common post-stroke disability to impaired communication between brain regions.

The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain's glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11. Based on 1,168 families with at least two affected members, the genome scan adds to evidence that tiny, rare variations in genes may heighten risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD)*.

On Feb. 18, Nature Genetics will publish the largest-ever study on the genetics of autism. The research is the fruit of an international autism genetics consortium, called the Autism Genome Project. The consortium, which was funded by the nonprofit group Autism Speaks and by the National Institutes of Health, brings together more than 120 scientists from more than 50 institutions in 19 countries to share data and expertise to identify genes responsible for susceptibility to autism.

Activating patients and developing a monitoring and evaluation system was highly effective in ending or reducing post-stroke depression in patients enrolled in the largest randomized clinical trial to date for this prevalent and disabling consequence of stroke.

The finding is in the current issue of Annals of Neurology, a leading international neurology journal, in work led by Professor Nigel Laing and Dr Kristen Nowak of the Laboratory for Molecular Genetics at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) and done in collaboration with a number of European researchers.

A new study has found a drop in the number of patients undergoing the most commonly used stroke prevention surgery, carotid endarterectomy, for inappropriate reasons. Researchers are crediting the drop to highly publicized randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that clarified the appropriate use of the surgery. The researchers' findings are published in the January 16, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

A drug used to treat epilepsy has been found to significantly improve tremors, motor fluctuations, and other involuntary movements, or dyskinesias, in patients with Parkinson disease, according to a study published in the January 2, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Methamphetamine use may be associated with increased risks of major neck artery tears and stroke, according to an article published in the December 26, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.