The neurosciences — one of the University of South Florida’s signature research programs — just got a virtual space in which to be showcased. The USF Neuroscience Collaborative website has been launched at: http://usf-nsc.health.usf.edu/ In keeping with the mission of the Collaborative to promote new neuroscience research collaborations across the entire USF campus, the new site includes the following features: • A searchable USF Neuroscience Collaborative Membership Directory of approximately 250 USF faculty members with interests in the neurosciences, from addiction and aging to stroke and traumatic brain injury. • […]

Brain injury from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia cause confusion and disorientation, which can lead to wandering on foot or by vehicle.  Wandering may be triggered by searching for something or someone familiar, anxiety or too much stimulation, and reliving past routines (such as the person trying to leave home every morning believing they are going to work), said Eric Rinehardt, PhD, a USF Health clinical neuropsychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences and clinical coordinator for the USF Memory Disorders Clinic. The Clinic’s staff offers the […]

Tips to Reduce Wandering in People with Alzheimer’s Disease… Tampa, FL (May 9, 2011) – The University of South Florida Memory Disorder Clinic will host two sessions Friday, May 13, to inform the public, senior service providers and local law enforcement officials about the Florida Silver Alert program.  Enacted by former Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008, Silver Alert is a statewide coordinated messaging system that uses roadside signs and media notifications to help find people 60 or older with dementia who disappear in a vehicle. The same session will be […]

Excess beta amyloid leads to abnormal cell division and defective neurons Tampa, FL (May 2, 2011) — A protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease clogs several motors of the cell transport machinery critical for normal cell division, leading to defective neurons that may contribute to the memory-robbing disease, University of South Florida researchers report. In a new study published online in the journal Cell Cycle, scientists at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and Indiana University also suggest that the protein beta amyloid (amyloid protein) […]

Tampa, Fla. (April 29, 2011) –  Dr. Paul Sanberg, Distinguished University Professor and senior associate vice president for research and innovation at the University of South Florida, received the Everfront Award at the 4th Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cell and Cancer Research held earlier this month in Taichung, Taiwan. The Everfront Award honors outstanding research contributions in stem cell and cancer research, including pre-clinical, clinical and translational work, and is presented to a researcher at the forefront of his or her field. Dr. Sanberg, who also serves as executive […]

VA-USF study finds cotinine reduces the brain plaques associated with dementia Tampa, FL (For immediate release) — Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, a study led by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found. The findings are reported online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in advance of print publication. “We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, enhances memory and […]

More than 80 Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers gathered in a Hyatt Tampa Bay conference room gasped when Michael J. Fox made an impromptu appearance at a symposium they were attending. The surprised crowd greeted the Emmy-award winning actor and outspoken advocate for Parkinson’s disease research with a standing ovation. The April 14 symposium was hosted by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) in partnership with the USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. Michael J. Fox (center) with Dr. Robert Hauser and the staff of the […]

Medications lose effectiveness for many with longstanding tremors Tampa, FL — Deep brain stimulation, a surgical procedure to suppress faulty nerve signals, allowed 77 percent of patients to stop the medications used to treat their essential tremors within one year following the surgery, University of South Florida researchers report. “It’s a significant finding demonstrating that patients see a lot of symptom improvement with this treatment option,” said Andrew Resnick, a research assistant in the USF Health Department of Neurology. Resnick will present results of the limited retrospective study April 12, […]

At a signing ceremony April 1, Chinese health officials and leaders of USF Health and its Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute announced their intentions to forge collaborations in Alzheimer’s disease education and clinical research. The ceremony culminated a three-day visit to USF by the six-member Chinese delegation representing the Tianjin Public Health Bureau; the Tianjin Huanhu Hospital Neurological and Neurosurgical Disease Center and its Department of Neurology; and the Tianjin Infectious Disease Hospital. L to R:  USF Health CEO Dr. Stephen Klakso shakes hands with Dr. Changhong Shen, associate director of the Tianjin […]

Hayward, CA (March 15, 2011) — The ADVANCE-Parkinson’s Disease Phase III clinical study has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of extended release carbidopa-levadopa (investigational drug IPX066) versus immediate release carbidopa-levodopa, Impax Pharmaceuticals announced today. The ADVANCE-PD results demonstrated that, in several measures of patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, extended release carbidopa-levadopa (CD-LD) produced significantly improved control of motor symptoms compared to immediate release CD-LD, currently the gold standard for treating advanced Parkinson’s. USF Health’s Dr. Robert Hauser was a study investigator. The primary endpoint of this comparison study of extended […]