Jan 15, 2017
Researchers use Donkey Kong video game to help guide new approaches in neuroscience
The complexity of neural networks makes them difficult to analyze, but human made computing systems should be simpler to understand. In a study published in PLOS Computational Biology, researchers applied widely used neuroscience approaches to analyze the classic games console Atari 2600 – which runs the video game “Donkey Kong” – and found that such approaches do not meaningfully describe how the console’s microprocessor really works. (more…)
Jan 11, 2017
People with certain forms of early-onset Parkinson’s disease may benefit from boosting the amount of niacin in their diet, according to new research from the University of Leicester.
Niacin, or Vitamin B3, is found in a variety of foods, including nuts and meat.
The team from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester studied fruit flies with a mutation that mimics the human disease. (more…)
Jan 10, 2017
Published on ncdalliance.org
Brussels, Belgium – On the 12th and 13th of December 2016, the NCD Alliance and the European Chronic Disease Alliance (ECDA) co-organised a European meeting on the role of civil society in the regional response to NCDs. The meeting, co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation, convened NCD Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the region and brought together 67 participants from 22 countries across Europe. It aimed to share experiences, strengthen networks and increase capacity to drive advocacy, policy and accountability as well as to support implementation of the 2016-2025 WHO European Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs and other regional NCD priorities. (more…)
Jan 5, 2017
Published on www.csp.org.uk
Physiotherapists in North Devon have helped develop a free online guide to help carers, clinicians and therapists find suitable apps for neuro rehabilitation.
The mytherapy website was created by the stroke and brain injury team at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.
Image source: https://www.my-therappy.co.uk/
The team, including CSP members Emma Cork and Louise Holmes, has been using apps as part of their assessment and treatment for more than four years. The new website is a toolkit for stroke patients and clinicians of apps they have found to work well. (more…)
Jan 3, 2017
Leveraging existing relationships with friends and family may be a more effective way to improve patients’ health and encourage new healthy habits and behaviors than increasing interactions with physicians or other clinicians. In a new perspective published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Penn Medicine behavioral economists suggest a five-step ladder to effectively engineering social engagements that promote health and to test their acceptability and effectiveness. (more…)
