We Just Got a Major Clue on How CGRP Contributes to Migraine in Our Nerve Cells

In the last few years, the deeply frustrating medical area of chronic migraine prevention has been revolutionized thanks to the discovery that a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP, plays a role in the condition.   While several drugs containing antibodies that block or bind the protein have now entered the market and are helping … Read more

How The Venom of The King Baboon Spider Could Help Us Better Understand Chronic Pain

If you ever come across a king baboon spider (Pelinobius muticus), which lives primarily in Tanzania and Kenya, keep your distance: Its bite and the associated venom aren’t fatal but do produce a lot of pain and itchiness that can last for days.   Scientists think they have worked out why the spider’s venom is … Read more

Teeny Tiny 500-Million-Year-Old Fossils Could Help Explain The Evolution of Spiders

Two tiny fossils, each smaller than an aspirin pill, contain fossilized nerve tissue from 508 million years ago. The bug-like Cambrian creatures could help scientists piece together the evolutionary history of modern-day spiders and scorpions.    Still, it’s not clear exactly where these fossils – both specimens of the species Mollisonia symmetrica – fit on the arthropod … Read more

A Common Virus Can Trigger Multiple Sclerosis, According to Huge New Study

Multiple sclerosis – an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord – may emerge after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). An estimated 90 to 95 percent of people catch EBV, also called human herpesvirus 4, by the time they reach adulthood, according to the clinical resource UpToDate.   In children, the virus typically causes an asymptomatic or … Read more

We Just Got Closer to Understanding Why Asthma Might Protect From Brain Tumors

Neurologists in the United States think they have finally figured out why people with asthma seem to develop fewer brain tumors. The findings could one day help us develop better treatments for both conditions.   The curious connection between asthma and brain tumors first began popping up in global epidemiological research about 15 years ago, … Read more