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Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new technique for imaging the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could vastly reduce the cost and time needed for new clinical trials—while also improving the accuracy of test results.

James Berry, a researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, is working to build tools and identify biomarkers to improve clinical trial methodology. His goal is to speed up the process of identifying the next drug that will slow, reverse or even prevent ALS in the future

Katharine Nicholson, MD Hereditary forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may only account for 10 percent of all ALS cases, but the insights that researchers gain from studying this small population may be the key to unlocking new treatments for this devastating disease. That’s the hope of Katharine Nicholson, MD, a physician-investigator at the NeurologicalRead more

Earlier this week, the Mass General Neurological Clinical Research Center (NCRI)’s  NeuroBANK™ won Bio-IT World‘s Best Practice award in the Personalized & Translational Medicine category. What is the NeuroBANK, and how is it helping to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of future treatments for rare diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? Filling a NeedRead more

Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD Technological advancements have revolutionized nearly every field of medicine from orthopedics to genetic testing. Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD, a clinician and researcher in the Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital, has seen firsthand the potential power and impact technology could have for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Paganoni isRead more

Neurological Clinical Research Institute team May is ALS Awareness Month, intended as a time to raise awareness of and foster research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually these motor neurons die, effecting aRead more

Florian Eichler, MD While it may not have been called rare disease research by name, Massachusetts General Hospital has been identifying and tracking rare diseases for more than a century, says Florian Eichler, MD, Director of the Center for Rare Neurological Diseases in the Department of Neurology. In recent years, advances made by the HumanRead more

Farrah Mateen, MD, PhD Multiple sclerosis (MS) is not your average neurological disorder. For one thing, it tends to strike patients at a much younger age than most cases of Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. In fact, it is the leading non-traumatic cause of disability in young adults in the United States. For another, eachRead more

It’s the night before a big meeting at work—or a race you’ve been training months for—and you want to do everything you can to get the next day off to a great start. How much sleep do you need to be at your best? Jacqueline Lane, PhD For years, the magic number for a goodRead more

The Society for Neuroscience recently named Mass General researcher Laura Lewis, PhD, a recipient of the Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award.