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ISSN:2171-6625
September 18-19, 2017 | Dallas, USA
4th International Conference on
NEUROLOGY AND NEUROIMMUNOLOGY
Aage R Møller
The University of Texas at Dallas, USA
What is new in Neuroscience?
N ew techniques make it possible to study morphology and
function of the nervous system in healthy humans and
individuals with diseases. Other technological developments
make it possible to determine the strength of connections
in the brain and the spinal cord. Symptoms of disease were
earlier believed to be caused by pathology of specific parts
of the nervous system, but it has become evident that many
parts of the brain may be involved in causing the symptoms
of each one of many diseases. Symptoms of diseases were
earlier believed to be related to detectable morphological
changes. It is nowknown that symptoms ofmany neurological
diseases may be caused by changes in connections between
parts of the central nervous system, changes that do not have
morphological correlates that can be detected by available
clinical diagnostic methods. Neuroplasticity that makes it
possible to learn new skills and adapt to changing demands
also has dark sides; maladaptive plasticity plays an important
role in many common diseases such as chronic neuropathic
pain, tinnitus, spasticity, and probably also fibromyalgia and
the chronic fatigue syndrome. There is now evidence that
the role of harmful (maladaptive) neuroplasticity is greater
than earlier presumed. Altered functional connections in the
brain are related to the pathology of diseases such as chronic
neuropathic pain and severe tinnitus, age-related symptoms
and signs. The cholinergic systemof the forebrain (thenucleus
of Meynert) that promotes activation of neuroplasticity can
be activated through the vagus nerve. Electrical stimulation
of the vagus nerve may thereby promote plastic changes,
and it may reverse the symptoms and sign of some plasticity
diseases when paired with appropriate sensory stimuli.
There is recent evidence that both the innate and the
adaptive immune systems can influence neural functions and
that the nervous system can affect the immune system. The
vagal immune reflex is an example. The immune system can
modulate many forms of pain and immunoglobulin is now
being considered for treatment of certain pain conditions.
Stress can suppress the immune system. Signals from the gut
affect many neural functions, for example, receptors in the
distal portion of the small intestine can affect pain circuits in
the brain. Epidemiological studies have shown that the risk
of giving birth to a child with autism spectrum disorder or
spina bifida (neural tube defects) can be lowered significantly
if the mother takes a B-vitamin (folic acid) before and during
pregnancy, indicating that the root cause of these diseases
are errors in the early development of the brain that occurs
in early stage of pregnancy. This is an example of how the
occurrence of serious diseases that have no known cure can
be reduced by administration of a harmless supplement.
Unfortunately, only a few people take advantage of that.
Speaker Biography
Aage R Møller is known internationally for his innovative research on sensory systems
and neural plasticity and for developing methods for reducing the risk of neurological
deficits in neurosurgical operations. His work has helped establish UT Dallas as a
leader in tinnitus-related research. His lengthy research career has focused on four
primary areas: The basic function of the ear, sound transmission in the middle ear and
cochlea, the neural code of complex sounds and neural plasticity. He eventually moved
on to research in humans aimed at studying disorders of the year and the nervous
system, such as tinnitus. He began his research career at the famed Karolinska Institut
in Sweden. In 1978, he was invited to join the University of Pittsburgh. There he did
innovative research in the area of neurosurgery and intraoperative neurophysiology;
he developed methods for reducing the risks of serious neurological deficits after
neurosurgical operations. He was one of the founders of a new specialty; intraoperative
neurophysiological monitoring and he did innovative research that lead to better
understanding of several neurological diseases. When he joined UT Dallas in 1997, he
became interested in abnormalities in the nervous system function among individuals
with autism. He developed teaching programs in the biology of pain; sensory systems,
neuroplasticity and he established the first university program in teaching IONM in
a graduate program. During his time at UT Dallas, he was named the university’s
“President’s Teaching Excellence Award,” won Teacher of the Year for the School of
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and was named distinguished Lecturer in Cognition
and Neuroscience. He earned his PhD in Medical Science at the Karolinska Institut in
Stockholm, Sweden.
e:
Aage R Møller, J Neurol Neurosci, 8:5
DOI: 10.21767/2171-6625-C1-001