Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Researchers to study link between diabetes and early dementia

Understanding the link between diabetes and early dementia – as well as how diabetes relates to other causes of memory loss – is the focus of a new study at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and approximately 40 other medical institutions nationwide.

20 May 2004

Watching for West Nile virus, dead bird and mosquito monitoring resumes

Warmer spring weather and the coming mosquito season has the Department of Health on the lookout for West Nile virus again, working with local health departments to identify mosquitoes, track dead birds and monitor any human illness across Washington. This season brings mosquito-breeding weather and the threat of mosquito-borne disease, including West Nile virus.

20 May 2004

Brain can make errors in reassembling the color and motion of objects

You're driving along in your car and catch a glimpse of a green SUV out of the corner of your eye. A few seconds later, you glance over, and to your surprise discover that the SUV is actually brown.

19 May 2004

Centre for Life opens with the UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines

The UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines, developed separately by researchers at King’s College London and the Centre for Life in Newcastle, are to be deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank. The deposit coincides with the official opening of the Bank by Health Minister, Lord Warner, today (Wednesday 19 May 2004).

19 May 2004

Office of Naval Research harnessing human brain power to control the maneuvers of UUVs

Even the least graceful among us has motor control the most high-tech unmanned undersea vehicle would envy, thanks to a region of the brain that allows our bodies to carry out complex maneuvers. The Office of Naval Research, which traditionally relies on the power of the human mind to achieve breakthroughs in science and technology, now also is harnessing the working principle of the brain to control the maneuvers of UUVs.

19 May 2004

A new synthetic chemical may provide framework for future drugs to treat brain-based ailments

A new synthetic chemical may provide the framework for future drugs that can treat a variety of brain-based ailments, ranging from overeating and drug dependency to neuropathic pain.

19 May 2004

Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

The brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is among the last to mature, a new study graphically reveals. The decade-long magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of normal brain development, from ages 4 to 21, by researchers at NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that such "higher-order" brain centers, such as the prefrontal cortex, don't fully develop until young adulthood.

18 May 2004

1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are projected to increase more than six-fold among Hispanics in the U.S. during the first half of the 21st century, according to a new report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association. This increase means that 1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, compared to fewer than 200,000 currently living with the disease.

17 May 2004

$1.4 million to investigate how strokes and other events that cut off blood flow to the brain disrupt the blood-brain barrier

The Cleveland Clinic has been awarded a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how strokes and other events that cut off blood flow to the brain disrupt the blood-brain barrier. Researchers hope to use their findings to develop new methods to limit the damage caused by such events.

17 May 2004

Research into sleeping disorder drug may help multiple sclerosis patients

A University of Nottingham academic is leading a research project looking at whether a drug produced for a sleeping disorder could improve the quality of life for thousands of multiple sclerosis patients.

17 May 2004

Vocational rehabilitation services helps people with traumatic brain injuries get back to work

More than 2 million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year, costing the nation nearly $1 billion in lost wages, increased government support and lost tax income in the first year alone. However, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has found that persons with TBI have a good chance of successfully returning to work if they receive vocational rehabilitation services.

17 May 2004

Some amnesiacs can maintain their memories for a longer period of time if they spend time sitting in a dark, quiet room

Amnesia sufferers can lose their short-term memories within one minute of the initial thought. While such things as head injuries and strokes are known to cause amnesia, very little is known about why such severe memory loss occurs. However, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has discovered that some amnesiacs can maintain their memories for a longer period of time if they spend time sitting in a dark, quiet room.

17 May 2004

Want a new type of man? Maybe less brawn and more brains?

A new version of the human male is a distinct possibility, given the genetic erosion of the “junk” sex-determining chromosome that makes men male.

17 May 2004

Exposure to nicotine may change adolescents' brains and behavior

The adolescent brain appears to be more responsive to nicotine’s rewarding effects than the adult brain, a UC Irvine Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) animal study has found.

15 May 2004

Researchers make it possible to visualize memories

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have described how memories are made – and they have made it possible for you to see it.

15 May 2004

Technique to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn may help to understand how memories form

For the first time, researchers have used a technique called optical imaging to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn. These changes may be the beginning of a complex chain of events that leads to formation of lasting memories.

14 May 2004

Signs of liver disease also improve in conjunction with alterations to gut flora

Some cirrhotic patients develop brain dysfunction, called hepatic encephalopathy, which causes deficits in behavior, intelligence, consciousness and neuromuscular function.

14 May 2004

The Stroke Association have found that surgery can halve the risk of a stroke

Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and The Stroke Association have found that surgery can halve the risk of a stroke for people who have significant narrowing of the main artery carrying blood to the brain. Their findings, published in this week’s The Lancet, are the result of a large-scale international clinical trial.

14 May 2004

Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have used a combination of brainpower and computer power to identify a multitude of new genes that control the formation of tiny, hair-like cilia that stipple the surfaces of many organs in a wide variety of creatures.

14 May 2004

Genomed treatment helps bald eagles with West Nile virus encephalitis

GenoMed, Inc. a Next Generation Disease Management company that uses its expertise in genomics to improve clinical outcomes in as many species as possible, announced today that two non-profit groups which care for wild birds with West Nile virus encephalitis, including American bald eagles, will be using the Company's patent-pending treatment this season.

13 May 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers to study link between diabetes and early dementia

Watching for West Nile virus, dead bird and mosquito monitoring resumes

Brain can make errors in reassembling the color and motion of objects

Centre for Life opens with the UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines

Office of Naval Research harnessing human brain power to control the maneuvers of UUVs

A new synthetic chemical may provide framework for future drugs to treat brain-based ailments

Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050

$1.4 million to investigate how strokes and other events that cut off blood flow to the brain disrupt the blood-brain barrier

Research into sleeping disorder drug may help multiple sclerosis patients

Vocational rehabilitation services helps people with traumatic brain injuries get back to work

Some amnesiacs can maintain their memories for a longer period of time if they spend time sitting in a dark, quiet room

Want a new type of man? Maybe less brawn and more brains?

Exposure to nicotine may change adolescents' brains and behavior

Researchers make it possible to visualize memories

Technique to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn may help to understand how memories form

Signs of liver disease also improve in conjunction with alterations to gut flora

The Stroke Association have found that surgery can halve the risk of a stroke

Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Genomed treatment helps bald eagles with West Nile virus encephalitis

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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