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.

Study: Combination of chemotherapy and nerve-protecting agents can prevent anemia

Cancer chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathy-nerve damage often resulting in pain and muscle weakness in the arms and legs. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that chemo also induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation.

6 May 2013

Exposure to violent video games affects teens' heart rate responses

Teenagers who are highly exposed to violent video games—three or more hours per day—show blunted physical and psychological responses to playing a violent game, reports a study in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

5 May 2013

Discovery may lead to new treatment for neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative disorders

A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat people with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and possibly even Alzheimer's disease, as well as and complications of spinal cord injury such as chronic pain and spasticity.

5 May 2013

Discovery raises hope for severe forms of human epilepsy

Epilepsy that does not respond to drugs can be halted in adult mice by transplanting a specific type of cell into the brain, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that a similar treatment might work in severe forms of human epilepsy.

5 May 2013

Zoo baboons shed light on the brain's ability to understand numbers

Opposing thumbs, expressive faces, complex social systems: it's hard to miss the similarities between apes and humans. Now a new study with a troop of zoo baboons and lots of peanuts shows that a less obvious trait-the ability to understand numbers-also is shared by man and his primate cousins.

5 May 2013

Experts gather to lay out agenda to end childhood poverty

Pediatricians, economists, social scientists and policy experts will come together on Saturday, May 4, to address one of the greatest threats to child health - poverty.

4 May 2013

High blood pressure linked to better quality of life in adolescents

Teenagers with high blood pressure appear to have better psychological adjustment and enjoy higher quality of life than those with normal blood pressure, suggests a study in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

4 May 2013

Queen Mary mathematicians describe functioning of the brain

Mathematicians from Queen Mary, University of London will bring researchers one-step closer to understanding how the structure of the brain relates to its function in two recently published studies.

4 May 2013

Virtual reality reveals new clues on how cells determine place

Leaving the house in the morning may seem simple, but with every move we make, our brains are working feverishly to create maps of the outside world that allow us to navigate and to remember where we are.

4 May 2013

Gene mutation associated with rare sleep disorder also contributes to debilitating migraines

A gene mutation associated with a rare sleep disorder surprisingly also contributes to debilitating migraines, a new discovery that could change the treatment of migraines by allowing development of drugs specifically designed to treat the chronic headaches.

3 May 2013

Study results suggest that restricting food intake increases reward value of food

The story is a familiar one: most people are able to lose weight while dieting but once the diet is over, the weight comes back. Many of us can personally attest that caloric deprivation weight loss diets typically do not produce lasting weight loss.

3 May 2013

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC stands for exchange protein activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is an (among many) intracellular messenger molecule. cAMP is generated when certain hormones stimulate a cell by binding to their receptor, which is at the outside surface of the cell.

3 May 2013

Researchers describe alterations in long noncoding RNA sequences in Rett syndrome

Researchers at the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program at IDIBELL led by Manel Esteller, ICREA researcher and professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona, have described alterations in noncoding long chain RNA sequences in Rett syndrome.

3 May 2013

Study results support new view of molecules important for nerve cell signaling

National Institutes of Health researchers used the popular anti-wrinkle agent Botox to discover a new and important role for a group of molecules that nerve cells use to quickly send messages.

3 May 2013

Five sudden signs and symptoms of stroke

Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States. Each year an estimated 795,000 people in this country experience a stroke. That's approximately the equivalent of every man, woman and child living in Anaheim and Long Beach combined.

3 May 2013

Autism BrainNet to acquire, process, store and distribute brain tissue to accelerate autism research

Autism Speaks and the Simons Foundation announced the establishment and funding of a new network of sites to collect brain tissue to advance autism research through brain donation at today's International Meeting for Autism Research.

3 May 2013

CHOP research offers insights into epilepsy, schizophrenia, other neuropsych disorders

Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism.

3 May 2013

Small device implanted in the brain predicts epilepsy seizures in humans

A small device implanted in the brain has accurately predicted epilepsy seizures in humans in a world-first study led by Professor Mark Cook, Chair of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Director of Neurology at St Vincent's Hospital.

3 May 2013

Synthetic anti-inflammatory substances related to marijuana may help fight HIV infection

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is notorious for hiding within certain types of cells, where it reproduces at a slowed rate and eventually gives rise to chronic inflammation, despite drug therapy.

2 May 2013

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals reports clinical results of Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System for acute pain treatment

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today reported additional clinical results for its lead product candidate, the Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in the hospital setting.

2 May 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Combination of chemotherapy and nerve-protecting agents can prevent anemia

Exposure to violent video games affects teens' heart rate responses

Discovery may lead to new treatment for neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative disorders

Discovery raises hope for severe forms of human epilepsy

Zoo baboons shed light on the brain's ability to understand numbers

Experts gather to lay out agenda to end childhood poverty

High blood pressure linked to better quality of life in adolescents

Queen Mary mathematicians describe functioning of the brain

Virtual reality reveals new clues on how cells determine place

Gene mutation associated with rare sleep disorder also contributes to debilitating migraines

Study results suggest that restricting food intake increases reward value of food

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

Researchers describe alterations in long noncoding RNA sequences in Rett syndrome

Study results support new view of molecules important for nerve cell signaling

Five sudden signs and symptoms of stroke

Autism BrainNet to acquire, process, store and distribute brain tissue to accelerate autism research

CHOP research offers insights into epilepsy, schizophrenia, other neuropsych disorders

Small device implanted in the brain predicts epilepsy seizures in humans

Synthetic anti-inflammatory substances related to marijuana may help fight HIV infection

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals reports clinical results of Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System for acute pain treatment

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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