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.

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

At the Keystone Symposium "New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research," held 4-7 February in Santa Fe, New Mexico, researchers explored the processes that lead to a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS).

7 Mar 2013

CALHM1 protein plays critical role in sweet, bitter and umami taste perception

Working with a multidisciplinary consortium of 19 researchers from nine institutions, Monell scientists have provided critical information to identify CALHM1, a channel in the walls of taste receptor cells, as a necessary component in the process of sweet, bitter, and umami (savory) taste perception.

7 Mar 2013

Research illuminates why stimulating environment may protect against Alzheimer's disease

"Use it or lose it." The saying could apply especially to the brain when it comes to protecting against Alzheimer's disease.

7 Mar 2013

Study suggests more accurate way to monitor patient awareness during general anesthesia

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have identified specific EEG signatures that indicate when patients lose and regain consciousness under the general anesthetic drug propofol.

7 Mar 2013

Increased blood and oxygen flow to pre-frontal area of brain may explain effects

The resulting increased blood and oxygen flow to the pre-frontal cortex may explain the effects, suggest the researchers.

7 Mar 2013

Yale researchers identify key genetic switch for brain maturation

The flip of a single molecular switch helps create the mature neuronal connections that allow the brain to bridge the gap between adolescent impressionability and adult stability.

7 Mar 2013

Insight into how Th17 cell growth influences development of immune responses

New work from the Broad Institute's Klarman Cell Observatory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, MIT, and Yale University expands the understanding of how one type of immune cell - known as a T helper 17 or Th17 cell - develops, and how its growth influences the development of immune responses.

7 Mar 2013

Parietal brain cells sort visual information into categories: Study

A region of the brain known to play a key role in visual and spatial processing has a parallel function: sorting visual information into categories, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago.

7 Mar 2013

mTORC2 plays key role in regulating memory formation

Introductions at a party seemingly go in one ear and out the other. However, if you meet someone two or three times during the party, you are more likely to remember his or her name. Your brain has taken a short-term memory - the introduction - and converted it into a long-term one.

7 Mar 2013

Study shows how nanoparticles can be formed to efficiently carry cancer drugs to tumor cells

Small particles loaded with medicine could be a future weapon for cancer treatment. A recently-published study shows how nanoparticles can be formed to efficiently carry cancer drugs to tumor cells. And because the particles can be seen in MRI images, they are traceable.

7 Mar 2013

Scientists pinpoint neural basis for stress-related relapse in rat models

All too often, stress turns addiction recovery into relapse, but years of basic brain research have provided scientists with insight that might allow them develop a medicine to help. A new study in the journal Neuron pinpoints the neural basis for stress-related relapse in rat models to an unprecedented degree.

7 Mar 2013

CALHM1 protein controls sense of taste, finds study

In collaboration with other research institutions, a Feinstein Institute for Medical Research investigator discovered a new protein that controls the sense of taste. The findings are published in the March issue of Nature.

7 Mar 2013

Fractional anisotropy examines age-related decline in cerebral white matter in schizophrenia, MDD

Many lines of evidence indicate that schizophrenia is a disorder of neurodevelopment. For example, genes implicated in the heritable risk for schizophrenia are also implicated in the development of nerve cells and their connections.

7 Mar 2013

Selective activation of the dentate gyrus can reduce anxiety without affecting learning

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have found the first evidence that selective activation of the dentate gyrus, a portion of the hippocampus, can reduce anxiety without affecting learning.

7 Mar 2013

Human brain can learn to treat relevant prosthetics as substitute for non-working body parts

The human brain can learn to treat relevant prosthetics as a substitute for a non-working body part, according to research published March 6 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Mariella Pazzaglia and colleagues from Sapienza University and IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia of Rome in Italy, supported by the International Foundation for Research in Paraplegie.

7 Mar 2013

DBS helps anorexia patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood and anxiety

In a world first, a team of researchers at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre and the University Health Network have shown that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in patients with chronic, severe and treatment-resistant Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia) helps some patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood, and anxiety.

6 Mar 2013

New bedside electronic device can determine the cause of severe dizziness

A bedside electronic device that measures eye movements can successfully determine whether the cause of severe, continuous, disabling dizziness is a stroke or something benign, according to results of a small study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

6 Mar 2013

Researchers discover how LRRK2 mutations in familial Parkinson's damage brain cells

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), with collaborators at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, have discovered how the most common genetic mutations in familial Parkinson's disease damage brain cells.

6 Mar 2013

Aerobic walking program alleviates lower back pain, says Tel Aviv University researcher

Lower back pain is a common complaint, and treatment often requires many hours of physical therapy over multiple weekly clinic visits - a costly commitment.

6 Mar 2013

Human Connectome Project releases brain imaging and behavioral data to scientific community

The Human Connectome Project, a five-year endeavor to link brain connectivity to human behavior, has released a set of high-quality imaging and behavioral data to the scientific community. The project has two major goals: to collect vast amounts of data using advanced brain imaging methods on a large population of healthy adults, and to make the data freely available so that scientists worldwide can make further discoveries about brain circuitry.

6 Mar 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

CALHM1 protein plays critical role in sweet, bitter and umami taste perception

Research illuminates why stimulating environment may protect against Alzheimer's disease

Study suggests more accurate way to monitor patient awareness during general anesthesia

Increased blood and oxygen flow to pre-frontal area of brain may explain effects

Yale researchers identify key genetic switch for brain maturation

Insight into how Th17 cell growth influences development of immune responses

Parietal brain cells sort visual information into categories: Study

mTORC2 plays key role in regulating memory formation

Study shows how nanoparticles can be formed to efficiently carry cancer drugs to tumor cells

Scientists pinpoint neural basis for stress-related relapse in rat models

CALHM1 protein controls sense of taste, finds study

Fractional anisotropy examines age-related decline in cerebral white matter in schizophrenia, MDD

Selective activation of the dentate gyrus can reduce anxiety without affecting learning

Human brain can learn to treat relevant prosthetics as substitute for non-working body parts

DBS helps anorexia patients achieve and maintain improvements in body weight, mood and anxiety

New bedside electronic device can determine the cause of severe dizziness

Researchers discover how LRRK2 mutations in familial Parkinson's damage brain cells

Aerobic walking program alleviates lower back pain, says Tel Aviv University researcher

Human Connectome Project releases brain imaging and behavioral data to scientific community

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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