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 robot now being built to help stroke patients with training, motivation and walking

In Europe, strokes are the most common cause of physical disability among the elderly. This often result in paralysis of one side of the body, and many patients suffer much reduced physical mobility and are often unable to walk on their own.

12 Mar 2013

Antipsychotic drugs associated with increased risk of stroke in the elderly

Antipsychotic administration in the elderly is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular accident, more commonly known as stroke; a new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides additional insight into this important relationship.

12 Mar 2013

Heavy drinkers have more rapid acetate uptake and metabolism: Study

In addition to its well-known effects on the CNS, alcohol consumption has a significant impact on metabolism. After consumption, the body rapidly begins converting ethanol to acetate, which can serve as an energy source for the brain and other organs.

11 Mar 2013

Researchers develop new approach to screening potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease

According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, over 35 million people worldwide currently have dementia, a number that is expected to double by 2030 (66 million) and triple by 2050 (115 million).

11 Mar 2013

Researchers identify new mechanism in onset of motor neuron diseases

The British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking is likely to be the world's most famous person living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a progressive disease affecting motor neurons, nerve cells that control muscle function, and nearly always leads to death.

11 Mar 2013

Early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels

The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

11 Mar 2013

Aarbepoetin alfa does not improve anemic heart failure patients' health

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and Sweden-based Sahlgrenska University Hospital have found that a commonly used drug to treat anemia in heart failure patients -darbepoetin alfa - does not improve patients' health, nor does it reduce their risk of death from heart failure.

11 Mar 2013

Adrenocorticotropic hormone may help treat people with multiple sclerosis

A new study suggests that treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

11 Mar 2013

Planar cell polarity genes control connectivity of enteric neurons

The enteric nervous system (ENS), the "little brain" that resides within the gut wall, governs motility, secretion, and blood flow in the human gastrointestinal tract. Failure of the ENS to develop normally leads to congenital megacolon (Hirschsprung Disease) while loss of normal gut innervation is thought to contribute to debilitating motility disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

11 Mar 2013

Addiction risk increased after mild traumatic brain injury

A study of military personnel suggests that individuals who have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury are at increased for addiction-related disorders.

8 Mar 2013

AKAP protein alterations implicated in bipolar disorder

Researchers have found increased cellular expression of the postsynaptic signaling protein AKAP5/79 in the anterior cingulate cortex of patients with bipolar disorder.

8 Mar 2013

Weill Cornell receives NIMH grant to discover novel biomarkers for chronic fatigue syndrome

Weill Cornell Medical College has been awarded more than $1.9 million by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to lead an innovative research study using advanced neuroimaging and clinical evaluations of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

8 Mar 2013

Study to produce hearing aids that can better distinguish speech and background noise

New research is aiming to produce hearing aids which can distinguish better between speech and background noise and benefit the lives of the six million people in the UK with hearing impairments.

8 Mar 2013

Study shows reduction of brain capillaries in mice immunized with amyloid beta

University of British Columbia researchers have successfully normalized the production of blood vessels in the brain of mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by immunizing them with amyloid beta, a protein widely associated with the disease.

8 Mar 2013

SCCA, ProCure announce opening of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (ProCure) announced the opening of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center today in Seattle, Washington.

8 Mar 2013

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

Viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns, infecting some cells but missing others. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why. The scientists showed that natural immune defenses that resist viral infection are turned on in some brain cells but switched off in others.

8 Mar 2013

Boosting hypocretin could elevate both mood and alertness in humans

What makes us happy? Family? Money? Love? How about a peptide? The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behavior are largely unknown. Now though, for the first time in humans, scientists at UCLA have measured the release of a specific peptide, a neurotransmitter called hypocretin, that greatly increased when subjects were happy but decreased when they were sad.

8 Mar 2013

Rats sniff each other to signal a social hierarchy and prevent aggressive behavior

Sniffing, a common behavior in dogs, cats and other animals, has been observed to also serve as a method for rats to communicate-a fundamental discovery that may help scientists identify brain regions critical for interpreting communications cues and what brain malfunctions may cause some complex social disorders.

7 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Deciding if it's 'time to let mom die,' a cancer hospital's controversial admission procedures

My father, sister and I sat in the near-empty Chinese restaurant, picking at our plates, unable to avoid the question that we'd gathered to discuss: When was it time to let Mom die? ... My father and sister looked to me for my thoughts. In our family, after all, I'm the go-to guy for all things medical. I've been a health care reporter for 15 years: at the Dallas Morning News, the Los Angeles Times and now ProPublica.

7 Mar 2013