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.

Insect research yields insights for muscle control and nerve disorders in mammals

Working with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded the activity of protein signals that let certain nerve cells know when and where to branch so that they reach and connect to their correct muscle targets. The proteins' mammalian counterparts are known to have signaling roles in immunity, nervous system and heart development, and tumor progression, suggesting broad implications for human disease research.

9 Jan 2013

Researchers deploy sensitive brain-testing methods on injured high school athletes

The ability to focus and switch tasks readily amid distractions was compromised for up to two months following brain concussions suffered by high school athletes, according to a study at the University of Oregon.

9 Jan 2013

Dementia diagnosis: an interview with Dr Andrew Blackwell, Chief Scientific Officer, Cambridge Cognition

Dementia is a huge public health problem, affecting about 800,000 people in the UK and 36 million people around the world.

8 Jan 2013

EHR implementation with technical support can improve patient care in small physician practices: Study

The relationship between a physician practice's adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and quality improvements in patient care remains unclear.

7 Jan 2013

Complications of suppurative otitis media characterized

Researchers emphasize the importance of an early and accurate diagnosis of chronic suppurative otitis media followed by surgical therapy to prevent complications.

7 Jan 2013

Study investigates prolonged pathological outcomes of traumatic brain injury

Researchers from the University of South Florida and colleagues at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital studying the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury using rat models, have found that, overtime, TBI results in progressive brain deterioration characterized by elevated inflammation and suppressed cell regeneration.

7 Jan 2013

Researchers show that protein p62 balances metabolism in fat tissue

In many cases, obesity is caused by more than just overeating and a lack of exercise. Something in the body goes haywire, causing it to store more fat and burn less energy. But what is it? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have a new theory-a protein called p62.

7 Jan 2013

Researchers find link between brain infections and climate in sub-Saharan Africa

The amount of rainfall affects the number of infant infections leading to hydrocephalus in Uganda, according to a team of researchers who are the first to demonstrate that these brain infections are linked to climate.

7 Jan 2013

Researchers identify four new genetic regions associated with Behcet's disease

Researchers have identified four new regions on the human genome associated with Behcet's disease, a painful and potentially dangerous condition found predominantly in people with ancestors along the Silk Road.

7 Jan 2013

Researchers discover new pathway to reduce paradoxical pain

For individuals with agonizing pain, it is a cruel blow when the gold-standard medication actually causes more pain. Adults and children whose pain gets worse when treated with morphine may be closer to a solution, based on research published in the January 6 on-line edition of Nature Neuroscience.

7 Jan 2013

Link between Parkinson's and benomyl

For several years, neurologists at UCLA have been building a case that a link exists between pesticides and Parkinson's disease. To date, paraquat, maneb and ziram - common chemicals sprayed in California's Central Valley and elsewhere - have been tied to increases in the disease, not only among farmworkers but in individuals who simply lived or worked near fields and likely inhaled drifting particles.

6 Jan 2013

Extensive white matter abnormalities in early schizophrenia

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia exhibit widespread white matter abnormalities, results from a brain imaging study show.

4 Jan 2013

Paper provides comprehensive assessment of motor performance after cervical spinal cord injury

More than half of traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) in humans are cervical lesions, resulting in chronic loss of limb function. A better understanding of the link between the neurologic damage caused by SCI, spontaneous motor function recovery, and long-term motor deficits would lead to better therapeutic approaches, as discussed in an article in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The

4 Jan 2013

Women with menopausal transition experience cognitive difficulties

The memory problems that many women experience in their 40s and 50s as they approach and go through menopause are both real and appear to be most acute during the early period of post menopause. That is the conclusion of a study which appears today in the journal Menopause.

4 Jan 2013

Study questions need for routine repeated CT scans in patients with mild head trauma

When initial computed tomography (CT) scans show bleeding within the brain after mild head injury, decisions about repeated CT scans should be based on the patient's neurological condition, according to a report in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

4 Jan 2013

Color of containers where food and drink are served can enhance attributes like taste and aroma

Two researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Oxford have proven that hot chocolate tastes better in an orange or cream coloured cup than in a white or red one. The study adds to recent research demonstrating how our senses perceive food in a different way depending on the characteristics of the container from which we eat and drink.

4 Jan 2013

Costs and benefits of bigger brains

Bigger brains can make animals, well, brainier, but that boost in brain size and ability comes at a price. That's according to new evidence reported on January 3rd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, in which researchers artificially selected guppies for large and small brain sizes.

4 Jan 2013

PKM-zeta-less adult mice still able to form long-term memories

A study by Johns Hopkins researchers has shown that a widely accepted model of long-term memory formation - that it hinges on a single enzyme in the brain - is flawed. The new study, published in the Jan. 2 issue of Nature, found that mice lacking the enzyme that purportedly builds memory were in fact still able to form long-term memories as well as normal mice could.

4 Jan 2013

New insight into 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Research out of the George Washington University (GW), published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals another piece of the puzzle in a genetic developmental disorder that causes behavioral diseases such as autism.

4 Jan 2013

March of Dimes book offers scientifically-based advice for pregnant women, tips for new parents

Taking a daily multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid is one of the best ways to prevent birth defects and an important step toward having a healthy baby, yet only about one-third of women know about it.

4 Jan 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Insect research yields insights for muscle control and nerve disorders in mammals

Researchers deploy sensitive brain-testing methods on injured high school athletes

Dementia diagnosis: an interview with Dr Andrew Blackwell, Chief Scientific Officer, Cambridge Cognition

EHR implementation with technical support can improve patient care in small physician practices: Study

Complications of suppurative otitis media characterized

Study investigates prolonged pathological outcomes of traumatic brain injury

Researchers show that protein p62 balances metabolism in fat tissue

Researchers find link between brain infections and climate in sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers identify four new genetic regions associated with Behcet's disease

Researchers discover new pathway to reduce paradoxical pain

Link between Parkinson's and benomyl

Extensive white matter abnormalities in early schizophrenia

Paper provides comprehensive assessment of motor performance after cervical spinal cord injury

Women with menopausal transition experience cognitive difficulties

Study questions need for routine repeated CT scans in patients with mild head trauma

Color of containers where food and drink are served can enhance attributes like taste and aroma

Costs and benefits of bigger brains

PKM-zeta-less adult mice still able to form long-term memories

New insight into 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

March of Dimes book offers scientifically-based advice for pregnant women, tips for new parents

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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