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.

Fat hormone leptin affects a specific type of target neurons in the brain

Nina Balthasar and her colleagues have presented direct evidence that the fat hormone leptin affects a specific type of target neurons in the brain -- a prime link in the brain's regulation of the body's energy balance.

24 Jun 2004

System to treat patients over the internet via webcam

Physiotherapy is coming to a lounge room near you with a University of Queensland lecturer inventing a system to treat patients over the internet via webcam.

24 Jun 2004

Horse walks into the bar, barman says why the long face?

Ever wondered why horses have such long faces? A new study at The Nottingham Trent University has revealed that they may suffer from a form of Seasonal Affective Disorder – a type of depression that affects humans during the winter.

23 Jun 2004

New generation of cooling jackets to reduce the body temperature of elite athletes

RMIT University researchers have pioneered a new generation of ‘pre-event’ cooling jackets to reduce the body temperature of elite athletes.

23 Jun 2004

Delayed brain development and its interaction with puberty key to learning difficulties

A Northwestern University study is the first to suggest that delayed brain development and its interaction with puberty may be key factors contributing to language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

23 Jun 2004

Twice as many children are suffering strokes than was previously believed

“We’re seeing double the numbers of stroke in general,” says Dr. Gabrielle deVeber, who will be chairing a session on Stroke in Children and Young Adults today at the 5th World Stroke Congress in Vancouver, B.C. “That’s for both ischemic stroke (blood flow in the brain interrupted by a clot) and haemorrhagic (bleeding into the brain from a ruptured blood vessel).

23 Jun 2004

SPECT imaging helps attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder in children; it adversely affects performance in school and emotional development, and the symptoms can continue into adulthood.

23 Jun 2004

Primitive part of the brain plays a role in processing visual information unconsciously

Temporary rapidly induced blindness has provided evidence that an older, primitive part of the brain plays a role in processing visual information unconsciously.

23 Jun 2004

Estrogen therapy may increase the risk for dementia

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that estrogen therapy does not decrease, but may increase, the risk for dementia in older, postmenopausal women.

22 Jun 2004

Clubbers who have taken illegal drugs could be in serious danger when driving

New research carried out by the University of Surrey has revealed that clubbers who have taken illegal drugs could be in serious danger when driving home after a night out.

22 Jun 2004

New insights into a mysterious type of amnesia

Researchers have new insights into a mysterious type of amnesia, according to a study published in the June 22 issue of Neurology

21 Jun 2004

Virtual reality appears to dramatically change how the brain physically registers pain

The work, which used a specialized type of magnetic resonance imaging to track pain-related brain activity, showed drops of as much as 97 percent in such activity in some brain centers. The study marks the first time that scientists have documented a link between virtual reality and pain reduction in terms of an actual physiological response.

21 Jun 2004

Minimally invasive procedure provides new childbirth hope

Beauty therapist, Jo Anastasio, who suffers from an extremely rare blood vessel abnormality, was told that she couldn’t have children and that her only option was a hysterectomy.

21 Jun 2004

Cognitive decline can occur before chemotherapy treatment

In a series of studies in breast cancer patients, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have confirmed the presence of “chemobrain” after chemotherapy treatment – but they also discovered that a significant portion of patients have cognitive declines even before chemotherapy.

21 Jun 2004

Cooling method to treat brain aneurysms

Patients who undergo brain surgery to treat aneurysms are at risk for permanent brain damage, but a protective cooling system is now being tested at Rush University Medical Center to reduce or eliminate this risk.

21 Jun 2004

New centre of excellence to develop stem cell treatments for diabetes and diseases of the brain

New centre of excellence at the University of Cambridge to develop stem cell treatments for diabetes and diseases of the brain, including Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

21 Jun 2004

Aggressive treatment of brain blood clots can produce a good outcome for many stroke patients

In the study, published in a recent issue of the journal Neurosurgery, 50 percent of stroke patients had little or no neurological disability one to three months after clot-dissolving medication was delivered directly to the site of the blockages, compared to 39 percent of patients with similarly good outcomes documented in a large national trial of intravenous (IV) drug treatment for stroke.

21 Jun 2004

Fairfax student dies after a four-day hospitalization for meningitis/encephalitis

A 16-year old Chantilly high school student died last week after a four-day hospitalization for meningitis/encephalitis. The cause does not appear to be bacterial meningitis. However, an autopsy is pending and investigation is underway.

20 Jun 2004

100,000 child deaths ever year caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries

100 000 deaths and 6 million years of healthy life lost (or DALYs) ever year, in children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age, are caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries.

20 Jun 2004

Stimulation or drugs that target the pro-opiomelanocortin system will be effective in treating diabetes or obesity

There’s more than one way to slim a cat - at least that’s the hope of University of Florida obesity researchers, who believe pets and even people may someday benefit from gene therapy research aimed at breaking through the biochemical bottleneck that makes many middle-aged mammals gain weight.

17 Jun 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Fat hormone leptin affects a specific type of target neurons in the brain

System to treat patients over the internet via webcam

Horse walks into the bar, barman says why the long face?

New generation of cooling jackets to reduce the body temperature of elite athletes

Delayed brain development and its interaction with puberty key to learning difficulties

Twice as many children are suffering strokes than was previously believed

SPECT imaging helps attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients

Primitive part of the brain plays a role in processing visual information unconsciously

Estrogen therapy may increase the risk for dementia

Clubbers who have taken illegal drugs could be in serious danger when driving

New insights into a mysterious type of amnesia

Virtual reality appears to dramatically change how the brain physically registers pain

Minimally invasive procedure provides new childbirth hope

Cognitive decline can occur before chemotherapy treatment

Cooling method to treat brain aneurysms

New centre of excellence to develop stem cell treatments for diabetes and diseases of the brain

Aggressive treatment of brain blood clots can produce a good outcome for many stroke patients

Fairfax student dies after a four-day hospitalization for meningitis/encephalitis

100,000 child deaths ever year caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries

Stimulation or drugs that target the pro-opiomelanocortin system will be effective in treating diabetes or obesity

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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