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.

Is higher fluoride intake in pregnancy affecting kids’ IQ?

A new study suggests that fluoride consumption at higher levels in pregnancy could be linked to a decline in IQ by a few points in the children. Experts disagree on the acceptability of this finding, which has stirred up questions about fluoridation of public drinking water supplies.

20 Aug 2019

UCLA scientists discover new insights that may lead to progress in fighting Alzheimer's disease

More than three decades of research on Alzheimer's disease have not produced any major treatment advances for those with the disorder, according to a UCLA expert who has studied the biochemistry of the brain and Alzheimer's for nearly 30 years.

20 Aug 2019

Twitter study: Urban parks elevate mood as much as Christmas

Feeling unhappy and cranky? The treatment: take a walk under some trees in the park.

20 Aug 2019

Risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has distinct effects on the brain

Brain abnormalities in people at familial risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder emerge in unique patterns, despite the symptom and genetic overlap of the disorders, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.

20 Aug 2019

Umea researchers' model reveals why memory deteriorates as the body ages

Researchers in Umeå, Sweden, have presented a model that explains why memory deteriorates as the body ages. With age, the brain receives an increased load from the heart's beating as the body's large arteries stiffen over the years, causing damage to the smallest blood vessels in the brain.

20 Aug 2019

Study: Blocking inflammatory pathway could prevent melanoma brain metastasis

Brain metastases are among the deadliest tumor metastases, with a median survival period of less than one year, and the incidence of brain metastasis is rising.

20 Aug 2019

New contest shows how assistance technologies could provide support in day-to-day life

'Pilots' with physical impairments, who control computer avatars with their thoughts, will demonstrate how far brain-computer interface research has come as they compete in live events at CYBATHLON.

20 Aug 2019

Online brain games can enable older people to multitask cognitively like younger individuals

A University of California, Irvine-led study has found that online brain game exercises can enable people in their 70s and even 80s to multitask cognitively as well as individuals 50 years their junior.

19 Aug 2019

SLU researchers receive $2.1 million to find non-addictive pain medications

Neuropathic pain affects between 15 and 20 million people in the U.S. This type of pain can occur after injuries to the nervous system due to trauma, disease or exposure to neurotoxins, including after chemotherapy.

19 Aug 2019

Loss of cells in the brain found to be associated with stuttering

Researchers believe that stuttering - a potentially lifelong and debilitating speech disorder - stems from problems with the circuits in the brain that control speech, but precisely how and where these problems occur is unknown.

19 Aug 2019

Liver dysfunction provokes cerebral molecular disturbances in two weeks

The liver plays a vital role as a filter in the human body. But what happens when it malfunctions? Researchers from the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne, the Vaud University Hospital Centre, the Centre for Biomedical Imaging, the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne and the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland, teamed up to perform a detailed analysis of hepatic encephalopathy, a type of brain damage caused by chronic liver disease.

19 Aug 2019

Traumatic childhood experiences change perception of social stimuli in adulthood

People with maltreatment experiences in their childhood have a changed perception of social stimuli later as adults. This is what scientists from the Division of Medical Psychology at the University of Bonn have discovered.

19 Aug 2019

Implantable brain chip could solve obesity epidemic

Scientists have developed tiny brain chips that alter the area of the brain involved in binge eating. The device is now being tested in humans with obesity.

19 Aug 2019

Stress inhibits eating behavior

Many human beings can’t swallow a thing when faced with significant stress, among other strong emotional states. However, scientists don’t know much about how the brain brings about these emotion-related effects on eating behavior.

19 Aug 2019

Genetic variant increases risk of addiction in the presence of childhood stress

What causes some people to become alcoholics or drug abusers when faced with stress, but not others? This question has plagued addiction researchers for decades.

19 Aug 2019

New MRI technique captures image of a brain thinking

An international team of researchers with partial support from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering developed a new MRI technique that can capture an image of a brain thinking by measuring changes in tissue stiffness.

19 Aug 2019

CDC warns on lung diseases linked to vaping

Vaping or using e-cigarettes has gained immense population over the past few years. It's widely regarded as a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking. Now, health officials warn against vaping as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a cluster of lung diseases associated with e-cigarette use was reported in 14 states.

19 Aug 2019

Researchers refine guidelines for treating children with brain trauma

When a child suffers a head trauma, medical professionals are in high gear to prevent further damage to a developing brain. Measuring and regulating the child's level of carbon dioxide is critical to ensuring the brain is getting enough blood oxygen to prevent a secondary brain injury.

18 Aug 2019

Northwestern scientists receive $3.1 million grant to investigate drug therapies for ALS

Two Northwestern University scientists have received a $3.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to collaborate and investigate drug therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

18 Aug 2019

Study could improve patients' abilities to manage symptoms of mental illness

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience mental illness in a given year. Severe mental illnesses cause the brain to have trouble dealing with cognitively effortful states, like focusing attention over long periods of time, discriminating between two things that are difficult to tell apart, and responding quickly to information that is coming in fast.

18 Aug 2019