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 'molecular scaffolding' could help restore sight loss caused by glaucoma

Fight for Sight is funding scientists at the University of Cambridge to research how a new ‘molecular scaffolding’ could help restore vital nerve connections between the eye and the brain, potentially recovering the sight loss caused by glaucoma and other conditions, and even paving the way for future eye transplants.

16 Jul 2019

Living a healthy lifestyle may help offset genetic risk of dementia

Living a healthy lifestyle may help counteract a person’s genetic risk of dementia, according to new international research.

16 Jul 2019

Discovery could pave the way towards new treatments for neurological disorders

Scientists at the University of Warwick have discovered a new process that sets the fastest molecular motor on its marathon-like runs through our neurons.

16 Jul 2019

HIV DNA persists in spinal fluid despite treatment, linked to cognitive impairment

Many people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and using antiretroviral therapy (ART) may still have cells sheltering the virus lurking in the cerebrospinal fluid, a new study has found.

16 Jul 2019

Researchers identify new subtypes of motor neurons and microglia present in ALS patients

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disease that causes paralysis and ultimately death when the nerves enervating the lungs cease to carry the signals needed for breathing.

16 Jul 2019

HIV persists in spinal fluid even after long-term treatment and is linked to cognitive deficits

Even after nearly a decade of strict HIV treatment, cells sheltering the virus could be found in the cerebrospinal fluid of half of participants in a national clinical trial of people living with HIV.

16 Jul 2019

Cannabis-based medication helps tackle dependency on cannabis

An Australian study has demonstrated that cannabis-based medication helps tackle dependency on cannabis, one of the most widely used drugs globally.

16 Jul 2019

Wearing a hearing aid may mitigate dementia risk

A new study has concluded that people who wear a hearing aid for age-related hearing problems maintain better brain function over time than those who do not.

15 Jul 2019

New app created to help people reduce exposure to anticholinergic medications

A team of researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine, Regenstrief Institute and Purdue University, led by Richard Holden, PhD, is testing a new app, called Brain Safe, designed to help people reduce their exposure to a common class of drugs linked to Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2019

Mother calls for protein shake regulation after daughter dies

A mother is calling on the health industry to regulate sales of protein powder and supplements after her daughter died in 2017 due to a protein-heavy diet.

15 Jul 2019

Gut-boosting food may put an end to childhood malnutrition worldwide

Researchers have developed a new type of food that improves gut bacteria in malnourished children and kick-starts growth.

15 Jul 2019

Researchers study blood flow bump that happens when the neurons get activated

When a group of our neurons get activated by thinking hard about a math problem or the vibrant colors of an exotic flower, within a single second blood flow to those brain cells increases a bit.

15 Jul 2019

New insights into molecular motors could help treat neurological disorders

Nerve cells form the basis of the nervous system in animals, as they transfer information between the various sensory and effector organs of the body and the brain and spinal cord. However, this function relies heavily on the transport of several proteins and other molecules between various parts of the cell.

15 Jul 2019

Healthy lifestyle lowers dementia risk despite genetic predisposition

Having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t only help you lose weight, but it may also offset the genetic risk in developing dementia, a new study published in JAMA found.

15 Jul 2019

An active brain and body associated with reduced risk of dementia

A team of researchers at the Tianjin Medical University in China wanted to explore whether accumulation over a lifetime of cognitive and social activities are linked to a slower rate of memory loss, hence, a lower risk of developing dementia, despite brain pathologies.

14 Jul 2019

Genetic contribution to distractibility helps explain procrastination

Wouldn’t it be nice to blame your genes for your procrastination? Now, using a combination of questionnaires and genetic testing, German researchers have found that with increasing dopamine in the brain, women tended to show greater tendencies to procrastinate.

14 Jul 2019

Unpleasant experiences could be countered with a good night’s REM sleep

A team of Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience researchers have found that a restful night with good REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep could counteract the effects of unpleasant experiences and memories. They have found the reason behind such an adaptation. Their study titled, “Restless REM sleep impedes overnight amygdale adaptation,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.

14 Jul 2019

Study provides new insight into longitudinal decline in brain network integrity associated with aging

Functional regions within the brain become less distinct and inter-connected in the elderly over time, especially in those networks related to attention span and cognition.

14 Jul 2019

Using machine learning algorithm to accurately diagnose breast cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women. It is also difficult to diagnose. Nearly one in 10 cancers is misdiagnosed as not cancerous, meaning that a patient can lose critical treatment time.

14 Jul 2019

Neural pathways explain the relationship between imagination and willingness to help

In those split seconds when people witness others in distress, neural pathways in the brain support the drive to help through facets of imagination that allow people to see the episode as it unfolds and envision how to aid those in need, according to a team of Boston College researchers.

12 Jul 2019