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 discovery may explain some forms of stroke

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered a novel behavior of the blood vessels of the brain in zebrafish that may explain some forms of stroke in humans.

23 Jun 2019

New mutation discovered in the leptin gene

The global obesity epidemic is so far-reaching it now has an overarching name: globesity. Texas Biomed Staff Scientist Raul Bastarrachea, M.D., is part of a team that discovered a new mutation in the gene that regulates the key hormone suppressing hunger called leptin.

22 Jun 2019

New findings offer pathway for fight against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

A research group from the Medical University of Vienna was able to decode the mechanism as to how the hormone Leptin stimulates the liver to export lipids and reduce the fat production in the liver.

21 Jun 2019

Study offers new clues to autism's underlying biology

Over the past decade, autism spectrum disorder has been linked to mutations in a variety of genes, explaining up to 30 percent of all cases to date.

21 Jun 2019

New swine model helps scientists to better understand human brain

For the first time, researchers in the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center have used an imaging method normally reserved for humans to analyze brain activity in live agricultural swine models, and they have discovered that pig brains are even better platforms than previously thought for the study of human neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

21 Jun 2019

Bad gene associated with sudden death in epilepsy and breathing problems

In sudden death in epilepsy, people stop breathing for no apparent reason and die. Now, a group of UConn neuroscientists have a lead as to why, they report in the journal eLife.

21 Jun 2019

New technology replaces the standard way to repair a hole in the heart

Rush University Medical Center is the first hospital in Chicago to use a new technology that enables specially trained physicians to use a single stitch to close an opening between the upper chambers of the heart - a condition that is found in about one in four people, most of whom are unaware of it.

21 Jun 2019

New approach to capture visual information based on the human brain

Self-driving cars rely on their ability to accurately "see" the road ahead and make adjustments based on what they see.

21 Jun 2019

Sortilin protein plays crucial role in pain development

Sortilin, which is a protein expressed on the surface of nerve cells, plays a crucial role in pain development in laboratory mice - and in all likelihood in humans as well.

21 Jun 2019

People with family history of Alzheimer's do not perform as well as their peers

Results from a study of nearly 60,000 individuals suggest those at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to family history may demonstrate changes in memory performance as early as their 20s.

21 Jun 2019

New study shows clear link between cannabis use and brain alterations

A once understudied topic now shows a clear link between cannabis use and brain alterations, whereby chronic use may lead to poor conflict resolution skills

21 Jun 2019

High levels of acid in processed foods could affect fetus' developing brain

With the number of children diagnosed with autism on the rise, the need to find what causes the disorder becomes more urgent every day. UCF researchers are now a step closer to showing the link between the food pregnant women consume and the effects on a fetus' developing brain.

20 Jun 2019

Curing cancer: easy politics, difficult science

President Donald Trump made a new promise if voters grant him a second term: "We will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases, including cancer."

20 Jun 2019

Researchers find link between chronic pain and alterations in the gut microbiome

Scientists have found a correlation between a disease involving chronic pain and alterations in the gut microbiome.

20 Jun 2019

McMaster researchers map toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's

A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease.

20 Jun 2019

Summertime safety guidelines for children

Summer weather makes it much easier to motivate your kids to get off the couch and away from their screens. But while summer is a great time for families to spend time enjoying the outdoors, it is also the time of year when kids age 14 and younger are most frequently injured.

20 Jun 2019

Scientists identify early signs of Parkinson’s disease years before symptoms develop

Scientists have identified the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain up to 20 years before patients present with any symptoms.

20 Jun 2019

Scientists find link between chronic pain and gut microbiome

Scientists have found a correlation between a disease involving chronic pain and alterations in the gut microbiome.

20 Jun 2019

Study emphasizes need for more aggressive treatments for glioblastoma patients

Despite improvements in median and short-term survival rates for patients with glioblastoma, the most common brain tumor in adults, the percentage of patients achieving five-year survival remains low, according to new Mayo Clinic research.

20 Jun 2019

Suppressing amygdala molecule enables faster recovery from PTSD symptoms

Fight or flight, panic, trembling: Our brains are wired to ensure we respond instantly to fear. While that fear response may save our lives in the dangerous moment, at times people stay on high alert long after the threat has passed, and develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

20 Jun 2019