Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announces first round of awards of Diagnostics Accelerator initiative

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announced today the first group of researchers who will receive funding through its Diagnostics Accelerator, a new research program that aims to fast-track the development of diagnostic tools and biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

31 May 2019

Study searches for the origins of depressive symptoms in Huntington's disease

About 40% of the affected patients with Huntington's disease -a neurodegenerative pathology- show depression symptoms, even in early stages before the apparition of the typical motor symptoms of the disease.

31 May 2019

Childhood adversity can impact brain development and behavior

Growing up in poverty and experiencing traumatic events like a bad accident or sexual assault can impact brain development and behavior in children and young adults.

31 May 2019

Gut bacteria linked to metabolic changes and autism in new study

Researchers have made an important discovery that may explain how gut bacteria could contribute to autism-like behaviors.

31 May 2019

Tumor-fighting combination targets aggressive form of brain cancer

Researchers have paired a specialized diet and a tumor-fighting drug and found the non-toxic combination helps to destroy the two major cells found in an aggressive form of brain cancer, the team reports in the online edition of the Nature group journal Communications Biology.

31 May 2019

Study sheds light on design of pharmacological strategies to treat depression in Huntington's disease

About 40 % of the affected patients with Huntington's disease -a neurodegenerative pathology- show depression symptoms, even in early stages before the apparition of the typical motor symptoms of the disease.

31 May 2019

New PET imaging platform can scan multiple animals while they are awake

Have you ever spent half an hour trying to take the best photo of your pets but they won't stay still in the perfect angle? This is also true for small animal imaging research using positron emission tomography.

31 May 2019

Study confirms gut-brain link in autism

People with autism often suffer from gut problems, but nobody has known why. Researchers have now discovered the same gene mutations – found both in the brain and the gut – could be the cause.

31 May 2019

IU researchers, collaborators receive grant to develop immunotherapy treatments for cancer

A team of researchers from Indiana University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have been awarded a $4.1 million National Cancer Institute "Cancer Moonshot" grant to develop immunotherapy treatments for cancer in children and adolescents, especially those with leukemia.

31 May 2019

Dyson-Hudson receives grant to study effectiveness of new treatment for shoulder pain

Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD, director of the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research at Kessler Foundation, was awarded a $549,000 grant by the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research.

31 May 2019

African rodents immune to pain caused by wasabi

A new report in Science provides the first evidence of a mammal - the highveld mole-rat - being immune to pain from exposure to allyl isothiocyanate, or AITC, the active ingredient of wasabi.

31 May 2019

Potential dangers of too much screen time for children

Too much screen time can cause health problems for an adult. Insomnia, social disconnection and lack of exercise are just a few. Mix it with the turmoil of teen years - or the plasticity of a preschooler's brain - and it can lead to conditions ranging from obesity to mental health disorders.

30 May 2019

New studies from UCI shine light on circadian clocks

Can your liver sense when you're staring at a television screen or cellphone late at night? Apparently so, and when such activity is detected, the organ can throw your circadian rhythms out of whack, leaving you more susceptible to health problems.

30 May 2019

More than half of surgical stapler malfunctions went to hidden FDA database

The Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged that more than 56,000 never-before-disclosed surgical stapler malfunctions were quietly reported to the agency from 2011 through 2018.

30 May 2019

Brain activity predicts future adolescent mood health

An imbalance of functioning in attention-related brain systems may help forecast the course of teen depression, according to a study published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier. Proper coordination of frontoinsular brain networks help us regulate our attention between external goals and self-focused or emotional thinking.

30 May 2019

Concussion symptoms can be reversed by magnetic stimulation

Concussion symptoms--such as loss of balance, hazy comprehension, sleep disturbance and ability to walk straight--can be reversed by a new type of magnetic stimulation, research at the University of Saskatchewan shows.

30 May 2019

Fainting during pregnancy may indicate issues for both the baby and mother's health

Women have long been told fainting is a common but harmless symptom of pregnancy, but new research shows it may indicate issues for both the baby and mother's health, especially when it occurs during the first trimester.

30 May 2019

Seeing disfigured faces evokes negative behavioral and brain reactions

People with attractive faces are often seen as more trustworthy, socially competent, better adjusted, and more capable in school and work.

30 May 2019

Study investigates if remote ischemic preconditioning could be beneficial to the brain

What if wearing a blood pressure cuff could help prevent stroke? In a new study, people who restricted their blood flow by wearing inflated blood pressure cuffs on an arm and leg showed signs of more controlled blood flow to their brain, a process that could be protective if blood flow is more severely restricted in the event of a stroke, according at a study published in the May 29, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 May 2019