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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.

Mutations within junk DNA linked to autism spectrum disorder

Using artificial intelligence, scientists have discovered mutations in parts of non-coding DNA known as “Junk DNA” that can lead to autism.

28 May 2019

A final comfort: ‘Palliative transport’ brings dying children home

Anne Brescia sat beside her only child, Anthony, as he lay unconscious in a hospital bed at age 16. Just a few months before, he was competing in a swim meet; now cancer was destroying his brain. Brescia couldn’t save her son. But she was determined to bring him home.

28 May 2019

Microorganisms on explanted pedicle screws could be potential cause for spinal implant failure

Pedicle screws are often used to secure surgically implanted hardware to the spine in patients with spinal disease or spinal trauma. In some cases, these screws loosen over time, leading to spinal instability and consequent pain.

28 May 2019

Mutations in 'junk' DNA can cause autism, study shows

Leveraging artificial intelligence techniques, researchers have demonstrated that mutations in so-called 'junk' DNA can cause autism.

27 May 2019

Brain stimulation improves visual perceptual learning

Practice results in better learning. Consider learning a musical instrument, for example: the more one practices, the better one will be able to learn to play.

27 May 2019

Music helps to develop the neural networks of premature infants

In Switzerland, as in most industrialized countries, nearly 1% of children are born "very prematurely", i.e. before the 32nd week of pregnancy, which represents about 800 children yearly.

27 May 2019

Artificial intelligence technique identifies new class of mutations behind autism

Many mutations in DNA that contribute to disease are not in actual genes but instead lie in the 99% of the genome once considered "junk." Even though scientists have recently come to understand that these vast stretches of DNA do in fact play critical roles, deciphering these effects on a wide scale has been impossible until now.

27 May 2019

Coat of proteins makes viruses more infectious and facilitates plaque formation in Alzheimer's

New research from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet shows that viruses interact with proteins in the biological fluids of their host which results in a layer of proteins on the viral surface.

27 May 2019

Being overweight around age 18 linked with higher risk of cardiomyopathy in adulthood

A large study of Swedish men found that those who were even mildly overweight around age 18 were more likely develop cardiomyopathy in adulthood -- an uncommon heart muscle condition that can cause heart failure, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

27 May 2019

Newly discovered mechanism sheds light on how Parkinson’s disease can spread in the brain

Tiny channels between nerve cells are involved in a newly discovered mechanism of how Parkinson's disease can spread throughout the brain, according to new research from Linköping University, Sweden.

27 May 2019

Study offers neural explanation for social deficits in teenage girls

Teenage girls with problematic social behavior display reduced brain activity and weaker connectivity between the brain regions implicated in emotion regulation.

27 May 2019

Breakthrough method could be useful for proton therapy and other applications

Researchers from Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg present a new method which can double the energy of a proton beam produced by laser-based particle accelerators.

27 May 2019

Long-term effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain

About one in five Canadian adolescents uses cannabis (19% of Canadians aged 15-19), and its recent legalization across the country warrants investigation into the consequence of this use on the developing brain. Adolescence

27 May 2019

UAB study reveals detrimental role of neutrophils in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the insulating sheaths of nerve cells of the central nervous system. People with the disease can lose vision, suffer weak limbs, show degenerative symptoms and exhibit impaired cognition.

26 May 2019

New neurons continue to form in old age, even in people with Alzheimer's disease

In a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers examining post-mortem brain tissue from people ages 79 to 99 found that new neurons continue to form well into old age.

25 May 2019

Study demonstrates the concept of systemic gene therapy treatment for gamma-sarcoglycanopathy

Gamma-sarcoglycanopathy is one of the most common limb-girdle myopathies.

25 May 2019

Infants at high risk for autism are less attuned to differences in speech patterns

A new study by Columbia University researchers found that infants at high risk for autism were less attuned to differences in speech patterns than low-risk infants.

25 May 2019

Cancer stem cells adapt to environmental conditions and undergo reversible transformations

Until now, researchers have assumed that the growth of solid tumors originates from cancer stem cells characterized by specific surface markers, which develop in a fixed, hierarchical order.

25 May 2019

Newly approved gene therapy for SMA is based on delivery vehicle discovered by Penn expert

James Wilson, MD, PhD, recalls being struck by the devastating toll of rare diseases as a young physician in the 1980s. He set out on a path to correct the genes that cause these conditions, including spinal muscle atrophy (SMA), the most common inherited fatal disease in infants.

25 May 2019

New statement emphasizes need for special multidisciplinary clinical programs

With a better understanding of how various heart conditions are inherited, and the availability of faster and less expensive genetic testing, there is need for more specialized multidisciplinary clinical programs that combine focused expertise in heart disease and genetics, according to a new statement from the American Heart Association, the world's leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health.

25 May 2019

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Mutations within junk DNA linked to autism spectrum disorder

A final comfort: ‘Palliative transport’ brings dying children home

Microorganisms on explanted pedicle screws could be potential cause for spinal implant failure

Mutations in 'junk' DNA can cause autism, study shows

Brain stimulation improves visual perceptual learning

Music helps to develop the neural networks of premature infants

Artificial intelligence technique identifies new class of mutations behind autism

Coat of proteins makes viruses more infectious and facilitates plaque formation in Alzheimer's

Being overweight around age 18 linked with higher risk of cardiomyopathy in adulthood

Newly discovered mechanism sheds light on how Parkinson’s disease can spread in the brain

Study offers neural explanation for social deficits in teenage girls

Breakthrough method could be useful for proton therapy and other applications

Long-term effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain

UAB study reveals detrimental role of neutrophils in multiple sclerosis

New neurons continue to form in old age, even in people with Alzheimer's disease

Study demonstrates the concept of systemic gene therapy treatment for gamma-sarcoglycanopathy

Infants at high risk for autism are less attuned to differences in speech patterns

Cancer stem cells adapt to environmental conditions and undergo reversible transformations

Newly approved gene therapy for SMA is based on delivery vehicle discovered by Penn expert

New statement emphasizes need for special multidisciplinary clinical programs

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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