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.

Psychologists find link between working memory and sleep, age, depressed mood

A team of psychologists has found strong associations between working memory -- a fundamental building block of a functioning mind -- and three health-related factors: sleep, age, and depressed mood.

12 May 2019

Nanotubes enable movement of toxic protein linked to Huntington's disease

A toxic protein linked to Huntington's disease can move from neuron to neuron through a nanotube tunnel whose construction is initiated by a protein called Rhes, say scientists at Scripps Research.

11 May 2019

Is it a feminist right to want more sex? One company thinks a pill is the answer

Studies have never defined a "normal" level of sexual desire. Despite that, there's a website and an online quiz to help you decide if you've got a problem. Called "Right to Desire," it brands libido as a feminist "right," and its home page offers the defiant, in-your-face prompt: "Yes, I want my desire back."

11 May 2019

Scientists discover mechanism responsible for chronic inflammation in MS

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. The defense system that usually protects patients from external aggression turns on its own cells and attacks them for reasons that are not yet known.

11 May 2019

Study uncovers Achilles' heel of lethal brain tumor

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and also the most lethal type of brain tumor in adults, with no curative treatment currently available.

10 May 2019

Statins' potential to treat MS unrelated to the drug's cholesterol lowering effects

The widely prescribed statin, simvastatin, can medically help patients with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis - for reasons that might be unrelated to the drug's intended cholesterol lowering affects, a UCL study has found.

10 May 2019

Appendix removal linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease

People who have had their appendix removed may be at an increased risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, according to new research.

10 May 2019

'Eye-in-a-dish' model reveals genetic variants that may contribute to AMD

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of vision loss in people over age 65.

10 May 2019

SLU researchers reveal how to turn off neuropathic pain in a laboratory setting

Facing an urgent need for safer and more effective therapies for those suffering from debilitating pain in the midst of an opioid crisis, Saint Louis University researchers are on a mission to find a non-narcotic off-switch for pain.

10 May 2019

Examining the Long-term Effects of Concussion in Sport

An interview with The Drake Foundation, discussing the short and long-term effects of concussions obtained during contact sports such as football and rugby.

10 May 2019

Novel imaging technique uses protein found in scorpion venom to light up brain tumors

A novel imaging technique that uses a synthesized form of scorpion venom to light up brain tumors has shown promise in a clinical trial. The imaging system enables neurosurgeons to better see malignant growths that often are difficult to fully eliminate.

10 May 2019

Study: People with combat-related mTBI have high levels of abnormally fast brain waves

A new study funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Navy finds that veterans and service members with a history of combat-related mild traumatic brain injury--compared with those in a control group--have much higher levels of abnormally fast brain waves in a region that plays a key role in consciousness.

10 May 2019

New stroke treatment moves toward clinical trials

A stroke treatment developed by researcher Byron Ford at the University of California, Riverside, has moved toward clinical trials.

10 May 2019

Study: Under-connectivity is the underlying cause of brain disorders

Under-connectivity, or too few connections in the brain, is the underlying cause of brain disorders like autism and schizophrenia, according to a recent study from investigators at the George Washington University Institute for Neuroscience.

10 May 2019

Graphene flakes may influence the action of brain cells

Like in a science fiction novel, miniscule spacecrafts able to reach a specific site of the brain and influence the operation of specific types of neurons or drug delivery: graphene flakes, the subject matter of the new study of the group of SISSA professor Laura Ballerini, open up truly futuristic horizons.

10 May 2019

State bans pesticide linked to developmental problems

California will ban the use of a widely used pesticide in the face of "mounting evidence" that it causes developmental problems in children, state officials announced Wednesday.

10 May 2019

14 years of investigations reveal how Nipah virus spreads from person to person

The deadly Nipah virus, which is carried by bats and occasionally infects people, is more likely to be transmitted from person to person when the infected patient is older, male and/or has breathing difficulties, according to a study co-led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 9 May 2019