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 project addresses trauma and aggression in young migrants

How do experiences with stress and violence determine, define and organize the memories of young people? Can certain psycho-physiological mechanisms related to violence and trauma alter the functional organization of the mind in a way that is problematic for the individual and society as a whole?

3 May 2019

Novel chemical probe enables live imaging of brain immune cells

Researchers in South Korea and Singapore have, for the first time, developed a chemical probe that enables live-imaging of a type of immune cells in the brain, known as microglia, in a live animal brain.

3 May 2019

Elderly survivors of breast, lung, and skin cancers face risk of brain metastasis later in life

Elderly survivors of breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma face risk of brain metastasis later in life, and may require extra surveillance in the years following initial cancer treatment.

3 May 2019

Scientists unravel mechanism of action of antitumor drug used to treat glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is an incurable type of brain tumor that is frequently associated with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor.

3 May 2019

Finnish researchers discover gene mutation that reduces fear, anxiety and increases social interaction

Finnish researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oulu have discovered of a new type of gene mutation that reduces fear and anxiety, and increases social interaction.

3 May 2019

Prolonged exposure to low-dose radiation linked with increased risk of hypertension

Prolonged exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation increased the risk of hypertension, according to a study of workers at a nuclear plant in Russia published in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

3 May 2019

Study maps out the frequency and impact of water polo head injuries

Water polo athletes take note: A new study by University of California, Irvine researchers maps out the frequency of head injuries in the sport and reveals which positions are the most vulnerable.

3 May 2019

Targeting antidiuretic hormone vasopressin shows promise for autism

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with no known drug treatment up until now. Researchers have finally found tweaking certain hormones could help patients with autism. There were two independent clinical trials including children and adults with autism that altered the effects of the hormone vasopressin and to assess the effects on social functioning.

2 May 2019

Viral infection in utero associated with behavioral abnormalities in offspring

Male and female rats whose mother experienced a simulated viral infection during pregnancy behave abnormally, consistent with behavioural alterations in autism or schizophrenia, research by the University of Saskatchewan shows.

2 May 2019

With head injuries mounting, will cities put their feet down on e-scooters?

Almost half of the injured Austin scooter riders identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its first-ever study of dockless electric scooters suffered a head injury, with 15% experiencing a traumatic brain injury.

2 May 2019

Researchers uncover new brain mechanisms regulating body weight

Researchers at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, clarify the link between the molecule interleukine-6 (IL-6) in the brain and obesity. In experiments on rats and mice they show that the molecule does affect the risk of obesity, and also where this effect occurs in the brain.

2 May 2019

Alzheimer's disease may be caused by infectious proteins called prions

Scientists have used advanced laboratory assays to show that high levels of prions are implicated in early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

2 May 2019

Study examines how our brain generates consciousness and loses it during anesthesia

Medically-induced loss of consciousness during anesthesia is associated with a break-down of brain connectivity at the anatomical macro scale - across cortical areas - yet what role brain micro circuitry plays in LOC remains unclear.

2 May 2019

Canadian researchers identify early origins of childhood brain cancer

Brain tumors are the leading cause of non-accidental death in children in Canada, but little is known about when these tumors form or how they develop.

1 May 2019

Researchers use 3D printer to make paper organs

Long before scientists test new medicines in animals or people, they study the effects of the substances on cells growing in Petri dishes.

1 May 2019

Research reveals important brain mechanisms for action of psychotherapy in panic disorder

A new investigation published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics disclosed important brain mechanisms for the action of psychotherapy in panic disorder.

1 May 2019

New type of dementia is '100 times more common' than ALS

Physicians have defined a new form of dementia that may be more common than Alzheimer’s disease. The condition, named LATE, affects a different part of the brain.

1 May 2019

Protein supplements containing BCAA may have ‘detrimental effects’ on health and lifespan

New research suggests that BCAAs in the form of pre-mixed protein powders, shakes and supplements may do more harm to health than good.

1 May 2019

Prenatal stress may be involved in shaping psychiatric resilience later in life

Maternal stress during or after pregnancy has been repeatedly associated with subsequent psychiatric problems and non-coding 'epigenetic' DNA changes during childhood.

30 Apr 2019

Researchers define brain disorder that mimics symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

A brain disorder that mimics symptoms of Alzheimer's disease has been defined with recommended diagnostic criteria and guidelines for advancing future research on the condition.

30 Apr 2019