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.

Sweden shows greatest improvement in saving extremely preterm babies

The survival rate among extremely preterm babies has greatly improved in Sweden, a country that offers top-class neonatal care, a study led from Karolinska Institutet published in the esteemed journal JAMA reports.

27 Mar 2019

Brain can produce new cells even at the age of 90

For the first time, researchers have proven that the brain is capable of producing new nerve cells even at the age of 90 and above.

26 Mar 2019

New short-pulse ultrasound technique enhances drug delivery to brains of mice

Scientists currently use long-wave pulses of ultrasound to deliver drugs, which can cause side effects. These new findings from Imperial on shorter-wave pulses could have implications for how drugs are used to help patients of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

26 Mar 2019

Lithuanian researchers develop smart wrist-worn device for monitoring atrial fibrillation

Although smart wristbands are popular fashion gadgets for monitoring heart rate and physical activity, they are usually not sophisticated enough to provide specific and accurate information about potential health problems of the wearer.

26 Mar 2019

Prostate cancer cells 'spit out' a protein that promotes tumor growth

Prostate cancer cells change the behavior of other cells around them, including normal cells, by 'spitting out' a protein from their nucleus, new research has found.

26 Mar 2019

Damage to anxiety-associated brain region heightens monkeys’ defensive response

Damage to parts of the orbitofrontal cortex heightens monkeys’ defensive response to non-threatening stimuli, according to new research published in JNeurosci. The study proposes a critical role for subregions of this brain area in different anxiety disorders.

From Society for Neuroscience 26 Mar 2019

Researchers identify the missing link in post-exercise boost to brain function

A discovery about how exercise improves brain function could be harnessed for research into ageing, and boosting learning and memory.

26 Mar 2019

VCU researchers home in on microRNA processing for new cancer therapies

More than a decade of research on the mda-7/IL-24 gene has shown that it helps to suppress a majority of cancer types, and now scientists are focusing on how the gene drives this process by influencing microRNAs.

26 Mar 2019

People with untreated diabetes develop signs of Alzheimer's disease at a faster rate

Patients on medication for type 2 diabetes may be keeping Alzheimer's disease away.

26 Mar 2019

Research Recognition Award will help improve lives of young people with absence epilepsy

The 2019 Epilepsy League Research Recognition Award and prize money of CHF 25,000 is set to benefit young people: Dr. phil. Martina Hubacher is researching “The absent mind – Neurocognition and sleep in young people with absence seizures” at the University Children's Hospital Basel.

25 Mar 2019

Scientists identify common genetic variants associated with post-stroke recovery

Our genes may have a bearing not only on our stroke risk, but probably also on how well we recover after stroke. For the first time, in international collaboration, scientists at the University of Gothenburg and elsewhere have identified common genetic variants that are associated with outcome after ischemic stroke.

25 Mar 2019

Study evaluates prescribing of preventive drugs at the end of life in older adults with cancer

A new study reveals that preventive medications--such as those to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, or to protect bone health, among others--are commonly prescribed during the last year of life of older adults with cancer, even though they are unlikely to provide meaningful benefits.

25 Mar 2019

Research suggests oxytocin as potential new obesity treatment

The hormone oxytocin reduces the communication between different brain areas involved in the cognitive, sensory and emotional processing of food cues that people with obesity demonstrate when they look at high-calorie foods, according to research being presented Monday at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La.

25 Mar 2019

BPA exposure during pregnancy can lead to changes in circadian rhythms

Exposure to the widely used chemical bisphenol A during pregnancy, even at levels lower than the regulated "safe" human exposure level, can lead to changes in circadian rhythms, according to a mice study to be presented Monday at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La. The researchers report these changes may be a contributing factor in hyperactivity seen in BPA-exposed mice.

25 Mar 2019

New research illuminates positive effects of exercise on the brain

Anyone who trains for a marathon knows that individual running workouts add up over time to yield a big improvement in physical fitness.

25 Mar 2019

Nervous system relies on guidance cues for neuronal axons to reach destinations

Similar to the dozens of Sherpas that guide hikers up treacherous Himalayan mountains to reach a summit, the nervous system relies on elaborate timing and location of guidance cues for neuronal axons--threadlike projections--to successfully reach their destinations in the body.

25 Mar 2019

Study: People may experience multiple subtle changes before being diagnosed with brain tumor

A recent study from King's College London and Cambridge University highlighted that people may experience multiple subtle changes before being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

25 Mar 2019

Cerveau announces research collaboration agreement with Eisai for novel tau imaging agent

Cerveau Technologies, Inc. today announced a research collaboration agreement with Eisai Inc., which will enable Eisai to use Cerveau's [F-18]MK-6240, an investigational imaging agent, in Positron Emission Tomography scans to assess the status and progression of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.

25 Mar 2019

Antidepressant drugs may not work when neurons are out of shape

elective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly prescribed medication for major depressive disorder, yet scientists still do not understand why the treatment does not work in nearly thirty percent of patients with MDD.

22 Mar 2019

MSU professor receives NSF CAREER grant for biosensor diagnostics

One day, a technician in a small, rural hospital may be able to reliably diagnose breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease or traumatic brain injury using a tab of paper that would change color like a pH strip dipped in vinegar.

22 Mar 2019