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.

Scientists grow most sophisticated brain organoid to date

Researchers at Cambridge Biomedical Campus have grown the most sophisticated brain organoid to date, providing new opportunities for scientists to understand human brain development and neurological disorders.

20 Mar 2019

Study identifies gene variant associated with accelerated cellular aging

It is well known that psychiatric stress is associated with accelerated aging. Now, a new study shows that a gene mutation interacts with multiple types of psychiatric stress including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain and sleep disturbances in association with cellular aging.

20 Mar 2019

Breast cancer relapse predictor tool may soon be a reality

Researchers have developed a tool by which they can predict accurately the time when breast cancer is likely to return.

20 Mar 2019

Virginia Tech Helmet Lab releases first youth-specific football helmet ratings

The majority of people playing football in the U.S. aren't NFL players or collegiate athletes --they're youth players, less than 14 years old. But until now, there hasn't been independent data evaluating the effectiveness of the helmets these athletes wear on the field.

20 Mar 2019

Study examines impact of high altitude exposure on memory

Oxygen is essential for maintaining normal human brain function, and living at high altitudes can lead to deficits in cognition such as attention and memory.

20 Mar 2019

Age-related changes to gut microbiome have adverse impact on vascular health, study shows

Why do blood vessels naturally stiffen and degrade as we age, boosting cardiovascular disease risk? New University of Colorado Boulder research has identified a surprising new culprit--and it lives in your gut.

20 Mar 2019

Roundworm study suggests alternatives for treatment of schizophrenia

A group of Brazilian scientists have long conducted experiments with roundworms to investigate the role of schizophrenia-linked genes in patients' response to antipsychotic drugs. The results obtained thus far point to new ways of understanding resistance to certain classes of medication.

20 Mar 2019

Enzyme inhibitor stops inflammation and neurodevelopmental disorders in mouse models

Work published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that an enzyme inhibitor developed by Professor Bruce Hammock and colleagues at UC Davis reduced inflammation in the brains of mice born to mothers with maternal immune activation.

20 Mar 2019

Salk scientists show how background noise from neurons can interrupt focused attention

It's easy to miss something you're not looking for. In a famous example, people were asked to closely observe two groups of people--one group clad in black, the other in white--pass a ball among themselves.

20 Mar 2019

New $9.7 million NIH grant project seeks to improve hearing restoration

The University of Minnesota announced today that it will lead a $9.7 million grant over the next five years from the National Institutes for Health BRAIN Initiative to develop a new implantable device and surgical procedure with the goal of restoring more natural hearing to people who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.

20 Mar 2019

Diattenuation Imaging offers structural information of difficult to access brain regions

A new imaging method provides structural information about brain tissue that was previously difficult to access. Diattenuation Imaging, developed by scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Groningen, allows to differentiate, e.g., regions with many thin nerve fibers from regions with few thick nerve fibers.

20 Mar 2019

Researchers receive $9.7-million grant to develop new hearing-loss treatments for deaf

A team of worldwide researchers including engineers from the University of Utah have received a $9.7-million grant to design and develop a new implantable device and surgical procedure for the deaf that hopefully will cut through the noise and produce much more detailed sound than traditional hearing-loss treatments.

20 Mar 2019

Researchers measure brain metabolite levels in people with mild memory problems

Using strong and targeted but noninvasive magnets at specific sites in the brains of people with and without mild learning and memory problems, Johns Hopkins researchers report they were able to detect differences in the concentrations of brain chemicals that transmit messages between neurons.

20 Mar 2019

Miniature brains that can move muscles, grown in the lab

Researchers have successfully created miniature organoid brains in the labs that when attached to a spinal cord and muscles could help move the muscles.

19 Mar 2019

Innovative model identifies primate species with potential to transmit Zika in the Americas

In the Americas, primate species likely to harbor Zika - and potentially transmit the virus - are common, abundant, and often live near people. So reports a new study published today in Epidemics. Findings are based on an innovative model developed by a collaborative team of researchers from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and IBM Research through its Science for Social Good initiative.

19 Mar 2019

Researchers identify origin of chronic pain in humans

A new study by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health Science Center at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine has produced evidence of the source of chronic pain in humans, revealing several new targets for pain treatment.

19 Mar 2019

Deep brain stimulation offers significant relief for patients with treatment-resistant depression

Patients suffering from severe, treatment-resistant depression can benefit not only acutely but also the long-term from deep brain stimulation, as researchers from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and their colleagues from the University Hospital Bonn demonstrate in a current study.

19 Mar 2019