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.

Novel cell rejuvenation approach may open new avenues for regenerative medicine

Scientists from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg and from the German Cancer Research Center have been able to rejuvenate stem cells in the brain of aging mice.

1 Mar 2019

Mother's dengue immunity influences the severity of Zika infection in infants

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School and their colleagues have identified a surprising interaction between dengue and Zika viruses that sheds lights on the significant fetal brain abnormalities linked to Zika virus.

1 Mar 2019

Neural activity can be tracked in real time with breakthrough open-source software

Neuroscientists will no longer have to track neural activity by hand thanks to invaluable open-source software CaImAn, which automates the process with near-human accuracy.

1 Mar 2019

Many genes contribute to risk for Tourette's syndrome, genetic study shows

A meta-analysis of multiple studies into the genetic background of Tourette's syndrome (TS) - a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by chronic involuntary motor and vocal tics - finds that variants in hundreds of genes, working in combination, contribute to the development of the syndrome and suggests that Tourette's is part of a continuous spectrum of tic disorders, ranging from mild, sometimes transient tics to severe cases that can include psychiatric symptoms.

1 Mar 2019

Brain regions process concrete and abstract concepts differently

A new review explores the different areas of the brain that process the meaning of concrete and abstract concepts. The article is published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

1 Mar 2019

Scientists find clue to rapid human conversations in singing mice

Studying the songs of mice from the cloud forests of Costa Rica, researchers from New York University School of Medicine and The University of Texas at Austin have identified a brain circuit that might enable the high-speed back and forth of human conversation.

1 Mar 2019

Study finds link between recreational marijuana legalization and increase in junk food purchase

It's an infamous pop culture portrayal. After smoking marijuana, the main characters in the movie go on an epic junk-food binge, consuming mass quantities of chips, cookies, and whatever other high-calorie, salt-or-sugar-laden snacks they can get.

28 Feb 2019

U.S.-funded initiative associated with reductions in maternal and newborn mortality in Indonesia

A U.S.-funded initiative to improve quality of care and referrals during pregnancy and childbirth in Indonesia resulted in significant reductions in maternal and newborn mortality at participating hospitals, according to a new study led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

28 Feb 2019

Protein content of tumors correlates with treatment response and survival in glioma patients

Brain tumors vary widely in how they respond to treatment. However, early assessment of therapy response is essential in order to choose the best possible treatment for the patient.

28 Feb 2019

Breakthrough software tool tracks activity of neurons in real time

Tracking the firings of individual neurons is like trying to discern who is saying what in a football stadium full of screaming fans. Until recently, neuroscientists have had to tediously track each neuron by hand.

28 Feb 2019

Scientists shed light on the history of Zika virus in Thailand

The circulation of the dengue virus for the past sixty years in South-East Asia is relatively well known. For Zika, the situation is much less clear.

28 Feb 2019

Research reveals how metabolites can be used to inhibit epigenetic mechanisms and treat MS

Understanding and mitigating the role of epigenetics (environmental influences that trigger changes in gene expression) in disease development is a major goal of researchers.

28 Feb 2019

Stress controllability mitigates the negative effects

In individuals, stress exposure in adolescence increases vulnerability and risk of developing psychopathologies in adulthood, such as drug addiction, mood, anxiety, addiction to gambling, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.

28 Feb 2019

Prenatal vitamins may reduce the risk of autism in high-risk families

Researchers have found that mothers of children with autism may be able to reduce the risk of autism in further offspring by taking prenatal vitamins.

28 Feb 2019

Personalized therapy for aggressive brain cancer shows potential

Advances in genetics and genomics have taught us that every single tumor is different, and yet most standard therapies treat them all in the same way, limiting the effectiveness of treatments offered to many cancer patients.

28 Feb 2019

Joint use of tobacco and alcohol may increase neural damage in brain regions

Along with many other harmful health consequences, smoking tobacco causes chemical changes, oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. Excessive alcohol use can have similar effects.

28 Feb 2019

New study reveals why environmental cues make quitting drug addiction even harder

It's known environmental cues can be strong triggers for those trying to kick a drug habit because those cues activate the brain's emotional and stimulus-response systems.

28 Feb 2019

Cavitation dose painting technique: A new method for precise drug delivery

If traditional drug delivery were a type of painting, it might be akin to paintball. With good aim, a majority of the paint ends on the bullseye, but it also drips and splashes, carrying streams of paint across the target.

28 Feb 2019

New research finds alterations in brain connectivity in OCD patients

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by alterations in brain connectivity, i.e., patients present a dysfunction related to the synchronization of activity between different groups of neurons, as evidenced by recent research.

28 Feb 2019

New strategy may alleviate motor disorders in Parkinson's patients

Scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the University Medical Center Goettingen have been able to alleviate motor disorders in mice that resemble those seen in Parkinson's patients.

28 Feb 2019