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.

Balloon-guided catheter surgery provides better outcomes for stroke patients

Patients who have experienced a stroke as a result of blockages of the arteries in the brain have better outcomes with the use of balloon-guided catheter surgery as compared to having a conventional guided catheter procedure.

4 Feb 2019

Researchers identify treatable mechanism in patients with schizophrenia

For reasons that are unclear, schizophrenia patients have fewer connections between the neurons in the brain. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, have now succeeded in creating human cell models that show that there is an excessive degradation of connections in the brain of these patients, and they have been able to link this to a genetic risk variant for the disease.

4 Feb 2019

Higher risk of cardiac death in African Americans linked to income and educational disparities

African Americans - especially African American women - have a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac death during their lifetime than whites, and much of the disparity can be attributed to income and education levels, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

4 Feb 2019

Transparent hospital pricing exposes wild fluctuation, even within miles

The federal government's new rule requiring hospitals to post prices for their services is intended to allow patients to shop around and compare prices, a step toward price transparency that has generated praise and skepticism.

4 Feb 2019

RhoE protein plays key role in the development of nervous system

Researchers have revealed the key role of the RhoE protein in essential processes for the development of the central nervous system, such as myelination.

3 Feb 2019

Cancer among Israeli men on the decline says report

According to a report from the Israel Cancer Association yesterday (3rd February 2019), there has been a significant fall in the number of Israeli men getting cancers over that last decade.

3 Feb 2019

Genetic testing improves diagnoses of abnormalities in developing babies

Genetic testing improves the diagnoses of abnormalities in developing babies that are picked up during ultrasound scans, scientists report today (31 January) in The Lancet.

1 Feb 2019

New genetic technique could allow scientists to study how smell affects behavior

Take a whiff when it rains after a dry spell, and breathe in the earthy scent that pervades the air. That smell comes from decomposing bacteria, and scientists call the compound geosmin.

1 Feb 2019

Newron announces successful completion of patient enrollment in STARS study

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, today announced the successful completion of patient enrollment in its STARS clinical study.

1 Feb 2019

Research could potentially lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have identified new messenger molecules shuttled between cells which could help to protect the survival of neurones - potentially leading to new treatments for MND .

1 Feb 2019

Salk researchers pin down why some patients don't respond to common antidepressants

The most commonly prescribed antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, lift the fog of depression for many people. But for around a third of people with major depressive disorder, SSRIs don't make much of a difference.

1 Feb 2019

Serotonin may help the brain execute instantaneous behaviors in emergency situations

Known for its role in relieving depression, the neurochemical serotonin may also help the brain execute instantaneous, appropriate behaviors in emergency situations, according to a new Cornell study published Feb. 1 in Science.

1 Feb 2019

A new step in decoding cell-to-cell communication

Cells in our bodies have the ability to speak with one another much like humans do. This communication allows organs in our bodies to work synchronously, which in turn, enables us to perform the remarkable range of tasks we meet on a daily basis.

1 Feb 2019

Study may lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms behind neuropathic pain

In animal models of a totally crushed peripheral nerve, the damaged axons are broken down, allowing healthy ones to regrow.

1 Feb 2019

Researchers identify regulatory mechanism underlying obesity

Obesity − as research in the past decade has shown − is first and foremost a brain disease. Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München, partners in the German Center for Diabetes Research, have now discovered a molecular switch that controls the function of satiety neurons and therefore body weight. The findings were published in the journal 'Nature Metabolism'.

31 Jan 2019