Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

WPI professor explores how lipids in our bodies and cell membranes affect aging, long-term health

A professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is exploring aging on the molecular level, examining how the lipids found in our bodies, particularly those in our cell membranes, change as we age, and how those changes may affect bone and muscle strength, brain health, and our propensity for age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

7 Nov 2018

Researchers develop electroencephalography-based test to objectively measure pain

If you've ever visited the emergency department with appendicitis, or you're one of the 100 million U.S. adults who suffer from chronic pain, you're familiar with a row of numbered faces, with expressions from smiling to grimacing, used to indicate pain levels.

6 Nov 2018

New synthetic compound based on brain hormone holds promise for cancer treatment

A lab team led by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Andrew Schally at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the University of Miami showed that a synthetic compound based on a brain hormone spurred the growth of cancer cells in Petri dishes but enigmatically had the opposite effect in mice.

6 Nov 2018

PTSD associated with increased risk of major CV event or death after cardiac arrest

People who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after surviving cardiac arrest, may be at a significantly increased risk of a major cardiovascular event or death for up to one year following the arrest, compared with people who do not develop PTSD.

6 Nov 2018

Cancer risk linked to mobile phone radiation in rats but cannot be extrapolated to humans

A new study on laboratory rats has shown that mobile phone radiation exposure is linked to cancers of the brain, heart and the adrenal glands. The rats however were exposed to very high amounts of radiation which is much more than what humans are exposed when they use cell phones.

5 Nov 2018

Researchers find cognitive changes in offspring of rats exposed to high cannabis concentrations

A study conducted by researchers at Washington State University has found changes in cognitive ability among the offspring of rats exposed to high amounts of cannabis during pregnancy.

5 Nov 2018

Engaging in musical activities can improve social communication skills of autistic children

Engaging in musical activities such as singing and playing instruments in one-on-one therapy can improve autistic children's social communication skills, improve their family's quality of life, as well as increase brain connectivity in key networks, according to researchers at Université de Montréal and McGill University.

5 Nov 2018

US businessman offers $5 million to UTSA College to incubate Alzheimer's challenge

To expand the understanding and explanation of Alzheimer's disease, United States businessman James Truchard has given a $5 million USD gift to The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Sciences to establish the Oskar Fischer Project.

5 Nov 2018

FDA approves LORBRENA for treatment of patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC

Pfizer Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved LORBRENA, a third-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitor for patients with ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed on crizotinib and at least one other ALK inhibitor for metastatic disease; or whose disease has progressed on alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK inhibitor therapy for metastatic disease.

5 Nov 2018

Researchers develop new device that improves balance in veterans with Gulf War illness

Gulf War veterans with unexplained illnesses that cause fatigue, headaches, respiratory disorders and memory problems can improve their balance with a device developed by Rutgers University researchers.

5 Nov 2018

Genetics can be used to predict schizophrenic patient's response to antipsychotic drugs

Genetics can be used to predict a patient's response to antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia, according to a recent study by investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. The findings were published online today in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

5 Nov 2018

Scientists create tiny, biodegradable scaffold to transplant stem cells and deliver drugs

Rutgers scientists have created a tiny, biodegradable scaffold to transplant stem cells and deliver drugs, which may help treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, aging brain degeneration, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries.

5 Nov 2018

Utilization of ED for mTBI evaluations may increase with approval of TBI legislation

Millions of children and teens are affected by sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries annually. To help reduce the effects of TBIs in youth sports, all 50 states and the District of Columbia enacted state youth TBI laws between 2009 and 2014.

5 Nov 2018

Researchers observe cognitive changes in offspring of rats exposed to high cannabis doses

Washington State University researchers have seen cognitive changes in the offspring of rats exposed to heavy amounts of cannabis. Their work is one of the rare studies to look at the effects of cannabis during pregnancy.

5 Nov 2018

Researchers identify genetic variation that may influence severity of CTE disease

Researchers have identified a genetic variation that may influence chronic traumatic encephalopathy disease severity.

5 Nov 2018

Fluorescent marker helps surgeons to distinguish aggressive cancer cells from other cells

A chemical that highlights tumor cells has been used by surgeons to help spot and safely remove brain cancer in a trial presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference.

5 Nov 2018

Special chemical that makes brain tumours glow pink to help neurosurgeons operate

A clinical trial has shown that a special chemical makes brain tumours glow pink. This can help neurosurgeons operate easily on them and remove them completely and safely say the researchers. The results of this study were presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference in Glasgow.

4 Nov 2018

O'Donnell Brain Institute helps U.S. effort to study neural circuits behind learning, memory

UT Southwestern's O'Donnell Brain Institute will help in a national effort to understand the neural circuits behind learning, memory, and behavior.

3 Nov 2018

Scientists figure out way to measure fetal cardiac electrical activity

Electrodes are placed on the patient's chest area to record cardiac electrical activity - e.g. to determine whether the heart rhythm is so irregular that treatment is required; a type of medical examination for which ECG serves well as a diagnostic tool.

2 Nov 2018

NIH increases funding through the BRAIN Initiative

The National Institutes of Health announces funding of more than 200 new awards, totaling over $220 million, through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, an exciting trans-agency effort to arm researchers with revolutionary tools to fundamentally understand the neural circuits that underlie the healthy and diseased brain.

2 Nov 2018

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

WPI professor explores how lipids in our bodies and cell membranes affect aging, long-term health

Researchers develop electroencephalography-based test to objectively measure pain

New synthetic compound based on brain hormone holds promise for cancer treatment

PTSD associated with increased risk of major CV event or death after cardiac arrest

Cancer risk linked to mobile phone radiation in rats but cannot be extrapolated to humans

Researchers find cognitive changes in offspring of rats exposed to high cannabis concentrations

Engaging in musical activities can improve social communication skills of autistic children

US businessman offers $5 million to UTSA College to incubate Alzheimer's challenge

FDA approves LORBRENA for treatment of patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC

Researchers develop new device that improves balance in veterans with Gulf War illness

Genetics can be used to predict schizophrenic patient's response to antipsychotic drugs

Scientists create tiny, biodegradable scaffold to transplant stem cells and deliver drugs

Utilization of ED for mTBI evaluations may increase with approval of TBI legislation

Researchers observe cognitive changes in offspring of rats exposed to high cannabis doses

Researchers identify genetic variation that may influence severity of CTE disease

Fluorescent marker helps surgeons to distinguish aggressive cancer cells from other cells

Special chemical that makes brain tumours glow pink to help neurosurgeons operate

O'Donnell Brain Institute helps U.S. effort to study neural circuits behind learning, memory

Scientists figure out way to measure fetal cardiac electrical activity

NIH increases funding through the BRAIN Initiative

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News