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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.

UK set to fortify flour with folic acid to prevent spine defects among newborns

Public Health Minister Steve Brine added that the move would be discussed with the ministers and is likely to raise folic acid consumption among pregnant mothers.

24 Oct 2018

Nerve-on-a-chip platform could help improve neuroprosthetic designs

Neuroprosthetics - implants containing multi-contact electrodes that can substitute certain nerve functionalities - have the potential to work wonders.

23 Oct 2018

Hippocampal avoidance during whole-brain radiotherapy reduces risk of cognitive decline

Whole-brain radiotherapy can be delivered more safely to patients with brain metastases by avoiding the hippocampus according to a randomized phase III NRG Oncology trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting.

23 Oct 2018

ConnectToBrain project seeks to improve techniques for brain stimulation in current clinical use

The costs associated with neurological diseases amount to 1000 billion euros per year in Europe alone.

23 Oct 2018

How a single mutation can devastate cellular function

A scientist has shown how a single mutation in a protein found in astrocytes reproduces fibrous globs that devastate cellular function.

23 Oct 2018

Polyganics begins first-in-human clinical trial of LIQOSEAL for reducing CSF leakage

Polyganics today announced that it has initiated enrollment of patients into a first-in-human clinical trial of LIQOSEAL, its dura sealant patch.

23 Oct 2018

Scientists develop new class of compounds for treatment of progressive neurodegenerative disorder

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have developed a new class of compounds that extended the lives and eased symptoms of mice with a progressive neurodegenerative human disorder.

23 Oct 2018

'Brain training' app could help OCD patients to manage symptoms

A 'brain training' app developed at the University of Cambridge could help people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder manage their symptoms, which may typically include excessive handwashing and contamination fears.

23 Oct 2018

How does our brain perceives the environment?

Nearly 30 years ago, scientists demonstrated that visually recognizing an object, such as a cup, and performing a visually guided action, such as picking the cup up, involved distinct neural processes, located in different areas of the brain.

23 Oct 2018

Construction is underway for second proton therapy system at Siteman Cancer Center

Mevion Medical System announces that construction is underway for a second proton therapy system at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. T

23 Oct 2018

Scientists discover primary, direct target of alcohol in the brain

When alcohol enters the brain, it causes neurons in a specialized region called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA -- also known as the "pleasure center" -- to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces those feel-good sensations, and tells the brain that whatever it just experienced is worth getting more of.

23 Oct 2018

Salk researchers advance sonogenetics technology for treating neurological conditions

The emerging technology of sonogenetics--a technique where cells are controlled by sound--offers the potential to one day replace pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgical treatments for neurological conditions like epilepsy, Parkinson's disease or posttraumatic stress disorder.

23 Oct 2018

Brain wave device boosts memory performance

The entrainment of theta brain waves with a commercially available device not only enhances theta wave activity, but also boosts memory performance.

23 Oct 2018

SLU researcher seeks to find solutions for 'chemo brain' symptoms and side effects of opioids

With a pair of RO1 grants from the National Institutes of Health, pain researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., will embark on two new research projects, studying chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, or "chemo brain," symptoms and unwanted side effects of opioids.

23 Oct 2018

New topical gel can prevent pesticide-induced toxicity and lethality

Farmers are exposed to toxic pesticides, through skin contact and inhalation, during the spraying of pesticides. This is a severe health hazard. In the last year, from the Vidharbha region in Maharashtra alone, spraying is thought to have led to over 40 deaths, 25 cases of lost vision, and over 1000 hospitalizations.

22 Oct 2018

Breathing through the nose improves memory consolidation

The way we breathe may affect how well our memories are consolidated (i.e. reinforced and stabilized). If we breathe through the nose rather than the mouth after trying to learn a set of smells, we remember them better, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in The Journal of Neuroscience.

22 Oct 2018

Epigenetic modifications may contribute to Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists report epigenetic modifications in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's, after observing differences in histone acetylation across the genome.

22 Oct 2018

Combination of Opdivo and Yervoy shows four-year survival benefits in patients with advanced melanoma

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced four-year data from the Phase 3 CheckMate -067 clinical trial - the longest follow-up to date - which continues to demonstrate durable, long-term survival benefits with the first-line combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab), versus Yervoy alone, in patients with advanced melanoma.

22 Oct 2018

Researchers produce artificial antibody capable of blocking prions in the laboratory

Prion diseases affect the brain, causing neurodegenerative problems that always lead to death. They attracted attention in the late 1990s due to the "Mad Cow" scare.

22 Oct 2018

FDA approves update to Rituxan label to include information on treatment of rare forms of vasculitis

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an update to the Rituxan® (rituximab) label to include information on follow up treatment of adult patients with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis and Microscopic Polyangiitis who have achieved disease control with induction treatment.

22 Oct 2018

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

UK set to fortify flour with folic acid to prevent spine defects among newborns

Nerve-on-a-chip platform could help improve neuroprosthetic designs

Hippocampal avoidance during whole-brain radiotherapy reduces risk of cognitive decline

ConnectToBrain project seeks to improve techniques for brain stimulation in current clinical use

How a single mutation can devastate cellular function

Polyganics begins first-in-human clinical trial of LIQOSEAL for reducing CSF leakage

Scientists develop new class of compounds for treatment of progressive neurodegenerative disorder

'Brain training' app could help OCD patients to manage symptoms

How does our brain perceives the environment?

Construction is underway for second proton therapy system at Siteman Cancer Center

Scientists discover primary, direct target of alcohol in the brain

Salk researchers advance sonogenetics technology for treating neurological conditions

Brain wave device boosts memory performance

SLU researcher seeks to find solutions for 'chemo brain' symptoms and side effects of opioids

New topical gel can prevent pesticide-induced toxicity and lethality

Breathing through the nose improves memory consolidation

Epigenetic modifications may contribute to Alzheimer's Disease

Combination of Opdivo and Yervoy shows four-year survival benefits in patients with advanced melanoma

Researchers produce artificial antibody capable of blocking prions in the laboratory

FDA approves update to Rituxan label to include information on treatment of rare forms of vasculitis

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

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