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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.

Protein known to drive nerve cell survival may protect children from Duchenne cardiomyopathy

A protein known to drive nerve cell survival in the brain and spinal cord might also protect failing hearts in children and young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in basic cardiovascular science.

2 Aug 2018

RBC-hitchhiking method increases concentration of drugs ferried to selected organs

A new drug-delivery technology which uses red blood cells to shuttle nano-scale drug carriers, called RBC-hitchhiking, has been found in animal models to dramatically increase the concentration of drugs ferried precisely to selected organs, according to a study published in Nature Communications this month by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

2 Aug 2018

New treatment may be on the horizon for Parkinson's disease

More of us are susceptible to Parkinson's as we age, as evidenced by actor Alan Alda's recent diagnosis. A new treatment may be on the horizon.

2 Aug 2018

Travel time has major impact on nurse staffing ratios in neurocritical care units

For specialist nurses on neurocritical care units, accompanying patients for imaging scans and other procedures has a major impact on nurse staffing ratios, reports a study in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, official journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses.

2 Aug 2018

Even after lobectomy a child's brain rewires to compensate for the lost parts

An amazing new case study reports on an 11-year-old boy, code named UD (to protect his privacy), who underwent a procedure to remove a part of his brain that resulted in the rewiring of the rest of it over time.

1 Aug 2018

Exenatide treatment improves depression symptoms in PD patients

Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as depression, apathy, cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, and sensory symptoms, can have a greater impact on health-related quality of life than motor deficits.

1 Aug 2018

Intensive outpatient treatment shows rapid and meaningful changes in veterans' PTSD symptoms

Military veterans who participated in a three week, intensive outpatient treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder saw rapid and clinically meaningful changes in PTSD and depression symptoms, according to results of a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center published July 30 in BMC Psychiatry.

1 Aug 2018

Measure of belly fat associated with reduced cognitive function in older adults

A new study using data from over 5,000 individuals has found that a measure of belly fat (waist:hip ratio) was associated with reduced cognitive function in older Irish adults (>60 years of age).

1 Aug 2018

Women with PCOS more likely to have an autistic child

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely than other women to have an autistic child, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out by a team at Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre.

1 Aug 2018

New method to construct brain networks improves accuracy of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have developed a new method for constructing personal brain networks using multiple structural features to improve the accuracy of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment

1 Aug 2018

Father’s genes can affect quality of maternal care received by a newborn

A father’s genes are no longer thought to just provide a blueprint for the growth and development of their offspring.

1 Aug 2018

Study shows how the brain responds to disruptions in the body’s balance

A study of young adults published in eNeuro demonstrates how the brain responds to disruptions in the body’s balance. The research identifies a pattern of electrical activity that could be used to assess balance in patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

From Society for Neuroscience 1 Aug 2018

Eating high fiber foods may decrease effects of stress on gut and behavior

Eating high fiber foods may reduce the effects of stress on our gut and behavior, according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

1 Aug 2018

Researchers develop automatic alert system to help people quit smoking

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University are using wearable sensor technology to develop an automatic alert system to help people quit smoking.

1 Aug 2018

Study findings provide detailed characterization of plasticity of brain development in children

The boy suffered his first epileptic seizure at age four. Doctors tried medication and other treatments to control the seizures--the result of a low-grade brain tumor--but nothing worked.

1 Aug 2018

Researchers explore influence of dietary nitrate on cognitive function in veterans with GWI

Glenn Wylie, DPhil, and Jorge Serrador, PhD, have won an award from the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. The grant funds a collaborative study between the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Kessler Foundation.

1 Aug 2018