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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.

Tiny snippets of genetic material may help with early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Indiana University have found early evidence that tiny snippets of genetic material called microRNA may help with early detection of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

29 Jun 2018

Heroin could could help patients with narcolepsy

A new study has found that users of heroin have high levels of a brain chemical called hypocretin. This hypocretin leads to “wakefulness” among the users and understanding this could help patients with narcolepsy.

29 Jun 2018

URI researchers working to develop novel medication to treat alcohol use disorder

Alcohol abuse is among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 88,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

28 Jun 2018

Voluntary and involuntary electroconvulsive therapy for depression provide similar outcomes

People who have involuntary electroconvulsive therapy for depression have similar outcomes to those who have voluntary treatment, according to a ground-breaking new study conducted by researchers from Trinity College Dublin's Department of Psychiatry.

28 Jun 2018

Researchers reveal complexity of NMDA receptor drug discovery target

Know your target. Especially if your target is coming into focus for treating diseases such as schizophrenia and treatment-resistant depression.

28 Jun 2018

People with co-existing HCV and AUD experience greater psychiatric, immune problems

Infection with the hepatitis C virus is a contagious liver disease with symptoms that range from mild illness for a few weeks to serious, lifelong liver problems.

28 Jun 2018

Genetic biomarker can help predict survival outcomes in patients with certain gliomas

A DNA-level biomarker (MGMT promoter methylation) can be used to help predict survival outcomes in patients with high-risk, low-grade gliomas, according to a new study conducted through the NRG Oncology/RTOG collaborative clinical trials group and led by scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

28 Jun 2018

DNA methylation predicts survival outcome in patients with glioma

A new study has shown that survival rates among patients with glioma double if the tumor carries a methylated MGMT gene.

28 Jun 2018

Non-invasive method can produce reliable estimates of arterial stiffness in adolescents

Arterial stiffness is one of the early signs of cardiovascular disease, and arterial stiffening has been observed in children.

28 Jun 2018

Achieving the WHO’s Global Action Plan for Dementia

One year on from the WHO's Global Action Plan for Dementia, Dr. Matthew Norton from Alzheimer's Research UK discusses the steps that have been taken so far, and whether we are likely to meet the 2025 target.

28 Jun 2018

Geriatric assessments could fine-tune cancer care for older adults

In a move to improve cancer care for older adults, the American Society of Clinical Oncology is recommending that all patients age 65 and older receive a geriatric assessment when considering or undergoing chemotherapy.

28 Jun 2018

Researchers examine whether taking a hallucinogen can curb cocaine use

Unlike with alcohol or nicotine, there is not a pharmacological option available to individuals addicted to cocaine to help them stop using the drug. However, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham believe the tool to help individuals treat their addiction may very well exist.

28 Jun 2018

Estrogen may also play a role in migraine for men

While it has been known that estrogen plays a role in migraine for women, new research shows that the female sex hormone may also play a role in migraine for men, according to a small study published in the June 27, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2018

Study describes new mechanism involved in memory loss associated with aging

A study led by Luísa Lopes, Group Leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes and published today in the prestigious journal Molecular Psychiatry, describes a new mechanism involved in memory loss associated with aging.

28 Jun 2018

UT Southwestern study reveals structural information for major brain receptor

UT Southwestern researchers today published the first atomic structure of a brain receptor bound to a drug used to reverse anesthesia and to treat sedative overdoses.

28 Jun 2018

Fitness may be vital to depression patient’s good health

Exercise may be just as crucial to a depression patient's good health as finding an effective antidepressant.

27 Jun 2018

Researchers identify electrical activity in the brain specific to the start of migraine

When migraine sufferers see the tell-tale squiggly lines, light flashes and blind spots of a migraine aura, they prepare for a migraine.

27 Jun 2018

Suicide at higher altitudes unlikely to be caused by hypoxia

Following an extensive analysis of published studies, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that while suicide rates are higher at higher altitudes, they are unlikely caused by hypoxia, (low oxygen) at these elevations.

27 Jun 2018

Study details role of dopamine in unlearning fear

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science have discovered a circuit in the brain that is necessary for unlearning fear. Published in Nature Communications, the study details the role of dopamine in ensuring that rats stop being afraid when there isn't anything to be afraid of anymore.

27 Jun 2018

Scientists discover new protein involved in neuron formation

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona have described a new function for the protein NEK7 as a regulator of neuron formation.

27 Jun 2018