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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.

Inflammation plays key role in improving ability to relearn motor skills following spinal cord injury

Inflammation plays a key role in improving the ability to relearn motor skills lost as a result of spinal cord injuries, such as grasping objects, new University of Alberta research shows.

27 Jun 2018

Substantial number of older adults at risk of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency, study shows

A new study by researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, has shown for the first time that a substantial number of adults over 50 are at risk of deficiency in vitamin B12 and folate (the natural vitamin linked to the dietary supplement, folic acid).

27 Jun 2018

Study provides insight into development of autism in the human brain

In a study published in Stem Cell Reports, a McGill team of scientists led by Dr. Carl Ernst, researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, revealed a molecular mechanism that may play a role in the development of autism.

27 Jun 2018

Salk Institute scientists receive funding for cancer research

Salk Institute scientists Ronald Evans, Diana Hargreaves, Tony Hunter, Graham McVicker and Geoffrey Wahl are among the first wave of researchers to receive funding from Padres Pedal the Cause, one of one of the largest stand-alone cancer fundraising events in San Diego.

27 Jun 2018

New study finds way to help treat alcohol addiction and ease withdrawal symptoms

According to a new study by Scripps Research scientists, activating a receptor found in brain cells may help treat alcohol addiction and ease some withdrawal symptoms. The researchers studied the effects of activating the receptor in alcohol-addicted rats and reported the results today in the journal eNeuro.

27 Jun 2018

Trauma experienced by separated immigrant children will have future implications, says expert

The damage has been done. More than 2,000 children remain separated from their parents or guardians in detention centers with no plan to be reunited, despite President Trump's new executive order.

27 Jun 2018

Polio virus could help brain cancer patients

According to researchers genetically altered poliovirus strains could help some patients of brain cancer. A team of researchers from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, used modified polio virus strains in small groups of patients who had glioblastoma – a particularly deadly form of brain cancer. In these patients standard treatments have failed say the researchers and this novel therapy could help.

27 Jun 2018

Study finds byproduct of common prostate cancer drug can stimulate growth of tumor cells

A genetic anomaly in certain men with prostate cancer may impact their response to common drugs used to treat the disease, according to new research at Cleveland Clinic. The findings may provide important information for identifying which patients potentially fare better when treated with an alternate therapy.

26 Jun 2018

Phase 1 clinical trial of poliovirus therapy shows long-term survival benefit for recurrent glioblastoma

A genetically modified poliovirus therapy developed at Duke Cancer Institute shows significantly improved long-term survival for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, with a three-year survival rate of 21 percent in a phase 1 clinical trial.

26 Jun 2018

Are wearable defibrillators a suitable alternative to surgically implanted devices?

Wearable defibrillators may be a safe and effective alternative to surgically implanted devices among children with ventricular arrythmias that increase the risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a new study.

26 Jun 2018

WashU engineer working to build a more precise microscope

Like our eyes, microscopes are limited in what they can see because of their resolution, or their ability to see detail. The detail, or information, from the object is there, but some of it gets lost as the light reflecting off of the object moves through the air.

26 Jun 2018

Serotonin enhances speed of learning, study finds

An international team from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, in Portugal, and the University College London, in the UK, has uncovered a previously unknown effect of serotonin on learning.

26 Jun 2018

Experts witness action of influenza infection in the lungs of living mice

In the 1966 novel, Fantastic Voyage, written by biochemist and author Isaac Asimov, a crew of people become miniaturized in order to travel through the body of a scientist and save him from a blood clot in his brain.

26 Jun 2018

Researchers explore how hypertension impairs cognitive function

The squeeze high blood pressure puts on fragile blood vessels in the brain appears to disrupt a normal, protective process that balances the blood flowing to our brains with the activity of our resting neurons.

26 Jun 2018

New molecular imaging method could help effectively tackle brain conditions

A new molecular imaging method can monitor the success of gene therapy in all areas of the brain, potentially allowing physicians to more effectively tackle brain conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.

26 Jun 2018

UVA research shows true nature of immune cells blamed in Alzheimer's

Immune cells commonly blamed in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases are actually precision cleaning machines protecting the central nervous system, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine shows.

26 Jun 2018

Study suggests new approach for treating alcohol use disorder

Activation of a receptor with no known function in the brain reduces excessive alcohol use and the pain of withdrawal, according to preclinical research in male rats. The study, published in eNeuro, suggests a new approach towards the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

26 Jun 2018