Brain News and Research

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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.

Versatile mouse model opens doors to new targeted cancer therapies

Researchers from the Seve Ballesteros Foundation-CNIO Brain Tumour Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have developed an extremely powerful and versatile mouse model that will improve cancer research and accelerate pre-clinical testing of novel targeted therapies. Their work appears in Nature Communications.

13 Apr 2018

Protein linked with Alzheimer's disease affects different brain cells differently

Amyloid beta, a protein linked with Alzheimer's disease, has different properties in different cell types in the brains of fruit flies.

13 Apr 2018

Glucose metabolism is key to neural network development, finds study

A new study has found that glucose metabolism is critical for the development of neural networks in the brain.

13 Apr 2018

Oxygen 'nanobubbles' could help enhance cancer therapies and hasten wound healing

A Purdue University-patented technology shows promise in using microscopic bubbles filled with oxygen to help with various medical treatments, including improving cancer therapeutics and helping wounds heal faster.

13 Apr 2018

Drink less to live longer - major new study

A new study has shown that the current safe limits of alcohol consumption are overestimated. In one of the largest worldwide alcohol consumption studies, the researchers noted that taking over six glasses of wine or six cans of beer per week can reduce years of life.

13 Apr 2018

Reducing sedentary behavior may be possible target to improve brain health

Sitting too much is linked to changes in a section of the brain that is critical for memory, according to a preliminary study by UCLA researchers of middle-aged and older adults.

12 Apr 2018

People with rare dementia may employ intact brain areas for help with language

People with a rare dementia that initially attacks the language center of the brain recruit other areas of the brain to decipher sentences, according to new research led by a University of Arizona cognitive scientist.

12 Apr 2018

New tiny fiber-optic probe can measure temperature and see deep inside the body

University of Adelaide researchers have invented a world-first tiny fiber-optic probe that can simultaneously measure temperature and see deep inside the body.

12 Apr 2018

Study reveals unexpected mechanism that induces thirst after alcohol or sugar exposure

Why does drinking alcohol or consuming sugar make us thirsty? An international study of mice in Texas and humans in Europe reveals an unexpected anti-dehydration mechanism.

12 Apr 2018

What we know and don’t know about memory loss after surgery

Two years ago, Dr. Daniel Cole's 85-year-old father had heart bypass surgery. He hasn't been quite the same since.

12 Apr 2018

Aberrant protein prevents self-cleaning of nerve cells in ALS

Scientists have discovered that TDP-43 interferes with lysosomal pathways responsible for its clearance and induces autophagy in ALS.

12 Apr 2018

People with TBI have increased risk of developing dementia

Sustaining a traumatic brain injury is associated with an increased risk of developing both dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a nationwide study of 2.8 million people over 36 years, published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

12 Apr 2018

FDA approves marketing of AI device to detect diabetic retinopathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday (11th of April 2018), released a statement approving the marketing of world’s first artificial intelligence using medical device that can detect diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients.

12 Apr 2018

Breast cancers more likely to spread after surgery finds study

Breast cancer patients are more likely to experience a return and spread of their cancer within 18 months after a mastectomy or removal of the breast tumour along with healthy breast tissues. The reason for this or this association has been hitherto unexplained. According to a new study from MIT and the Whitehead Institute, the process of healing of the surgical scar after surgery is the cause for spread of the cancer.

12 Apr 2018

Scientists developing new vaccines against heroin and prescription opioids

Heroin and prescription opioid abuse and fatal overdoses are a public health emergency in the United States. Vaccines offer a potential new strategy to treat opioid abuse and prevent fatal opioid overdoses.

12 Apr 2018

Study explores relationship between age at menopause and memory

Entering menopause at a later age may be associated with a small benefit to your memory years later, according to a study published in the April 11, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Apr 2018

Researchers develop thin, flexible polymers to record activity more deeply in the brain

Science has yet to unravel a complete understanding of the brain and all its intricate workings. It's not for lack of effort.

11 Apr 2018

Smartphone addiction leads to high levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety

Smartphones are an integral part of most people's lives, allowing us to stay connected and in-the-know at all times. The downside of that convenience is that many of us are also addicted to the constant pings, chimes, vibrations and other alerts from our devices, unable to ignore new emails, texts and images.

11 Apr 2018

Scientists find link between over-accumulation of mitochondrial iron and Huntington's disease

Scientists at the University of Wyoming have found that mice engineered to have Huntington's disease (HD) have an over-accumulation of iron in their mitochondria.

11 Apr 2018

Experimental peptide drug shows promise against acute myeloid leukemia

In a study published online today in Science Translational Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers report that an experimental peptide drug shows promise against the often-lethal cancer acute myeloid leukemia and describe how the drug works at the molecular level.

11 Apr 2018