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.

Humans not as exceptional in using brain power as we like to think

For years, scientists assumed that humans devote a larger share of their daily calories to their brains than other animals. Although the human brain makes up only 2 percent of body weight, it consumes more than 25 percent of our baseline energy budget.

1 Nov 2017

Bioengineers develop brain sensor technique to understand cocaine addiction in adolescent mind

Several studies have provided strong evidence that adolescents--people in their teens to early twenties--have a higher vulnerability than adults to addictive substances like cocaine.

1 Nov 2017

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus should be repeated more than once in pregnant women

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus, which enable identification of the pathogen's genetic material in body fluids, such as blood, urine, semen and saliva during the acute phase of infection, have been used routinely in prenatal checkups for pregnant women with symptoms of the disease.

1 Nov 2017

Scientists identify treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients

Scientists have identified a pair of treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients who lack a gene critical to maintaining connections between neurons, according to a study from the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

1 Nov 2017

GW-led network will receive NIH grant to follow children with autism transition into adulthood

A George Washington University-led national collaborative network aimed at improving outcomes for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will receive more than $11.7 million from the National Institutes of Health over the next five years to help propel innovative research in the field.

1 Nov 2017

Poor white matter health may contribute to persistent musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans

A study from the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, has shown that structural damage in the white matter of the brain may be linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans.

1 Nov 2017

Researchers show where in the brain Alzheimer's disease begins

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have for the first time convincingly shown where in the brain the earliest signs of Alzheimer's occur. The discovery could potentially become significant to future Alzheimer's research while contributing to improved diagnostics.

1 Nov 2017

Healthy people with psychotic-like experiences have altered brain dynamics, study finds

Healthy people experiencing subtle symptoms observed in psychotic disorders, such as hallucinations and delusions, have altered brain dynamics, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

1 Nov 2017

Starving childhood brain tumor of amino acid could improve effect of chemotherapy, study shows

Starving a childhood brain tumor of the amino acid glutamine could improve the effect of chemotherapy, according to an early study led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by Children with Cancer UK and the Medical Research Council.

1 Nov 2017

Babies use contextual cues to guide their search for objects, study shows

Just six months into the world, babies already have the capacity to learn, remember and use contextual cues in a scene to guide their search for objects of interest, such as faces, a new Brown University study shows.

1 Nov 2017

Gut bacteria composition could predict toxicity of chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients

Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers report that the composition of people's gut bacteria may explain why some of them suffer life-threatening reactions after taking a key drug for treating metastatic colorectal cancer.

1 Nov 2017

Shear shock waves may explain why some head knocks cause more harm than others

Veteran sailors know that rogue waves can rise suddenly in mid-ocean to capsize even the largest vessels. Now it appears that a similar phenomenon called shear shock wave occurs in the concussed brain. It may help explain why some head knocks cause so much more harm than others.

1 Nov 2017

Tiny microscopes give researchers a peek into neural circuitry of social behavior

Tiny microscopes mounted on mice's heads have given researchers a peek into the neural circuitry of social behavior.

1 Nov 2017

Transient ischemic attacks can be ‘ominous prelude’ to impending cerebrovascular catastrophe

Each year, more than 200,000 Americans experience mini-strokes called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).

31 Oct 2017

Study findings may provide insight into excessive light sensitivity experienced by some people

The eyes are for seeing, but they have other important biological functions, including automatic visual reflexes that go on without awareness. The reflexive system of the human eye also produces a conscious, visual experience, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

31 Oct 2017

Cleveland Clinic researchers win grants to study ethical issues involving brain surgery

The NIH BRAIN Initiative has awarded two Cleveland Clinic researchers grants to study ethical issues involving brain surgery, as part of the first neuroethics grants awarded by the initiative.

31 Oct 2017

Stoked! Weed may light the flame for a roll in the hay

Many states permit the use of medical marijuana. Now there's evidence that pot might work as "marital marijuana," revving up sex drives in both men and women.

31 Oct 2017

Study shows effects of prenatal BPA exposure at low levels in developing rodent brain

New research from North Carolina State University reveals that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) at levels below those currently considered safe for humans affects gene expression related to sexual differentiation and neurodevelopment in the developing rat brain.

31 Oct 2017

Low-cost upgrade of 2D ultrasound machines into 3D imaging devices

Technology that keeps track of how your smartphone is oriented can now give $50,000 ultrasound machines many of the 3-D imaging abilities of their $250,000 counterparts -- for the cost of a $10 microchip.

31 Oct 2017

Study links signs of heightened arousal in PTSD to overactivity of locus coeruleus

A new study in Biological Psychiatry has linked signs of heightened arousal and reactivity -- a core symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- to overactivity of the locus coeruleus (LC), a brain region that mediates arousal and reactivity. By combining bodily responses and brain imaging data, the new paper by Dr. Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer at the University of Zurich, Switzerland and colleagues is the first to provide direct human evidence for a theory over 30 years old.

31 Oct 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Humans not as exceptional in using brain power as we like to think

Bioengineers develop brain sensor technique to understand cocaine addiction in adolescent mind

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus should be repeated more than once in pregnant women

Scientists identify treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients

GW-led network will receive NIH grant to follow children with autism transition into adulthood

Poor white matter health may contribute to persistent musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans

Researchers show where in the brain Alzheimer's disease begins

Healthy people with psychotic-like experiences have altered brain dynamics, study finds

Starving childhood brain tumor of amino acid could improve effect of chemotherapy, study shows

Babies use contextual cues to guide their search for objects, study shows

Gut bacteria composition could predict toxicity of chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients

Shear shock waves may explain why some head knocks cause more harm than others

Tiny microscopes give researchers a peek into neural circuitry of social behavior

Transient ischemic attacks can be ‘ominous prelude’ to impending cerebrovascular catastrophe

Study findings may provide insight into excessive light sensitivity experienced by some people

Cleveland Clinic researchers win grants to study ethical issues involving brain surgery

Stoked! Weed may light the flame for a roll in the hay

Study shows effects of prenatal BPA exposure at low levels in developing rodent brain

Low-cost upgrade of 2D ultrasound machines into 3D imaging devices

Study links signs of heightened arousal in PTSD to overactivity of locus coeruleus

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

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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