Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

People with high and low magnesium levels in blood may have increased risk of dementia

People with both high and low levels of magnesium in their blood may have a greater risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the September 20, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Sep 2017

Oxytocin promotes avoidance of unfamiliar situations after negative social interactions

Before you shop for the "cuddle" hormone oxytocin to relieve stress and enhance your social life, read this: a new study from the University of California, Davis, suggests that sometimes, blocking the action of oxytocin in the brain may be a better option.

20 Sep 2017

UTA researcher wins NSF grant to explore new method for accurately analyzing brain image data

Like the organ itself, data collected about the brain is incredibly complex and requires sophisticated methods to sort and analyze. Current methods involve topology, which is a mathematical model that gives a picture of the data, or machine learning, which is a statistical model showing trends. Neither can handle the amounts of data available.

20 Sep 2017

Immune cells may play crucial role in helping the brain heal after hemorrhage or stroke

While immune cells called neutrophils are known to act as infantry in the body's war on germs, a National Institutes of Health-funded study suggests they can act as medics as well. By studying rodents, researchers showed that instead of attacking germs, some neutrophils may help heal the brain after an intracerebral hemorrhage, a form of stroke caused by ruptured blood vessels.

20 Sep 2017

New tool can provide reliable, valid assessment of individual's wisdom level

Researchers at University of San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new tool called the San Diego Wisdom Scale to assess an individual's level of wisdom, based upon a conceptualization of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis.

20 Sep 2017

New nonpharmacological approach leads to reduction of cognitive fatigue in MS patients

A recent article by MS researchers describes a new nonpharmacological approach to reduce cognitive fatigue, a disabling symptom reported by as many as 90% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

20 Sep 2017

Study may provide insights into treating autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders

Alterations in a naturally occurring chemical in the brain called serotonin have been linked to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

20 Sep 2017

Alcohol use may induce changes to cholesterol-regulating gene

In an analysis of the epigenomes of people and mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Institutes of Health report that drinking alcohol may induce changes to a cholesterol-regulating gene.

20 Sep 2017

Researchers use computer simulations to provide better insight into epilepsy surgery

Results from an unexpected quarter is could help neurologists to identify which brain region to remove to eliminate an epilepsy patient's symptoms. Mathematicians from the University of Twente, together with researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht, have shown that it is sensible to examine the interconnections between different brain regions closely, instead of searching for abnormal regions only.

20 Sep 2017

Study finds unsafe lead levels in red cosmetic powder used during Hindu ceremonies

Sindoor -- a cosmetic powder sold in the United States and used during Hindu religious and cultural ceremonies -- has unsafe levels of lead, according to a Rutgers University study.

19 Sep 2017

Researchers develop new model to better simulate blood brain barrier for study of diseases

Scientists have helped provide a way to better understand how to enable drugs to enter the brain and how cancer cells make it past the blood brain barrier. The brain is protected by the near-impermeable blood brain barrier, a fortress which protects the brain but which also prevents the treatment of brain diseases, including brain tumors.

19 Sep 2017

PET imaging helps scientists to study progression of Zika virus infection in mice

For the first time, scientists have used Positron Emission Tomography imaging to study brain inflammation following Zika virus infection in mice, according to a study recently published online in the journal Molecular Imaging and Biology.

19 Sep 2017

Increase in physical activity boosts breast cancer survivors’ mental processing speed

It is estimated that up to 75 percent of breast cancer survivors experience problems with cognitive difficulties following treatments, perhaps lasting years. Currently, few science-based options are available to help.

19 Sep 2017

Research at KU to receive $2.3 million grant for studying motor deficits in ASD

While much research has been devoted to the social and communication issues that define autism spectrum disorders (ASD), much less is known about motor deficits that affect the majority of, if not all, individuals with ASD.

19 Sep 2017

Study overturns common belief about how proteins regulate formation of sensory interneurons

A recent study led by Samantha Butler at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA has overturned a common belief about how a certain class of proteins in the spinal cord regulate the formation of nervous system cells -- called neurons -- during embryonic development.

19 Sep 2017

Sleep deprivation rapidly reduces depression symptoms in nearly half of depressed patients

Sleep deprivation -- typically administered in controlled, inpatient settings -- rapidly reduces symptoms of depression in roughly half of depression patients, according the first meta-analysis on the subject in nearly 30 years, from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

19 Sep 2017

Leading researchers join forces to create a “standard model” of the brain

Leading neuroscientists are teaming up to study the brain in a way that is modelled on physics projects, where researchers look for new particles.

19 Sep 2017

Research deepens understanding of interconnection between nervous and immune system

A newly-discovered reflex arc mediates a process which leads to a disruption in the hormones secreted by the adrenal glands which, in turn, results in an increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.

19 Sep 2017

Study reveals how cells from patients with developmental disease differ from healthy cells

By reprogramming skin cells into nerve cells, researchers at Karolinska Institutet are creating cell models of the human brain. In a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry the researchers describe how cells from patients with the severe developmental disease lissencephaly differ from healthy cells.

19 Sep 2017

Medtronic launch spinal chord stimulation platform for chronic pain management following FDA approval

Medtronic plc announced FDA approval and U.S. launch of the Intellis(TM) platform for the management of certain types of chronic intractable pain. The Intellis platform was designed to overcome limitations with current spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems, such as battery performance, and can power the EvolveSM workflow*, which standardizes guidance and balances high-dose (HD) and low-dose (LD) therapy settings.

From Medtronic 19 Sep 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

People with high and low magnesium levels in blood may have increased risk of dementia

Oxytocin promotes avoidance of unfamiliar situations after negative social interactions

UTA researcher wins NSF grant to explore new method for accurately analyzing brain image data

Immune cells may play crucial role in helping the brain heal after hemorrhage or stroke

New tool can provide reliable, valid assessment of individual's wisdom level

New nonpharmacological approach leads to reduction of cognitive fatigue in MS patients

Study may provide insights into treating autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders

Alcohol use may induce changes to cholesterol-regulating gene

Researchers use computer simulations to provide better insight into epilepsy surgery

Study finds unsafe lead levels in red cosmetic powder used during Hindu ceremonies

Researchers develop new model to better simulate blood brain barrier for study of diseases

PET imaging helps scientists to study progression of Zika virus infection in mice

Increase in physical activity boosts breast cancer survivors’ mental processing speed

Research at KU to receive $2.3 million grant for studying motor deficits in ASD

Study overturns common belief about how proteins regulate formation of sensory interneurons

Sleep deprivation rapidly reduces depression symptoms in nearly half of depressed patients

Leading researchers join forces to create a “standard model” of the brain

Research deepens understanding of interconnection between nervous and immune system

Study reveals how cells from patients with developmental disease differ from healthy cells

Medtronic launch spinal chord stimulation platform for chronic pain management following FDA approval

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

Latest News