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.

Study identifies genetic alterations with potential to promote aggressiveness of astrocytomas

Among the various types of cancerous brain tumors, 70% are astrocytomas. Fatal in as many as 90% of cases, astrocytomas originate in the largest and most numerous cells in the central nervous system, called astrocytes because of their star shape.

6 Sep 2017

Breakthrough research offers novel, non-invasive test to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease

In the largest and most conclusive study of its kind, researchers have analysed blood samples to create a novel and non-invasive way of helping to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and distinguishing between different types of neurodegenerative disorders.

6 Sep 2017

Researchers probe photoreceptors in the eye to study basis of color vision

Dr. Wolf M. Harmening from University Eye Hospital Bonn, together with American colleagues, studied color vision by probing individual sensory cells - photoreceptors - in the human eye.

6 Sep 2017

Yoganatomy helps medical students to connect, recharge and remember

Take a deep breath in. As you breathe out, answer: what did your internal intercostal muscles do when you took that breath? This isn't a common question in most yoga classes, but it is part of Yoganatomy at the Perelman School of Medicine, a yoga class that combines traditional yoga practice with reinforcement of lessons in gross anatomy.

6 Sep 2017

Split-brain study using fruit fly provides better understanding of autism

A better understanding of the cause of autism may come from an unlikely source, neurological studies of the fruit fly.

6 Sep 2017

Sodium channels play important role in keeping tiny lung capillaries from leaking, worsening pneumonia

Sodium channels in the cells that line the tiny capillaries in our lungs play an important role in keeping those capillaries from leaking and potentially worsening conditions like pneumonia, scientists report.

6 Sep 2017

Physical activity could change diet preferences in males, but not in females

Recent studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of adult Americans fail to reach the U.S. Department of Health guidelines for physical activity, which could be contributing to surging obesity rates.

6 Sep 2017

Scientists win new funding to speed up translation of MS research into practice

An innovative multiple sclerosis Research Fellowship designed to fast-track scientific knowledge into clinical practice has been awarded to two researchers at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research.

6 Sep 2017

Fluorescent dye imaging tool lights up benign brain tumors during surgery

An experimental imaging tool that uses a targeted fluorescent dye successfully lit up the benign brain tumors of patients during removal surgery, allowing surgeons to identify tumor tissue, a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows.

6 Sep 2017

Existing antidepressant drug could slow progression of Parkinson’s

Michigan State University scientists now have early proof that an antidepressant drug that's been around for more than 50 years could slow the progression of Parkinson's.

6 Sep 2017

Ketogenic diet prolongs life and improves memory and physical functions in aged mice find researchers

A pair of new studies find that diets termed ketogenic that are classically low in carbohydrates can prolong life in adult male laboratory mice. In addition this ketogenic diet also preserves the memory functions as well as muscle masses of the aged mice that were fed on it. The mechanism behind this could be the fact that ketogenic diet induces protein acetylation in the mice liver and muscles.

5 Sep 2017

Zika virus found to specifically kill glioblastoma brain cancer cells

According to a latest study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health, the deadly Zika virus could be used to kill a specific type of brain cancer cells and sparing the neighbouring healthy brain cells. Although experimental in stage, this finding has wide implications for those suffering from these cancers.

5 Sep 2017

Research finds link between poor sleep and reduced mental wellbeing

Inadequate sleep at night leads to poor memory and increases the risk of depression, anxiety and stress, according to research revealed today.

5 Sep 2017

Novel, ultra-rare damaging genetic variants may contribute to eating disorders

By combining whole exome sequencing, machine learning, and network analysis, researchers have identified new, ultra-rare gene mutations within specific biological pathways that may contribute to eating disorders.

5 Sep 2017

Biodegradable nanoparticle injected after spinal cord injury limits damage

After a spinal cord injury, a significant amount of secondary nerve damage is caused by inflammation and internal scarring that inhibits the ability of the nervous system to repair itself.

5 Sep 2017

Disruption of 'slow waves' can lead to cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s in mice

While unconscious during deep sleep, millions of neurons' activity travels across the cerebral cortex. This phenomenon, known as slow waves, is related to the consolidation of memory.

5 Sep 2017

New system for neural recording in mice avoids animal welfare concerns linked to existing approaches

NC3Rs funding for inter-disciplinary research which combines electrical engineering and neurophysiology has resulted in a new product for brain recordings in mice that avoids many of the welfare concerns associated with existing approaches.

5 Sep 2017

Researchers identify gene linked to brain damage in pre-term babies

A gene has been identified by researchers at King's College London that is thought to be associated with the types of brain damage that can be caused by pre-term birth.

5 Sep 2017

Zika virus may one day be effective treatment for deadly brain cancer

While Zika virus causes devastating damage to the brains of developing fetuses, it one day may be an effective treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer.

5 Sep 2017

Study identifies novel source for brain's development

A study conducted by a team of researchers at the New York University has found an unexpected source for the development of the brain. According to the research, which was published in the journal Science, a group of non-neuronal cells called glia, which were previously considered as passive support cells, are important for the development of nerve-cells present in the brain.

5 Sep 2017