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.

Kopchicks' $10.5 million gift to fund student fellowships at MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School

Just as he has changed the lives of people suffering from a devastating genetic disease, molecular endocrinologist John J. Kopchick, Ph.D., and his wife, Charlene, of Athens, Ohio, are paving the way for future scientists to do the same with a transformative $10.5 million gift to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

23 Jun 2017

Chicken models may shed light on how humans develop sensitive daytime vision

Humans belong to a select club of species that enjoy crisp color vision in daylight, thanks to a small spot in the center of the retina at the back of the eye.

23 Jun 2017

Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Humans are diurnal animals, meaning that we usually sleep at night and are awake during the day, due at least in part to light or the lack thereof. Light is known to affect sleep indirectly by entraining--modifying the length of--our circadian rhythms and also rapidly and directly due to a phenomenon known as masking.

23 Jun 2017

Anti-seizure drug could have beneficial effect in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

In the last decade, mounting evidence has linked seizure-like activity in the brain to some of the cognitive decline seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

23 Jun 2017

New study sheds light on how the brain coordinates complex decisions involving altruism and empathy

It's a classic conundrum: while rushing to get to an important meeting or appointment on time, you spot a stranger in distress. How do you decide whether to stop and help, or continue on your way?

23 Jun 2017

Novel MRI method uses simple sugar solution instead of conventional contrast agents

In magnetic resonance imaging, contrast agents are used to enhance the imaging of tissue structures.

23 Jun 2017

Insulin in the brain may help regulate eating behavior and facilitate weight loss, study shows

Eating behavior and the subjective feeling of hunger are regulated by a variety of hormones. Here a key role is played by the hormone insulin because it is not only active in the body, but also in the brain.

23 Jun 2017

Greater engagement in leisure activities linked to lower blood pressure of Alzheimer's caregivers

Going for a walk outside, reading, listening to music - these and other enjoyable activities can reduce blood pressure for elderly caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease, suggests a study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

23 Jun 2017

Tiny biological nanoparticles offer enormous potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications

Exosomes - tiny biological nanoparticles which transfer information between cells - offer significant potential in detecting and treating disease, the most comprehensive overview so far of research in the field has concluded.

23 Jun 2017

OIST researchers create taurine-modified photosensitizer for brain cancer therapy

Photodynamic therapy is often used to treat brain tumors because of its specificity—it can target very small regions containing cancerous cells while sparing the normal cells around it from damage. It works by injecting a drug called a photosensitizer into the bloodstream, where it gathers in cells, and then exposing the drug-filled cells to light.

23 Jun 2017

New biomarker assay improves detection, assessment of neuroblastoma

Investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have developed and tested a new biomarker assay for quantifying disease and detecting the presence of neuroblastoma even when standard evaluations yield negative results for the disease.

23 Jun 2017

Study provides evidence that cortical targets could enhance motor function after spinal cord injury

Monica A. Perez, P.T., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project, and colleagues, recently published A novel cortical target to enhance hand motor output in humans with spinal cord injury in the June issue of Brain that provides the first evidence that cortical targets could represent a novel therapeutic site for improving motor function in humans paralyzed by spinal cord injury (SCI).

23 Jun 2017

Researchers identify first definitive risk genes for Tourette Syndrome

An international team that just conducted the largest study of Tourette Syndrome has identified genetic abnormalities that are the first definitive risk genes for the disorder.

23 Jun 2017

Cognitive decline may be prevented using interventions but may be inadequate says report

New research shows that there are several interventions that could help prevent cognitive decline. According to the latest report entitled “Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward,” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), cognitive training, increase in physical activity, control of blood pressure adequately among those with a high blood pressure are all fruitful measures to reduce cognitive decline. However evidence to support these three interventions is encouraging but insufficient to justify a public health campaign focused on their adoption.

22 Jun 2017

Memories stored in same neuron can be selectively erased, study suggests

Different types of memories stored in the same neuron of the marine snail Aplysia can be selectively erased, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and McGill University and published today in Current Biology.

22 Jun 2017

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

A study by a group of Japanese scientists showed how a male pheromone in mice enhances sexual behaviors in females--and how it may enhance a different behavior, aggression, in males -- by identifying distinct neural circuits and neurons that generate a particular behavioral response to specific chemical signals.

22 Jun 2017

Proton pump inhibitors do not increase risk for dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are medications used to treat digestive problems such as ulcers and reflux disease by reducing the body's production of the acid that helps us digest food.

22 Jun 2017

Moderate physical activity linked to healthy glucose metabolism in the brain

People at risk for Alzheimer's disease who do more moderate-intensity physical activity, but not light-intensity physical activity, are more likely to have healthy patterns of glucose metabolism in their brain, according to a new UW-Madison study.

22 Jun 2017

Prenatal exposure to pain-relieving drug can impair development of male behavior

Paracetamol is popular for relieving pain. But if you are pregnant, you should think twice before popping these pills according to the researchers in a new study.

22 Jun 2017

UCLA-led study reveals possibility of CMV and HIV transmission from mothers to infants

HIV-positive women with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, in their urine at the time of labor and delivery are more than five times likelier than HIV-positive women without CMV to transmit HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to their infants, according to a UCLA-led study.

22 Jun 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Kopchicks' $10.5 million gift to fund student fellowships at MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School

Chicken models may shed light on how humans develop sensitive daytime vision

Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Anti-seizure drug could have beneficial effect in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

New study sheds light on how the brain coordinates complex decisions involving altruism and empathy

Novel MRI method uses simple sugar solution instead of conventional contrast agents

Insulin in the brain may help regulate eating behavior and facilitate weight loss, study shows

Greater engagement in leisure activities linked to lower blood pressure of Alzheimer's caregivers

Tiny biological nanoparticles offer enormous potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications

OIST researchers create taurine-modified photosensitizer for brain cancer therapy

New biomarker assay improves detection, assessment of neuroblastoma

Study provides evidence that cortical targets could enhance motor function after spinal cord injury

Researchers identify first definitive risk genes for Tourette Syndrome

Cognitive decline may be prevented using interventions but may be inadequate says report

Memories stored in same neuron can be selectively erased, study suggests

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

Proton pump inhibitors do not increase risk for dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Moderate physical activity linked to healthy glucose metabolism in the brain

Prenatal exposure to pain-relieving drug can impair development of male behavior

UCLA-led study reveals possibility of CMV and HIV transmission from mothers to infants

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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