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 underlines significance of microglia for homeostasis in the brain

The role of microglial cells in neurodegenerative disease is not fully understood. But new results from researchers in Munich and Basel suggest that stimulation of this arm of the immune system might well delay the onset of such disorders.

2 Jun 2017

Scientists test hypothesis about evolution of neural circuits and behavior

Scientists at Georgia State University have rewired the neural circuit of one species and given it the connections of another species to test a hypothesis about the evolution of neural circuits and behavior.

2 Jun 2017

Scientists discover unexpected mechanism behind chronic nerve pain

It has long been assumed that chronic nerve pain is caused by hypersensitivity in the neurons that transmit pain.

1 Jun 2017

Study reveals how puberty hormones may impede flexible youthful learning

A University of California, Berkeley, study of mice reveals, for the first time, how puberty hormones might impede some aspects of flexible youthful learning.

1 Jun 2017

Sour-sensing taste cells play key role in detecting water on the tongue

New research from Caltech shows that sour-sensing taste cells play an important role in detecting water on the tongue.

1 Jun 2017

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Stress affects the body and can trigger illness -- from psychiatric disorders to heart disease. Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life -- as children, in adolescence, and in old age. But when is the impact of stress on our systems most powerful? Many researchers maintain that the critical effect occurs prenatally, inside the womb.

1 Jun 2017

Advanced maternal age does not increase birth risks, study finds

A number of previous scientific studies have found that among mothers 35 or older, there is an elevated risk that their children are born preterm (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) or with low birth weight (less than 2.5 kilograms).

1 Jun 2017

TMS therapy offers hope for senior adults with depression

Late-life depression (LLD) is a frequent complication of the aging process, occurring in up to 5% of senior adults and in a higher proportion of subjects with coexistent medical illnesses.

1 Jun 2017

Insilico Medicine launches personalized drug discovery platform to develop new treatments for ALS

Today, Insilico Medicine, Inc., a company applying the latest advances in deep learning to biomarker development, drug discovery and aging research, launched ALS.AI, a personalized drug discovery and biomarker development platform utilizing the latest advances in deep learning.

1 Jun 2017

Researchers reveal how social laughter leads to endorphin release in the brain

Finnish and British researchers have revealed how laughter releases endorphins in the human brain. The more opioid receptors the participants had in their brain, the more they laughed during the experiment.

1 Jun 2017

Common acne medication can slow progress of relapsing-remitting MS, trial shows

A Canadian clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute, at the Cumming School of Medicine, shows that minocycline, a common acne medication, can slow the progress of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who have recently experienced their first symptoms.

1 Jun 2017

Impaired ability to understand social cues may be linked to brain changes in people with MS

For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an impaired ability to understand how others feel and think may be linked to subtle brain changes, according to a study published in the May 31, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Jun 2017

Chronic pain may occur when receptors migrate from nerve cell's surface to inner chambers

A study led by Columbia University Medical Center has shown that chronic pain may occur when pain receptors migrate from the nerve cell's surface to the cell's inner chambers, out of the reach of current pain medications.

1 Jun 2017

Key metabolic enzyme fuels molecular machinery to turn on memory genes after learning

Understanding how memories are made, retrieved, and eventually fade over a lifetime is the stuff of poems and song. To medical researchers, solving the mysteries of memory is even more elusive.

1 Jun 2017

Putting in place an A-team of allies

Earlier this year, 30 senior citizens convened in a living room to talk about growing older and needing more help.

1 Jun 2017

Study: Engaging with children while reading books gives their brain a cognitive ‘boost’

While reading to children has many benefits, simply speaking the words aloud may not be enough to improve cognitive development in preschoolers.

1 Jun 2017

Understanding stroke: Symptoms and treatment

A stroke is a "brain attack" and occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off. According to Kenneth A. Levin, M.D., Medical Director, The Valley Hospital Stroke Center, "Most strokes are caused by a blood clot that has built up on the wall of a brain artery or one that has traveled there from another part of the body (an embolic stroke or ischemic stroke).

1 Jun 2017

Scientists identify 100 genes that provide new entry points into understanding human memory

Scientists have identified more than 100 genes linked to memory, opening new avenues of research to better understand memory processing in the human brain.

1 Jun 2017

New method combines organoid technology with bioengineering to build better brains

A few years ago, Jürgen Knoblich and his team at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) have pioneered brain organoid technology. They developed a method for cultivating three-dimensional brain-like structures, so called cerebral organoids, in a dish.

1 Jun 2017

Phase 2 clinical study examines Alzheimer's disease drug to treat adults with Down syndrome

A phase 2 clinical trial in young adults with Down syndrome of a drug being investigated for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease supports further investigation of its potential.

1 Jun 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study underlines significance of microglia for homeostasis in the brain

Scientists test hypothesis about evolution of neural circuits and behavior

Scientists discover unexpected mechanism behind chronic nerve pain

Study reveals how puberty hormones may impede flexible youthful learning

Sour-sensing taste cells play key role in detecting water on the tongue

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Advanced maternal age does not increase birth risks, study finds

TMS therapy offers hope for senior adults with depression

Insilico Medicine launches personalized drug discovery platform to develop new treatments for ALS

Researchers reveal how social laughter leads to endorphin release in the brain

Common acne medication can slow progress of relapsing-remitting MS, trial shows

Impaired ability to understand social cues may be linked to brain changes in people with MS

Chronic pain may occur when receptors migrate from nerve cell's surface to inner chambers

Key metabolic enzyme fuels molecular machinery to turn on memory genes after learning

Putting in place an A-team of allies

Study: Engaging with children while reading books gives their brain a cognitive ‘boost’

Understanding stroke: Symptoms and treatment

Scientists identify 100 genes that provide new entry points into understanding human memory

New method combines organoid technology with bioengineering to build better brains

Phase 2 clinical study examines Alzheimer's disease drug to treat adults with Down syndrome

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd 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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