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.

Visual brain also involved in prediction of future events, say neuroscientists

For a long time, researchers thought of the visual cortex as a brain area that determines what you perceive based on information coming from the eyes. Neuroscientists from Radboud University now show that the area is also involved in the prediction of future events. Nature Communications publishes the results on May 23.

30 May 2017

Neurons can learn series of reactions at precisely timed intervals, study shows

Individual neurons can learn not only single responses to a particular signal, but also a series of reactions at precisely timed intervals. This is what emerges from a study at Lund University in Sweden.

30 May 2017

Complex impacts of mobile technology on child and adolescent development

A new special section of Child Development shows how particularly diverse the use of mobile technology is among children and adolescents, and points to great complexity in the effects of that usage.

30 May 2017

Raising age limit for routine genetic testing in colorectal cancer could identify more cases of Lynch syndrome

Raising the age limit for routine genetic testing in colorectal cancer could identify more cases of families affected by Lynch syndrome, a condition that accounts for around 5% of all colon cancers, according to new research to be presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday).

29 May 2017

Study offers new insights into brain mechanisms for spatial navigation

An international research team led by UvA researchers Jeroen Bos, Martin Vinck and Cyriel Pennartz has identified a new type of neuron which might play a vital role in humans' ability to navigate their environments. The discovery is an important step towards understanding how the brain codes navigation behaviour at larger scales and could potentially open up new treatment strategies for people with impaired topographical orientation like Alzheimer's patients.

29 May 2017

Legalizing marijuana in Canada will jeopardize health of young people

The federal government's bill C-45 to legalize marijuana in Canada will jeopardize the health of young people and Parliament should vote against it, argues the interim editor-in-chief of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) in an editorial http://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.170555.

29 May 2017

Psychiatrist explains dangerous effects of cocaine addiction

Last year, almost a million in the UK people snorted, dabbed, smoked or injected cocaine, making it the second most popular drug in the country, after cannabis.

29 May 2017

World’s first Percutaneous Injectable Anchor System receives CE Mark approval

Freedom Neuro BV, a medical device distributor for Stimwave Technologies Incorporated, today announced CE Mark approval for the world's first Percutaneous Injectable Anchor System.

27 May 2017

Dragon Master Foundation to fund DIPG trial that will make patient data available live in the cloud

Dragon Master Foundation has announced plans to provide $300,000 in funding for the first clinical trial that will make patient data available live in the cloud while the trial is underway.

27 May 2017

FDA approves expanded use of Zykadia for first-line treatment of ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC

Novartis today announced the US Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of Zykadia (ceritinib) to include the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

27 May 2017

Study aims to find if IV acetaminophen can lead to lower doses of opioids after hip replacement surgery

When considering joint replacement, many patients worry about how much pain they'll experience after surgery. It's a valid concern. Pain control is important not only to avoid discomfort.

26 May 2017

New device can help stroke patients recover some control over paralyzed limbs

Stroke patients who learned to use their minds to open and close a device fitted over their paralyzed hands gained some control over their hands, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

26 May 2017

Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Recent research in mice indicates that destructive activity of cells in the brain is increased after sleep deprivation and may increase the risk of developing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2017

Clinical study tests 100-year-old drug in children with autism spectrum disorder

In a small, randomized Phase I/II clinical trial (SAT1), researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine say a 100-year-old drug called suramin, originally developed to treat African sleeping sickness, was safely administered to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who subsequently displayed measurable, but transient, improvement in core symptoms of autism.

26 May 2017

Gray matter density increases during transition from childhood to young adulthood, study reveals

For years, the common narrative in human developmental neuroimaging has been that gray matter in the brain - the tissue found in regions of the brain responsible for muscle control, sensory perception such as seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control -- declines in adolescence, a finding derived mainly from studies of gray matter volume and cortical thickness (the thickness of the outer layers of brain that contain gray matter).

26 May 2017

Study reveals how enzyme allows brain tumors to grow despite harsh surroundings

All cancer tumors have one thing in common – they must feed themselves to grow and spread, a difficult feat since they are usually in a tumor microenvironment with limited nutrients and oxygen.

26 May 2017

Immunotherapy can be more effective in NSCLC patients who received radiation therapy, study shows

A new study by UCLA scientists has found that the breakthrough immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab can be more effective in improving survival in people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) if they have previously received radiation therapy, compared to those without a history of radiation treatment.

25 May 2017

Study suggests Zika virus poses wider threat in human pregnancies

Zika virus infection passes efficiently from a pregnant monkey to its fetus, spreading inflammatory damage throughout the tissues that support the fetus and the fetus's developing nervous system, and suggesting a wider threat in human pregnancies than generally appreciated.

25 May 2017

Scientists report brain network organization changes that underlie improvements in executive function

As children age into adolescence and on into young adulthood, they show dramatic improvements in their ability to control impulses, stay organized, and make decisions.

25 May 2017

Endoplasmic reticulum stress in the brain may cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Disruptions in a protein folding process occurring in the brain, known as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, may cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, independent of other factors. A research team at the George Washington University published their results in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight.

25 May 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Visual brain also involved in prediction of future events, say neuroscientists

Neurons can learn series of reactions at precisely timed intervals, study shows

Complex impacts of mobile technology on child and adolescent development

Raising age limit for routine genetic testing in colorectal cancer could identify more cases of Lynch syndrome

Study offers new insights into brain mechanisms for spatial navigation

Legalizing marijuana in Canada will jeopardize health of young people

Psychiatrist explains dangerous effects of cocaine addiction

World’s first Percutaneous Injectable Anchor System receives CE Mark approval

Dragon Master Foundation to fund DIPG trial that will make patient data available live in the cloud

FDA approves expanded use of Zykadia for first-line treatment of ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC

Study aims to find if IV acetaminophen can lead to lower doses of opioids after hip replacement surgery

New device can help stroke patients recover some control over paralyzed limbs

Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Clinical study tests 100-year-old drug in children with autism spectrum disorder

Gray matter density increases during transition from childhood to young adulthood, study reveals

Study reveals how enzyme allows brain tumors to grow despite harsh surroundings

Immunotherapy can be more effective in NSCLC patients who received radiation therapy, study shows

Study suggests Zika virus poses wider threat in human pregnancies

Scientists report brain network organization changes that underlie improvements in executive function

Endoplasmic reticulum stress in the brain may cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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