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.

Electrical stimulation of the brain may help preserve visual neurons from cell death after injury

Electrical stimulation of the brain by applying current to the eye may help retinal nerve cells to survive injury. While these neurons may not be restored to full function, they are prevented from dying. But to achieve survival, their interconnections, the dendritic tree, needs to disconnect rapidly for the protective action to unfold.

18 May 2017

IBS scientists uncover biological pathway that contributes to thyroid disorder

A team led by KOH Gou Young, director of the Center for Vascular Research, within the Institute for Basic Science, in collaboration with Chungnam National University, clarified the molecular mechanism to explain how the thyroid and surrounding vascular system change in the most common form of hyperthyroidism.

18 May 2017

Biochemical self-destruct trigger guards brain cells when fighting against West Nile virus

In a turnabout, a biochemical self-destruct trigger found in many other types of cells appears to guard the lives of brain cells during an infection with West Nile virus.

18 May 2017

KU Leuven researchers identify vital role of TET1 protein in earliest stages of embryonic development

In the earliest stages of embryonic development, a protein known as TET1 may be the factor that tips the balance toward health or disease.

18 May 2017

University of Warwick research focuses on absence epilepsy that affects children

A University of Warwick study to understand a form of epilepsy that affects children has received a grant from the charity Epilepsy Research UK. The research focuses on absence epilepsy which is largely a childhood condition which is characterized by sudden, brief interruptions of consciousness.

18 May 2017

Scientists reveal new control mechanism for gene that causes Opitz syndrome

Opitz G/BBB (Opitz) syndrome is a hereditary disorder that affects people in different ways, causing malformations in medial (midline) organs and structures, intellectual disability and developmental disorders.

18 May 2017

Researchers identify mechanisms behind loss of sensory perception in Parkinson's disease

Although Parkinson's disease is often associated with motor symptoms such as stiffness, poor balance and trembling, the first symptoms are often sensory and include a reduced sense of touch and smell. In a study on mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now been able to identify neural circuits and mechanisms behind this loss of sensory perception.

18 May 2017

DAWN trial: Mechanical thrombectomy plus medication significantly decreases post-stroke disability

Results from the DAWN stroke trial presented at the European Stroke Organization Conference provide compelling evidence that selected patients suffering a major ischemic stroke recovered significantly better with mechanical retrieval of the blood clot with medical therapy compared with medical therapy alone when initiated past the current guidelines of within 6 hours and up to 24 hours of the stroke.

18 May 2017

Computer-based brain training improves cognitive symptoms in patients with MS, study shows

A newly published study from researchers at the New York University Langone Medical Center showed that brain training had significantly greater impact on improving cognition in patients with Multiple Sclerosis than the computer games used as an active comparison group.

18 May 2017

Study findings reveal racial and ethnic disparities in access to neurologic health care

Black and Hispanic people are less likely to see a neurologist in the office or as an outpatient than white people in the United States, according to a study published in the May 17, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 May 2017

Researchers identify DNA repair deficiency in many types of solid tumors

A new investigation of more than 48,000 stored tumor samples finds evidence of a key deficiency in a repair mechanism designed to keep DNA from being mutated and causing cancer.

18 May 2017

Newly identified biomarkers could help predict cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease patients

New biomarkers identified by a research team in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania could help predict which Parkinson's disease patients will suffer significant cognitive deficits within the first three years of their diagnosis.

18 May 2017

Brisbane researchers synthetically re-create Zika virus to better understand birth defects

Brisbane researchers have synthetically re-created Zika virus in the laboratory - a breakthrough which will help to understand the virus and the fetal brain defects it causes.

17 May 2017

Researchers identify new drug target for two common types of myeloid leukemia

University of Georgia researchers, with colleagues from the University of Tokyo, have identified a new drug target for the two most common types of myeloid leukemia, including a way to turn back the most aggressive form of the disease.

17 May 2017

Blind people use ‘brain map’ to differentiate between visual categories

Is what you're looking at an object, a face, or a tree? When processing visual input, our brain uses different areas to recognize faces, body parts, scenes, and objects.

17 May 2017

University of Guelph researcher discovers effective way to treat shortness of breath in heart failure

Shortness of breath is the No.1 complaint of people suffering from heart failure. Now a University of Guelph researcher has discovered its surprising cause - and an effective treatment - in a groundbreaking new study.

17 May 2017

Researchers identify new way to prevent pneumococci from entering the brain

An international team of researchers, led from Karolinska Institutet, has identified two receptors on the cells in the blood vessels of the brain that can be blocked and thereby prevent pneumococci from entering the brain.

17 May 2017

Study reveals that large number of people in the U.S. drink at very high levels

Nearly 32 million adults in the United States (13 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 and older) consumed more than twice the number of drinks considered binge drinking on at least one occasion, according to a 2013 survey that asked about past-year drinking.

17 May 2017

HSE researchers uncover new brain mechanism that generates cognitive dissonance

A new study by HSE researchers has uncovered a new brain mechanism that generates cognitive dissonance - a mental discomfort experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs or values, or experiences difficulties in making decisions.

17 May 2017

Simple computer game shows potential to improve food choices in young children

A simple brain-training game could help children choose healthy snacks instead of chocolate and sweets, according to a new study.

17 May 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Electrical stimulation of the brain may help preserve visual neurons from cell death after injury

IBS scientists uncover biological pathway that contributes to thyroid disorder

Biochemical self-destruct trigger guards brain cells when fighting against West Nile virus

KU Leuven researchers identify vital role of TET1 protein in earliest stages of embryonic development

University of Warwick research focuses on absence epilepsy that affects children

Scientists reveal new control mechanism for gene that causes Opitz syndrome

Researchers identify mechanisms behind loss of sensory perception in Parkinson's disease

DAWN trial: Mechanical thrombectomy plus medication significantly decreases post-stroke disability

Computer-based brain training improves cognitive symptoms in patients with MS, study shows

Study findings reveal racial and ethnic disparities in access to neurologic health care

Researchers identify DNA repair deficiency in many types of solid tumors

Newly identified biomarkers could help predict cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease patients

Brisbane researchers synthetically re-create Zika virus to better understand birth defects

Researchers identify new drug target for two common types of myeloid leukemia

Blind people use ‘brain map’ to differentiate between visual categories

University of Guelph researcher discovers effective way to treat shortness of breath in heart failure

Researchers identify new way to prevent pneumococci from entering the brain

Study reveals that large number of people in the U.S. drink at very high levels

HSE researchers uncover new brain mechanism that generates cognitive dissonance

Simple computer game shows potential to improve food choices in young children

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