Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Researchers discover 'Developmental Split-Brain syndrome' caused by biallelic mutations in DCC gene

In a study published in Nature Genetics, Dr Saumya Jamuar, co-founder of Global Gene Corp and a visiting scientist at Harvard Medical School, under the supervision of Prof Christopher Walsh and A/Prof Timothy Yu of Harvard Medical School, reports on a new disease entity that they discovered in their quest to map novel human disorders related to brain development.

3 Mar 2017

Rheumatoid arthritis drug blocks metabolic pathway, reduces breast cancer tumors in mice

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that a rheumatoid arthritis drug can block a metabolic pathway that occurs in tumors with a common cancer-causing gene mutation, offering a new possible therapy for aggressive cancers with few therapeutic options, according to a study to be published in Cancer Discovery.

3 Mar 2017

TOXIC COCKTAIL: New book provides insights into how chemical pollution affects brain development

Today, everyone carries a toxic load of industrially-produced chemicals in their bloodstream: pesticides, plasticizers, disinfectant products, flame-retardants, surfactants, and UV filters. These chemicals are harmful to everyone, but they are particularly dangerous to pregnant women and their developing fetuses.

3 Mar 2017

Study provides better understanding of MS patients at higher risk of getting worse

In older people with MS, having fatigue and limited leg function is more often seen in people with MS progression than in those without, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

3 Mar 2017

Benefits of compact MRI

The kind of research I'm interested in is a technique called diffusion MRI and this technique is sensitive to the microstructure of the tissue. Particular clinical applications that it is used for are cancer and looking at neurodegenerative diseases.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 3 Mar 2017

Specialized nerve cells play key role in controlling information flow in the brain, study finds

Specialized nerve cells, known as somatostatin-expressing (Sst) interneurons, in the outer part of the mammalian brain (or cerebral cortex) — play a key role in controlling how information flows in the brain when it is awake and alert.

3 Mar 2017

UAB professor receives grant for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder research

University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Professor David Vance, Ph.D., has received a two-year, $404,250 R21 grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research for his project "Individualized-Targeted Training in Older Adults with HAND" to develop cognitive training interventions to improve everyday functioning and quality of life of those with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder.

3 Mar 2017

Scientists reveal new ‘threshold theory’ of how Parkinson's disease spreads

The toxic protein behind Parkinson's disease may not spread like an infection from nerve cell to nerve, according to a new theory by Technion and Harvard University scientists.

2 Mar 2017

Sex differences in microglia activity affect pain treatment, study finds

A female brain's resident immune cells are more active in regions involved in pain processing relative to males, according to a recent study by Georgia State University researchers.

2 Mar 2017

Neuroprotective compound could save brain cells during stroke, rat study shows

Researchers from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have shown that a neuroprotective compound tested in rats provides two-pronged protection for brain cells during stroke and improves physical and cognitive outcomes in the treated animals.

2 Mar 2017

Researchers discover CTE in deceased patient's brain with no known history of head trauma

Researchers at Toronto Western Hospital's Canadian Concussion Centre have discovered the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of a deceased patient with no known history of traumatic brain injury or concussion, the first known case of its kind.

2 Mar 2017

City of Hope researchers find how HER2-positive breast cancer patients develop brain metastases

Ninety percent of cancer deaths are from cancer spread. Breast cancer patients, for example, typically do not die because cancer returns in their breast, they die because it spreads to other parts of their body. The most dangerous of which is the brain.

2 Mar 2017

BUSM researchers participate in five-year program to develop biomarkers for small vessel disease

To better predict, study and diagnose small vessel disease in the brain and its role in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), Boston University School of Medicine has been selected to participate in MarkVCID, a consortium designed to accelerate the development of new and existing biomarkers for small vessel VCID.

2 Mar 2017

Red hair-related gene variant may contribute to link between melanoma and Parkinson's disease

A gene variant that produces red hair and fair skin in humans and in mice, which increases the risk of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma, may also contribute to the known association between melanoma and Parkinson's disease.

2 Mar 2017

New optical nanosensor enables spatiotemporal mapping of the brain with improved accuracy

A new optical nanosensor enabling more accurate measurement and spatiotemporal mapping of the brain also shows the way forward for design of future multimodal sensors and a broader range of applications, say researchers in an article published in the current issue of Neurophotonics.

2 Mar 2017

Study shows how ‘secondhand sugar’ can pass from mother to infant through breast milk

Add breast milk to the list of foods and beverages that contain fructose, a sweetener linked to health issues ranging from obesity to diabetes.

2 Mar 2017

Advances in Optogenetics

Optogenetics is a way of introducing information into the brain using light, it targets specific cells or connections across the brain. It is fast, like brain signaling, and helps you communicate with neural circuitry in a language more similar to what is normally used within the brain.

From Pittcon 2 Mar 2017

New wireless patch may help reduce migraine pain as well as drugs, study suggests

A preliminary study suggests that a new, wireless patch that you wear on your arm may help reduce migraine pain as well as drugs. The study is published in the March 1, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Mar 2017

Newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease is caused by thymomas, study finds

A Japanese research group has discovered that a newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease that leads to hypopituitarism is caused by thymomas (a type of tumor originating from the thymic gland).

2 Mar 2017

Gut bacteria impact intestinal and behavioural symptoms in IBS patients, study finds

Research from McMaster University has found that bacteria in the gut impacts both intestinal and behavioural symptoms in patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a finding which could lead to new microbiota-directed treatments.

2 Mar 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers discover 'Developmental Split-Brain syndrome' caused by biallelic mutations in DCC gene

Rheumatoid arthritis drug blocks metabolic pathway, reduces breast cancer tumors in mice

TOXIC COCKTAIL: New book provides insights into how chemical pollution affects brain development

Study provides better understanding of MS patients at higher risk of getting worse

Benefits of compact MRI

Specialized nerve cells play key role in controlling information flow in the brain, study finds

UAB professor receives grant for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder research

Scientists reveal new ‘threshold theory’ of how Parkinson's disease spreads

Sex differences in microglia activity affect pain treatment, study finds

Neuroprotective compound could save brain cells during stroke, rat study shows

Researchers discover CTE in deceased patient's brain with no known history of head trauma

City of Hope researchers find how HER2-positive breast cancer patients develop brain metastases

BUSM researchers participate in five-year program to develop biomarkers for small vessel disease

Red hair-related gene variant may contribute to link between melanoma and Parkinson's disease

New optical nanosensor enables spatiotemporal mapping of the brain with improved accuracy

Study shows how ‘secondhand sugar’ can pass from mother to infant through breast milk

Advances in Optogenetics

New wireless patch may help reduce migraine pain as well as drugs, study suggests

Newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease is caused by thymomas, study finds

Gut bacteria impact intestinal and behavioural symptoms in IBS patients, study finds

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

Latest News