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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: Epilepsy patients want physicians to share information about rare risk of death

People with epilepsy want their health care providers to tell them about a rare risk of death associated with the disorder, 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.

24 Feb 2017

Self-administered virtual supermarket cognitive training game can remotely detect MCI, study shows

Greek researchers demonstrated the potential of a self-administered virtual supermarket cognitive training game for remotely detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI), without the need for an examiner, among a sample of older adults.

24 Feb 2017

Study: Adolescents who report daytime sleepiness more likely to commit crimes in adulthood

In a recent study of adolescents, those who reported being sleepy during the day were more likely to be antisocial, and they were 4.5-times more likely to commit crime by age 29.

24 Feb 2017

Discovery of dual role played by PGK1 enzyme may indicate new therapeutic target for brain cancer

Discovery of a dual role played by the enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) may indicate a new therapeutic target for glioblastoma, an often fatal form of brain cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

24 Feb 2017

TSRI study defines new protocol for MRI scanning in patients with implanted cardiac devices

The MagnaSafe Registry, a new multicenter study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has demonstrated that appropriately screened and monitored patients with standard or non-MRI-conditional pacemakers and defibrillators can undergo MRI at a field strength of 1.5 tesla without harm.

24 Feb 2017

Scientists establish ‘tipping point’ molecular link between blood sugar and Alzheimer's disease

For the first time a "tipping point" molecular link between the blood sugar glucose and Alzheimer's disease has been established by scientists, who have shown that excess glucose damages a vital enzyme involved with inflammation response to the early stages of Alzheimer's.

24 Feb 2017

Cocaine use by fathers may negatively impact cognitive development in male offspring

Fathers who use cocaine at the time of conceiving a child may be putting their sons at risk of learning disabilities and memory loss.

24 Feb 2017

Cerebellum can be responsible for brain alterations linked to drug addiction, research shows

An international research team led by the Universitat Jaume I has shown that the cerebellum, contrary to what was thought, fulfils functions that go beyond the motor sphere and can be co-responsible for the brain alterations associated with addictive consumption of drugs.

23 Feb 2017

Alterations in brain connectivity can aid diagnosis and prediction of outcomes in mTBI patients

A new study shows that patients with mild traumatic brain injury, even without evidence of brain lesions, may exhibit changes in brain connectivity detectable at the time of the injury that can aid in diagnosis and predicting the effects on cognitive and behavioral performance at 6 months.

23 Feb 2017

Study identifies new role of cholesterol in regulating brain proteins

A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics at the Faculty of Medicine in Charité Hospital, Berlin, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrates that the cholesterol present in cell membranes can interfere with the function of an important brain membrane protein, through a previously unknown mode of interaction.

23 Feb 2017

Daytime sleepiness during teenage years linked to criminal offenses later in life

Teenagers who self-report feeling drowsy mid-afternoon also tend to exhibit more anti-social behavior such as lying, cheating, stealing and fighting.

23 Feb 2017

Single flexible fiber delivers combination of signals back and forth into the brain

For the first time ever, a single flexible fiber no bigger than a human hair has successfully delivered a combination of optical, electrical, and chemical signals back and forth into the brain, putting into practice an idea first proposed two years ago.

23 Feb 2017

Nebraska researcher develops equation to pinpoint athletes who try to evade concussion protocols

An equation that combines multiple subtest scores into one could make fooling a concussion protocol nothing more than a fool's errand, says a recent study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

23 Feb 2017

BIDMC review focuses on neural circuitry of wakefulness and sleep

Sleep remains an enduring biological mystery with major clinical relevance, according to a review by clinician-researcher Thomas Scammell, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and colleagues.

23 Feb 2017

Precise inactivation of neurotransmitter receptors using CALI technique erases fear memory in mice

The delivery of chemical messenger (neurotransmitter) receptors to the junctions between nerve cells (synapses) is crucial to cognitive processes such as memory.

23 Feb 2017

Vision scientists uncover reasons behind unusual perceptual properties of the eye's fovea

Vision scientists have uncovered some of the reasons behind the unusual perceptual properties of the eye's fovea. Only humans and other primates have this dimple-like structure in their retinas.

23 Feb 2017

Research advances understanding of neuroimmune mechanisms in ASD

In the Biological Psychiatry special issue "Neuroimmune Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorder", guest editor Professor Kimberley McAllister of the University of California, Davis, presents five reviews and three original research articles highlighting advances that are transforming the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research.

23 Feb 2017

Study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms behind short-term neuronal plasticity

In a study published in Cell Reports in February 2017, Matt Rowan, Ph.D., a Post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Jason Christie, sought to understand the molecular mechanisms behind a type of short-term neuronal plasticity that may have importance for motor control.

23 Feb 2017

Study reveals mechanisms behind Zika transmission to fetus and adverse perinatal outcomes

Johns Hopkins researchers say that in early pregnancy in mice with complete immune systems, Zika virus can cross the placenta -- intended to protect the developing fetus -- and appears to lead to a high percentage of miscarriages and to babies born with thin brain tissue and inflammation in brain cells.

23 Feb 2017

Study shows how variations in receptor genes may lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder traits

A new Northwestern Medicine study found evidence suggesting how neural dysfunction in a certain region of the brain can lead to obsessive and repetitive behaviors much like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

22 Feb 2017

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Epilepsy patients want physicians to share information about rare risk of death

Self-administered virtual supermarket cognitive training game can remotely detect MCI, study shows

Study: Adolescents who report daytime sleepiness more likely to commit crimes in adulthood

Discovery of dual role played by PGK1 enzyme may indicate new therapeutic target for brain cancer

TSRI study defines new protocol for MRI scanning in patients with implanted cardiac devices

Scientists establish ‘tipping point’ molecular link between blood sugar and Alzheimer's disease

Cocaine use by fathers may negatively impact cognitive development in male offspring

Cerebellum can be responsible for brain alterations linked to drug addiction, research shows

Alterations in brain connectivity can aid diagnosis and prediction of outcomes in mTBI patients

Study identifies new role of cholesterol in regulating brain proteins

Daytime sleepiness during teenage years linked to criminal offenses later in life

Single flexible fiber delivers combination of signals back and forth into the brain

Nebraska researcher develops equation to pinpoint athletes who try to evade concussion protocols

BIDMC review focuses on neural circuitry of wakefulness and sleep

Precise inactivation of neurotransmitter receptors using CALI technique erases fear memory in mice

Vision scientists uncover reasons behind unusual perceptual properties of the eye's fovea

Research advances understanding of neuroimmune mechanisms in ASD

Study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms behind short-term neuronal plasticity

Study reveals mechanisms behind Zika transmission to fetus and adverse perinatal outcomes

Study shows how variations in receptor genes may lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder traits

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

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