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.

Researchers develop new strategy to convert fibroblasts directly into neuronal cells

Researchers have used CRISPR -- a revolutionary new genetic engineering technique -- to convert cells isolated from mouse connective tissue directly into neuronal cells.

11 Aug 2016

Research highlights interaction between biological clock and sleep loss at regional brain level

Ever wondered what happens inside your brain when you stay awake for a day, a night and another day, before you finally go to sleep? In a new study published today in the journal Science, a team of researchers from the University of Liege and the University of Surrey have scanned the brains of 33 participants across such a 2-day sleep deprivation period and following recovery sleep.

11 Aug 2016

Scientists activate neurons in the mouse brain by injecting virus containing light-sensitive proteins

Neurons that fire together really do wire together, says a new study in Science, suggesting that the three-pound computer in our heads may be more malleable than we think.

11 Aug 2016

MPFI researchers induce and visualize formation of new synapses in real time in live animals

The formation of excitatory and inhibitory synapses between neurons during early development gives rise to the neuronal networks that enable sensory and cognitive functions in humans.

11 Aug 2016

Scientists provide new insights into workings of cancer-linked potassium channel

Most cells in the body carry on their surface tiny pores through which potassium ions travel. In controlling the flow of these positively charged ions, the channel helps the cell maintain its electrical balance.

11 Aug 2016

USC researchers discover two Zika proteins potentially responsible for microcephaly

USC researchers have tracked down two Zika proteins potentially responsible for thousands of microcephaly cases in Brazil and elsewhere — taking one small step toward preventing Zika-infected mothers from birthing babies with abnormally small heads.

11 Aug 2016

Antioxidant compound could be effective to combat immune rejection after islet transplantation

A team of researchers has found that doses of bilirubin help provide suppression of the immune response following islet transplantation in mouse models.

11 Aug 2016

Being overweight associated with reduced white matter volume

From middle-age onwards, the brains of people who are obese or overweight exhibit differences in white matter similar to lean individuals who are 10 years their senior, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge.

11 Aug 2016

Commonly used anti-inflammatory drug shows potential to treat Alzheimer's disease

A research project has shown that an experimental model of Alzheimer's disease can be successfully treated with a commonly used anti-inflammatory drug.

11 Aug 2016

New model of Williams syndrome may shed light on neurobiology of the human social brain

In a study spanning molecular genetics, stem cells and the sciences of both brain and behavior, researchers at University of California San Diego, with colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and elsewhere, have created a neurodevelopmental model of a rare genetic disorder that may provide new insights into the underlying neurobiology of the human social brain.

11 Aug 2016

Novel PET radiotracer reveals epigenetic activity in the human brain for the first time

A novel PET radiotracer developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital is able for the first time to reveal epigenetic activity - the process that determines whether or not genes are expressed - within the human brain.

11 Aug 2016

Scientists create stable boron carrier for targeted radiation-based tumour therapies

Targeted radiation-based therapies for treating cancerous tumours such as 'boron neutron capture therapy' (BNCT), rely on the efficient and effective delivery of the capture agent (in this case, boron) to the tumour.

11 Aug 2016

Researchers examine different dietary approaches to help improve nutrition for poor in Zambia

Over the past several decades in Zambia, data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations show that there has been a decrease in the per capita consumption of milk, meat, and eggs and an increase in starchy roots, primarily cassava.

11 Aug 2016

Postoperative delirium negatively impacts functional recovery in older patients, study finds

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research, in collaboration with scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brown University, and Northeastern University, have discovered that postoperative delirium negatively impacts recovery in older adults.

10 Aug 2016

Early treatment of multiple sclerosis may offer long-lasting effect on disease activity

Starting medication for multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who show the beginning signs of the disease is associated with prolonging the time before the disease is definitively diagnosed, according to a long-term study published in the August 10, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Aug 2016

New study suggests increased levels of hypocretin in the brain may play role in cocaine addiction

A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, suggests that increased levels of a molecule in the brain, called hypocretin, may contribute to cocaine addiction.

10 Aug 2016

Scientists explore neurobiological factors contributing to schizophrenia

Schizophrenic psychoses are a frequently occurring group of psychiatric disorders caused by a combination of biological, social and environmental factors.

10 Aug 2016

Gene mutation linked to impulsive drunken behaviour shields bearers from obesity, insulin resistance

University of Helsinki researchers have previously demonstrated that a point mutation in a gene of serotonin 2B receptor can render the carrier prone to impulsive behaviour, particularly when drunk.

10 Aug 2016

Brain-stimulation method provides significant reductions in phantom limb pain

As many as 25,000 people a year worldwide lose limbs from land mine blasts, and a new study, published in The Journal of Pain, shows that transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) administered to the scalp can stimulate the brain and provide significant reductions in phantom limb pain.

10 Aug 2016

Cardinals appear as super-suppressors protecting Atlanta residents from West Nile Virus

A bird species that does a poor job spreading West Nile virus (WNV) but is particularly likely to get mosquito bites may explain why human infections with the disease are relatively uncommon in Atlanta, Georgia—despite evidence of high rates of virus circulating in the local bird population, according to a new study published online today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

10 Aug 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers develop new strategy to convert fibroblasts directly into neuronal cells

Research highlights interaction between biological clock and sleep loss at regional brain level

Scientists activate neurons in the mouse brain by injecting virus containing light-sensitive proteins

MPFI researchers induce and visualize formation of new synapses in real time in live animals

Scientists provide new insights into workings of cancer-linked potassium channel

USC researchers discover two Zika proteins potentially responsible for microcephaly

Antioxidant compound could be effective to combat immune rejection after islet transplantation

Being overweight associated with reduced white matter volume

Commonly used anti-inflammatory drug shows potential to treat Alzheimer's disease

New model of Williams syndrome may shed light on neurobiology of the human social brain

Novel PET radiotracer reveals epigenetic activity in the human brain for the first time

Scientists create stable boron carrier for targeted radiation-based tumour therapies

Researchers examine different dietary approaches to help improve nutrition for poor in Zambia

Postoperative delirium negatively impacts functional recovery in older patients, study finds

Early treatment of multiple sclerosis may offer long-lasting effect on disease activity

New study suggests increased levels of hypocretin in the brain may play role in cocaine addiction

Scientists explore neurobiological factors contributing to schizophrenia

Gene mutation linked to impulsive drunken behaviour shields bearers from obesity, insulin resistance

Brain-stimulation method provides significant reductions in phantom limb pain

Cardinals appear as super-suppressors protecting Atlanta residents from West Nile Virus

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

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

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