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.

Cerebral vessel disease increases Alzheimer's dementia risk

Cerebral vessel disease may be an under-recognised risk factor for Alzheimer's disease dementia, say researchers.

16 Jun 2016

Music instruction improves cognitive, socio-emotional development in young children

Music instruction appears to accelerate brain development in young children, particularly in the areas of the brain that are responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception and reading skills, according to initial results of a five-year study by USC neuroscientists.

16 Jun 2016

Neck device can protect sportsmen from devastating effects of head injuries

Two new studies involving high school football and hockey players indicate wearing a specifically designed compression collar around the neck may prevent or reduce the devastating effects of head collisions in sports.

16 Jun 2016

Complex 36-point therapeutic personalized program can help reverse memory loss in early AD patients

Results from quantitative MRI and neuropsychological testing show unprecedented improvements in ten patients with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) or its precursors following treatment with a programmatic and personalized therapy. Results from an approach dubbed metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration are now available online in the journal Aging.

16 Jun 2016

TSRI scientists develop novel technique for finding drug candidates

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a powerful new method for finding drug candidates that bind to specific proteins.

16 Jun 2016

New immunotherapy treatment could change the way cancer is treated

In late 2015, former President Jimmy Carter announced that he was free of the metastatic melanoma that had spread to his liver and brain. In addition to surgery and radiation, Carter was treated with an immunotherapy drug, a new approach in cancer treatment that has a promising outlook.

16 Jun 2016

Researchers aim to explore whether cell transplantation can treat temporal lobe epilepsy

Researchers at Cardiff University's School of Medicine are about to explore whether it's possible to treat human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) by transplanting immature neuron cells into the brain.

16 Jun 2016

Emotionally charged events could influence memory to remember subsequent events

Rewarding learning today can improve learning tomorrow; this is one of the conclusions reached by researchers from the Cognition and Brain Plasticity research group of the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge and the University of Barcelona in their last work on the impact of emotions on the way we remember things.

16 Jun 2016

Brain's reward system in obese people operates differently in response to food and dopamine

As young people reach adulthood, their preferences for sweet foods typically decline. But for people with obesity, new research suggests that the drop-off may not be as steep and that the brain's reward system operates differently in obese people than in thinner people, which may play a role in this phenomenon.

16 Jun 2016

Zika protection whilst traveling: an interview with Dr Crystal Aguh

The majority of the countries that are affected by the Zika virus are in the Caribbean. Many of the Caribbean Islands, including large islands such as Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Barbados and US Virgin Islands, as well as Mexico and other countries in Central and South America are affected.

16 Jun 2016

New UCLA study reveals strategy to fight against pesticide-associated Parkinson’s disease

Exposure to a group of common pesticides, called dithiocarbamates, has long been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, although the mechanism by which the compounds exert their toxicity on the brain has not been completely understood.

15 Jun 2016

Already-approved drugs can fight apoptosis evasion in cancer

Cancer cells don't die when they're supposed to. Animal and human bodies follow an orderly process of birthing new cells and killing old ones. But cancer cells escape programmed cell death, called apoptosis, and multiply uncontrollably.

15 Jun 2016

Research highlights significance of ultra-rapid brain responses to threat-related visual stimuli

An international team lead by researchers from CTB-UPM shows that the amygdala in the human brain is able to detect possible threats in the visual environment at ultra-fast time scales.

15 Jun 2016

Maternal SRI treatment may cause microscopic changes in fetal brain structure

A new Finnish study shows that fetal exposure to commonly used SRI drugs may affect brain activity in newborns. The researchers suggest that the effects of drugs on fetal brain function should be assessed more carefully.

15 Jun 2016

Researchers find new method to replicate one of earliest changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at the Babraham Institute have found a way to replicate one of the earliest changes in Alzheimer's disease in a dish. This means that it should now be possible to find out a lot more about why it happens - and how to stop it. The new findings are published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration and supported by the charity Alzheimer's Research UK.

15 Jun 2016

Researcher traces origins of double-trauma amnesia cure belief

Spiers, PhD, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychology, traced the origins of the double-trauma amnesia cure belief in a paper for Neurology titled, "The Head Trauma Amnesia Cure: The Making of a Medical Myth."

15 Jun 2016

New technique may help replace brain cells, restore memory

Although brains—even adult brains—are far more malleable than we used to think, they are eventually subject to age-related illnesses, like dementia, and loss of cognitive function.

15 Jun 2016

Excessive AhR signaling helps explain dioxin-induced abnormal behavioral alterations in mice

Dioxins are environmental pollutants that stay in the body for long periods of time because they can accumulate in fat tissue. They are mainly by-products of combustion and industrial processes.

15 Jun 2016

Scientists aim to heal failing heart with the body’s own cells

Babies born with heart defects live longer than ever thanks to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease. Yet, despite substantial progress, many continue to face bleak odds, lifelong medication, multiple surgeries and progressive heart failure, often requiring a transplant.

15 Jun 2016

CHLA study provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms linked to Prader-Willi syndrome

A study published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms underlying the insatiable hunger and subsequent obesity in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

15 Jun 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Cerebral vessel disease increases Alzheimer's dementia risk

Music instruction improves cognitive, socio-emotional development in young children

Neck device can protect sportsmen from devastating effects of head injuries

Complex 36-point therapeutic personalized program can help reverse memory loss in early AD patients

TSRI scientists develop novel technique for finding drug candidates

New immunotherapy treatment could change the way cancer is treated

Researchers aim to explore whether cell transplantation can treat temporal lobe epilepsy

Emotionally charged events could influence memory to remember subsequent events

Brain's reward system in obese people operates differently in response to food and dopamine

Zika protection whilst traveling: an interview with Dr Crystal Aguh

New UCLA study reveals strategy to fight against pesticide-associated Parkinson’s disease

Already-approved drugs can fight apoptosis evasion in cancer

Research highlights significance of ultra-rapid brain responses to threat-related visual stimuli

Maternal SRI treatment may cause microscopic changes in fetal brain structure

Researchers find new method to replicate one of earliest changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Researcher traces origins of double-trauma amnesia cure belief

New technique may help replace brain cells, restore memory

Excessive AhR signaling helps explain dioxin-induced abnormal behavioral alterations in mice

Scientists aim to heal failing heart with the body’s own cells

CHLA study provides novel insights into the brain mechanisms linked to Prader-Willi syndrome

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

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