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.

Transcranial direct current stimulation proves effective for binge-eating disorder

Transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, has proved effective for binge-eating disorder for the first time, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

10 May 2016

Experimental therapy stops glioblastoma, high-grade gliomas in human cells and mouse models

Researchers report in the journal Cancer Cell an experimental therapy that in laboratory tests on human cells and mouse models stops aggressive, treatment-resistant and deadly brain cancers called glioblastoma and high-grade gliomas.

10 May 2016

Neuroimaging studies offer new insights into cognitive vulnerability to depression

Neuroimaging studies of interconnected brain networks may provide the "missing links" between behavioral and biological models of cognitive vulnerability to depression, according to a research review in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

10 May 2016

CoSTREAM project aims to find common mechanisms, pathways in stroke and Alzheimer's disease

Stroke and Alzheimer's disease are major diseases imposing a huge burden on aging societies. It has long been recognized that stroke and Alzheimer's disease often co-occur, and it has been speculated that the two disorders have an overlapping pathogenesis.

10 May 2016

New set of practice guidelines from WMS may help in treatment, prevention of drowning

Drowning is a global threat to human health. Each year, more than 372,000 people die as a result of drowning, with many of those deaths being preventable by simple water safety measures. In order to arm professionals with the most up-to-date clinical protocols, the Wilderness Medical Society has issued a new set of practice guidelines for both the treatment and prevention of drowning, published in the society's official journal, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.

10 May 2016

School children participate in The Next Big Thing Challenge at Siemens offices in Frimley

Pupils had 3 months to come up with solutions to a variety of high level challenges faced in the healthcare environment and UK market. The challenge encourages Key Stage 4 students to find out more about the world of engineering and technology.

9 May 2016

Scientists develop new technology that helps visualize translation of mRNA into proteins

For the first time, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have developed a technology allowing them to "see" single molecules of messenger RNA as they are translated into proteins in living mammalian cells. Initial findings using this technology that may shed light on neurological diseases as well as cancer were published online today in Science.

9 May 2016

Survey finds variability among physicians when treating stroke patients

A physician has to make many quick decisions when confronted with a stroke patient. Should treatment be intensive or comfort-based, or somewhere in between?

9 May 2016

Study hints at new therapeutic approach to mitigate effects of prenatal Zika virus infection

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently concluded that Zika virus infection in pregnant women can stunt neonatal brain development, leading to babies born with abnormally small heads, a condition known as microcephaly. Now, for the first time, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have determined one way Zika infection can damage developing brain cells.

9 May 2016

High levels of exercise from young age can benefit patients with cerebral palsy

For highly trained Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP), bone mineral density and other measures of body composition are similar to those of able-bodied adults of similar age, reports a study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists.

9 May 2016

Adolescent behavior expert suggests early screening to assess teenagers at vaping risk

During a checkup, physicians and nurses often ask about drinking habits, safe sex practice or cigarette use. Vaping is rarely mentioned.

9 May 2016

New eye scan may detect onset of Alzheimer's disease

Early structural changes in the back of the eye — now visible with a newly developed eye scan — may indicate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology this week in Seattle, Wash.

6 May 2016

Scientists use non-invasive way to track rapid myelination of nerve fibers in children's brains

Much like electricity traveling down wires, nerve impulses in our brain travel along nerve fibers. And just as wires need insulation to function well, nerve fibers, too, rely on a kind of insulation called myelin, a fatty substance that protects them and increases the speed at which nerve impulses travel.

6 May 2016

Gene-replacement therapy could be potential treatment option for SMARD1

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease that causes progressive degeneration in the nerve cells that control muscles, thereby causing muscle weakness and eventually death.

6 May 2016

Memory study shows how people can intentionally forget past experiences

Context plays a big role in our memories, both good and bad. Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" on the car radio, for example, may remind you of your first love -- or your first speeding ticket. But a Dartmouth- and Princeton-led brain scanning study shows that people can intentionally forget past experiences by changing how they think about the context of those memories.

6 May 2016

Implantable brain device shows promising results in animal study

An implantable brain device that literally melts away at a pre-determined rate minimizes injury to tissue normally associated with standard electrode implantation, according to research led by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

6 May 2016

UA researchers one step closer to preventing asthma in children

Efforts to improve the health of children at increased risk for asthma will receive a major boost with the launch of a new University of Arizona Health Sciences-led, federally funded national clinical study. For Fernando D. Martinez, MD, and his colleagues at the UA Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, this study follows 30 years of research to prevent and cure this chronic disease.

6 May 2016

Barrow research focuses on use of new technology for imaging brain tumors

Scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute have recently made discoveries about use of a new technology for imaging brain tumors in the operating room -- a finding that could have important implications for identifying and locating invading cells at the edge of a brain tumor.

5 May 2016

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

A new study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, Warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

5 May 2016

Older adults become more sensitive to pain, study shows

When older relatives complain about their pains, show a little empathy, because new research suggests that as we age, we may all become more sensitive to pain. A small, preliminary University of Florida Health study has suggested for the first time that inflammation may occur more quickly and at a higher magnitude -- and stays around longer -- when older adults experience pain versus when younger adults experience pain.

5 May 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Transcranial direct current stimulation proves effective for binge-eating disorder

Experimental therapy stops glioblastoma, high-grade gliomas in human cells and mouse models

Neuroimaging studies offer new insights into cognitive vulnerability to depression

CoSTREAM project aims to find common mechanisms, pathways in stroke and Alzheimer's disease

New set of practice guidelines from WMS may help in treatment, prevention of drowning

School children participate in The Next Big Thing Challenge at Siemens offices in Frimley

Scientists develop new technology that helps visualize translation of mRNA into proteins

Survey finds variability among physicians when treating stroke patients

Study hints at new therapeutic approach to mitigate effects of prenatal Zika virus infection

High levels of exercise from young age can benefit patients with cerebral palsy

Adolescent behavior expert suggests early screening to assess teenagers at vaping risk

New eye scan may detect onset of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists use non-invasive way to track rapid myelination of nerve fibers in children's brains

Gene-replacement therapy could be potential treatment option for SMARD1

Memory study shows how people can intentionally forget past experiences

Implantable brain device shows promising results in animal study

UA researchers one step closer to preventing asthma in children

Barrow research focuses on use of new technology for imaging brain tumors

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

Older adults become more sensitive to pain, study shows

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