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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 aims to determine how aches, pains before and after concussion play role in recovery

Athletes who have medical complaints, like aches and pains, that have no known physical cause may take longer to recover after a concussion, according to a study published in the April 20, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists uncover unique cellular defects linked with SLOS using novel stem-cell model

Studies performed by a Sanford Research scientist using an innovative stem-cell model for a fatal developmental disorder is the focus of a recent study published in Nature Medicine. Kevin Francis, Ph.D. uncovered unique cellular defects associated with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) by modeling this disease using induced pluripotent stem cells.

21 Apr 2016

Researchers reposition existing prazosin drug to combat glioblastoma

Treatments available for glioblastoma—malignant brain tumors—have little effect. An international collaboration led by the Laboratoire Neurosciences Paris-Seine tested active ingredients from existing medications and eventually identified one compound of interest, prazosin, on these tumors. Not only did it seem to be effective in this type of cancer, but it also acted on a signaling pathway that is common with other cancers.

21 Apr 2016

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Because billions of neurons are packed into our brain, the neuronal circuits that are responsible for controlling our behaviors are by necessity highly intermingled. This tangled web makes it complicated for scientists to determine exactly which circuits do what. Now, using two laboratory techniques pioneered in part at Caltech, Caltech researchers have mapped out the pathways of a set of neurons responsible for the kinds of motor impairments--such as difficulty walking--found in patients with Parkinson's disease.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists find interaction between amyloid and tau proteins that cause brain damage linked with AD

For years, neuroscientists have puzzled over how two abnormal proteins, called amyloid and tau, accumulate in the brain and damage it to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). Which one is the driving force behind dementia? The answer: both of them, according to a new study by researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute.

21 Apr 2016

Using Proteomics to Understand Alzheimer’s: An Interview with Dr Renã Robinson

In our bioanalytical mass spectrometry lab we use proteomics techniques to try to understand more about Alzheimer's disease. The primary thrust of our research is that we're interested in understanding the changes that take place outside of the brain and how those correlate with what's taking place inside the brain

From Pittcon 21 Apr 2016

Non-invasive optogenetic therapy can help treat chronic pain

The potential of light as a non-invasive, highly-focused alternative to pain medication was made more apparent thanks to research conducted by scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre.

21 Apr 2016

New study shows visuomotor errors accumulate during memory delay

Who will win the women's singles tennis title at the 2016 Rio Olympics this August? That's a question recent York U brain research can help answer.

21 Apr 2016

Prompt attention may limit recurrence risk in TIA patients

Centres with procedures in place for the rapid assessment of patients with transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke achieve low recurrence rates in these patients, a multinational study shows.

21 Apr 2016

Proteins can be used as targets to deliver drugs into stressed cancer cells

Targeted missiles that can enter cancer cells and deliver lethal cell toxins without harming surrounding healthy tissue. This has been a long-standing vision in cancer research, but it has proved difficult to accomplish. A research group at Lund University in Sweden has now taken some crucial steps in this direction.

20 Apr 2016

Researchers discover new, previously underappreciated role for immature dentate gyrus granule cells

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have proposed a model that resolves a seeming paradox in one of the most intriguing areas of the brain -- the dentate gyrus.

20 Apr 2016

Scientists identify pSTS region in the brain responsible for recognizing human facial expressions

Researchers at The Ohio State University have pinpointed the area of the brain responsible for recognizing human facial expressions.

20 Apr 2016

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have developed one of the first mouse models for the study of Zika virus. The model will allow researchers to better understand how the virus causes disease and aid in the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines.

20 Apr 2016

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, often causing lifelong disability for those who survive. Treatment is limited to supportive care, but stem cell therapy has received recent attention as a way to promote recovery for injuries to the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, researchers transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of mice modeled with TBI to investigate whether the hosts' immune systems and the stem cells acting in concert would enhance repair.

20 Apr 2016

Researchers evaluate TBI-associated risk factors in older adults

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a leading cause of death and disability, has become so common in recent times that it has been called a "silent epidemic." And because older adults are more likely to suffer TBI, have worse outcomes, and are less likely to survive their injury than younger adults, older adults are considered a "silent population" within this epidemic.

20 Apr 2016

Small piece of detoxified E. coli wall makes mice lose natural sweet tooth, study finds

Putting just a tiny piece of the wall of detoxified E. coli into their gut make mice lose their natural sweet tooth, researchers report.

20 Apr 2016

Drexel study provides new insight into future treatment of breathing disorders

Bringing a steady supply of fresh air to the lungs can seem like a simple task, but breathing is a careful orchestration of brain and body.

20 Apr 2016

Scientists identify underlying cause of immune suppression in people with high level spinal cord injuries

Scientists report in Nature Neuroscience they have identified an underlying cause of dangerous immune suppression in people with high level spinal cord injuries and they propose a possible treatment.

19 Apr 2016

Psilocybin administration reduces reaction to social rejection in associated brain areas

Social ties are vital for mental and physical health. However, psychiatric patients in particular frequently encounter social exclusion and rejection. Furthermore, psychiatric patients often react more strongly to social rejection than healthy persons and this can have negative consequences for the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

19 Apr 2016

Well-established optics technique can locate brain tumors within a minute compared to conventional methods

When operating on cancer, surgeons want to remove tumors and not healthy tissue. This is especially important and challenging when dealing with brain tumors, which are often spread out and mixed in with the healthy tissue. Now, researchers have shown that a well-established optics technique can reveal exactly where brain tumors are, producing images in less than a minute -- unlike conventional methods that can take a whole day.

19 Apr 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study aims to determine how aches, pains before and after concussion play role in recovery

Scientists uncover unique cellular defects linked with SLOS using novel stem-cell model

Researchers reposition existing prazosin drug to combat glioblastoma

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Scientists find interaction between amyloid and tau proteins that cause brain damage linked with AD

Using Proteomics to Understand Alzheimer’s: An Interview with Dr Renã Robinson

Non-invasive optogenetic therapy can help treat chronic pain

New study shows visuomotor errors accumulate during memory delay

Prompt attention may limit recurrence risk in TIA patients

Proteins can be used as targets to deliver drugs into stressed cancer cells

Researchers discover new, previously underappreciated role for immature dentate gyrus granule cells

Scientists identify pSTS region in the brain responsible for recognizing human facial expressions

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Researchers evaluate TBI-associated risk factors in older adults

Small piece of detoxified E. coli wall makes mice lose natural sweet tooth, study finds

Drexel study provides new insight into future treatment of breathing disorders

Scientists identify underlying cause of immune suppression in people with high level spinal cord injuries

Psilocybin administration reduces reaction to social rejection in associated brain areas

Well-established optics technique can locate brain tumors within a minute compared to conventional methods

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd 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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