Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Cause of amyloid beta pathology may be more versatile than previously known

Accumulation of the substance amyloid beta in the brain impairs the memory and cognitive ability in people with Alzheimer's. New findings from Lund University in Sweden show that the cause of amyloid beta pathology might be more versatile than previously known. Researchers believe that these new findings may be of significance to the development of new medications.

8 Mar 2016

Immune cells play vital role in rewiring connections between nerve cells

A new study out today in the journal Nature Communications shows that cells normally associated with protecting the brain from infection and injury also play an important role in rewiring the connections between nerve cells.

8 Mar 2016

UC Berkeley study provides compelling evidence in favor of 'active learning'

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have captured unique images of problem-solving in action by tapping into the minds of mice. The study shows rapid rewiring in the frontal brains of mice after they learn by trial and error.

8 Mar 2016

NIH scientists show how neurons in the eye may use math to differentiate moving objects

Our eyes constantly send bits of information about the world around us to our brains where the information is assembled into objects we recognize. Along the way, a series of neurons in the eye uses electrical and chemical signals to relay the information. In a study of mice, National Institutes of Health scientists showed how one type of neuron may do this to distinguish moving objects.

8 Mar 2016

Research provides important new insights into beginning stages of primary progressive aphasia

The recent ability to peer into the brain of living individuals with a rare type of language dementia, primary progressive aphasia (PPA), provides important new insights into the beginning stages of this disease -- which results in language loss -- when it is caused by a buildup of a toxic protein found in Alzheimer's disease.

8 Mar 2016

Xencor begins XmAb5871 Phase 2 trials in patients with IgG4-RD and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Xencor, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases and cancer, today announced dosing the first patient in a Phase 2 trial of XmAb5871 in patients with IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD).

8 Mar 2016

Zika virus can cause a range of abnormalities in pregnant women, study finds

New research presents strong evidence that the Zika virus can indeed cause a range of abnormalities in pregnant women infected with the virus -- with the effects manifesting any time during pregnancy. Some of the abnormalities noted have not been reported in connection with the virus.

7 Mar 2016

Researchers develop new technique to create naïve pluripotent stem cells

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have for the first time shown that it is possible to derive from a human embryo so-called 'naïve' pluripotent stem cells - one of the most flexible types of stem cell, which can develop into all human tissue other than the placenta.

7 Mar 2016

Research highlights association of western diet with Alzheimer's disease

Recent research has established associations between certain environmental factors, including eating a western diet and being sedentary, with an increased susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, it is estimated that a combination of diet and inactivity contributes to as many as 25% of Alzheimer's cases. Nonetheless, little is known about the exact disease mechanisms and how or why this increasingly common middle-age lifestyle can play such a big role in subsequent cognitive function.

7 Mar 2016

Preliminary results of blood test to diagnose CTE during life published in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

Exosome Sciences, Inc., in collaboration with majority shareholder Aethlon Medical, Inc. and investigators at Boston University and the University of Washington, announced today the published preliminary results of possibly the first blood test to detect the neurodegenerative disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) during life.

7 Mar 2016

Kessler Foundation's Silvana L. Costa awarded Switzer Research Fellowship for research on MS

Silvana L. Costa, PhD, of Kessler Foundation has been awarded a Switzer Research Fellowship by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. The $70,000 Merit Award funds her research on "Processing Speed Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis: Exploring the Complex Sensorial Cognitive Motor Interaction."

7 Mar 2016

Expression of BIRC3 protein associated with poor survival, recurrent disease in GBM patients

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with low survival rates, with newly diagnosed patients surviving a median of 14 months and recurrent patients surviving a median of only 3 to 9 months. New therapeutic targets and biomarkers for prognosis are urgently needed.

7 Mar 2016

Researchers identify how Zika virus may cause microcephaly in fetuses

Working with lab-grown human stem cells, a team of researchers suspect they have discovered how the Zika virus probably causes microcephaly in fetuses. The virus selectively infects cells that form the brain's cortex, or outer layer, making them more likely to die and less likely to divide normally and make new brain cells.

7 Mar 2016

Young adults with hostile attitudes may experience memory and thinking problems decades later

Young adults with hostile attitudes or those who don't cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to a study published in the March 2, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Mar 2016

FSU researchers make major breakthrough in Zika virus research

Florida State University researchers have made a major breakthrough in the quest to learn whether the Zika virus is linked to birth defects with the discovery that the virus is directly targeting brain development cells and stunting their growth.

7 Mar 2016

Allen Institute, Blue Brain Project collaborate to develop simulation-based tools to study neurons

The Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Blue Brain Project are deepening their collaboration. Today, the US-based Allen Institute is releasing a set of 40 computer models of neurons from the mouse visual cortex, created using tools developed by the Swiss-based Blue Brain Project at EPFL. Using Blue Brain technology, the researchers were able to reproduce the physiology and electrical activity of the neurons with an extremely high level of detail.

4 Mar 2016

Strange Glow: New book seeks to remove mystery that surrounds radiation

Strange Glow tells the story of man's encounter with radiation, and how mankind has been transformed by the experience. The book focuses on a health-centric perspective "that seeks to remove some of the mystery and misunderstanding that surrounds radiation," says Jorgensen, director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program, and chair of Georgetown's Radiation Safety Committee.

4 Mar 2016

Research highlights how the brain handles numbers

Small numbers are processed in the right side of the brain, while large numbers are processed in the left side of the brain, new research suggests.

4 Mar 2016

Study shows bromances can improve men’s health, reduce stress

Male friendships, portrayed and often winked at in bromance movies, could have healthful effects similar to those seen in romantic relationships, especially when dealing with stress, according to a new study of male rats by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

4 Mar 2016

Study identifies biomarker that plays role in early stages of Alzheimer's disease

A multicenter study led by Christian Haass and Michael Ewers of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich has identified a biomarker associated with the activation of an innate immune response to neural damage during early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

4 Mar 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Cause of amyloid beta pathology may be more versatile than previously known

Immune cells play vital role in rewiring connections between nerve cells

UC Berkeley study provides compelling evidence in favor of 'active learning'

NIH scientists show how neurons in the eye may use math to differentiate moving objects

Research provides important new insights into beginning stages of primary progressive aphasia

Xencor begins XmAb5871 Phase 2 trials in patients with IgG4-RD and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Zika virus can cause a range of abnormalities in pregnant women, study finds

Researchers develop new technique to create naïve pluripotent stem cells

Research highlights association of western diet with Alzheimer's disease

Preliminary results of blood test to diagnose CTE during life published in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

Kessler Foundation's Silvana L. Costa awarded Switzer Research Fellowship for research on MS

Expression of BIRC3 protein associated with poor survival, recurrent disease in GBM patients

Researchers identify how Zika virus may cause microcephaly in fetuses

Young adults with hostile attitudes may experience memory and thinking problems decades later

FSU researchers make major breakthrough in Zika virus research

Allen Institute, Blue Brain Project collaborate to develop simulation-based tools to study neurons

Strange Glow: New book seeks to remove mystery that surrounds radiation

Research highlights how the brain handles numbers

Study shows bromances can improve men’s health, reduce stress

Study identifies biomarker that plays role in early stages of Alzheimer's disease

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

Latest News