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.

Overweight or obese adults may have poorer episodic memory

Overweight young adults may have poorer episodic memory - the ability to recall past events - than their peers, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge, adding to increasing evidence of a link between memory and overeating.

26 Feb 2016

Comorbid neuropathologies have major impact on cognition

Cognitive impairment is most likely to affect people with multiple types of brain pathology, irrespective of which particular pathologies they have, a study shows.

26 Feb 2016

Medical scientists examine potential new tool for helping prevent stroke, heart attack

Medical scientists just vetted a potentially powerful new tool for helping prevent stroke and heart attack. In a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers show that a drug reduced the risk of stroke or heart attack by almost a quarter in patients who had previously suffered a stroke or mini-stroke.

26 Feb 2016

New analytical tool may help diagnose cancer faster than conventional methods

Researchers have developed a new analytical tool for medical applications and biological research that might be used to diagnose cancer more rapidly than conventional methods.

26 Feb 2016

Neurosurgeons use laser probe to deliver chemotherapy drugs to patients with glioblastoma

Using a laser probe, neurosurgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have opened the brain's protective cover, enabling them to deliver chemotherapy drugs to patients with a form of deadly brain cancer.

26 Feb 2016

New review suggests solutions that can help ease chronic pain in women

Women often suffer silently when in pain, whether it's caused by pregnancy discomfort or creaky knees. Yet there are a variety of solutions that can help relieve women of chronic pain, from exercise to identifying triggers, suggests a new review of research related to women and pain by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

26 Feb 2016

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

An international research team has identified four likely new subtypes of a rare brain tumor using molecular techniques that lay the foundation for more accurate diagnosis and tailored therapies for the hard-to-treat cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center led the study, results of which appear today in the scientific journal Cell.

26 Feb 2016

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

Columbia University scientists have developed a new optical technique to study how information is transmitted in the brains of mice. Using this method, they found that only a small portion of synapses -- the connections between cells that control brain activity--may be active at any given time.

26 Feb 2016

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure. NPC primarily strikes children before and during adolescence and affects one in every 150,000 children. The disease causes cholesterol and other lipids to build up in the body's cells, which results in symptoms such as delayed motor development, deterioration of memory and balance, and seizures.

26 Feb 2016

Antidepressant paroxetine suppresses inflammation in people with HIV-related cognitive impairment

In a small, placebo-controlled clinical trial, Johns Hopkins physicians report that the antidepressant paroxetine modestly improves decision-making and reaction time, and suppresses inflammation in people with HIV-associated cognitive impairment. The researchers say they believe this is the first time that a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) has been shown to improve key measures of cognition in people with HIV in a controlled study.

26 Feb 2016

Immune-suppressing drug can improve cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia

A recent study of a handful of patients supports mounting evidence that targeted suppression of inflammation packaged with standard therapy can improve the cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia, physician-scientists report.

25 Feb 2016

UNC-Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers use skin cells to destroy brain tumors

In a first for medical science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers turn skin cells into cancer-hunting stem cells that destroy brain tumors known as glioblastoma - a discovery that can offer, for the first time in more than 30 years, a new and more effective treatment for the disease.

25 Feb 2016

Study provides pathways to understand complex neurological disorders

Scientists have now described the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator, providing pathways to understanding complex neurological disorders. Designated as FlicR1 (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red), these indicators enable imaging of the electrical activity of many genetically targeted neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution.

25 Feb 2016

Concussion tests may present challenges for athletes who speak English as a second language

Popular sideline vision tests used to help detect immediate signs of concussion may present challenges in the interpretation of results for athletes who speak English as a second language (ESL).

25 Feb 2016

New report reveals malignant brain tumors as most common cause of cancer-related deaths in young people

A new report published in the journal Neuro-Oncology and funded by the American Brain Tumor Association finds that malignant brain tumors are the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in adolescents and young adults aged 15-39 and the most common cancer occurring among 15-19 year olds.

25 Feb 2016

Study: Magnesium therapy can alleviate muscular symptoms in patients with Motor Neurone Disease

Around 5,000 Motor Neurone Disease (MND) sufferers across the UK could find relief to their muscular symptoms thanks to transdermal (through the skin) magnesium therapy, say health pioneers BetterYou.

From BetterYou Ltd 25 Feb 2016

Vertical Pharmaceuticals launches breakthrough prenatal vitamin supplement: OB Complete Gold

OB Complete Gold is a breakthrough innovation in prenatal vitamin supplements that contains the advanced technology OmEGGa DHA, providing a novel egg-based DHA that comes from cage-free hens.

25 Feb 2016

Frontotemporal dementia often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease in many patients

Many patients showing signs of dementia are quickly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when they might actually suffer from frontotemporal dementia, delaying the appropriate treatment for them.

25 Feb 2016

Active mind may delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but not underlying brain changes

Keeping the mind active may delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease; however, the activity does not change the underlying disease in the brain for most people, according to a study published today in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 Feb 2016

Study: Most Ebola survivors experience brain symptoms more than six months after initial infection

Most of the 82 Ebola survivors in a new study from the world's largest Ebola outbreak had brain symptoms more than six months after the initial infection. The preliminary results will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

25 Feb 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Overweight or obese adults may have poorer episodic memory

Comorbid neuropathologies have major impact on cognition

Medical scientists examine potential new tool for helping prevent stroke, heart attack

New analytical tool may help diagnose cancer faster than conventional methods

Neurosurgeons use laser probe to deliver chemotherapy drugs to patients with glioblastoma

New review suggests solutions that can help ease chronic pain in women

Research finding could lay foundation for more accurate diagnosis for rare childhood brain tumor

Scientists develop new optical technique to observe neurotransmitter activity of individual synapses

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

Antidepressant paroxetine suppresses inflammation in people with HIV-related cognitive impairment

Immune-suppressing drug can improve cognitive ability of patients with schizophrenia

UNC-Chapel Hill pharmacy researchers use skin cells to destroy brain tumors

Study provides pathways to understand complex neurological disorders

Concussion tests may present challenges for athletes who speak English as a second language

New report reveals malignant brain tumors as most common cause of cancer-related deaths in young people

Study: Magnesium therapy can alleviate muscular symptoms in patients with Motor Neurone Disease

Vertical Pharmaceuticals launches breakthrough prenatal vitamin supplement: OB Complete Gold

Frontotemporal dementia often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease in many patients

Active mind may delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but not underlying brain changes

Study: Most Ebola survivors experience brain symptoms more than six months after initial infection

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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