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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.

Fetal alcohol exposure results in permanent fragmentation in slow-wave sleep

Slow-wave sleep - the deeper sleep during which the brain turns each day's events into permanent memories - is fragmented in adulthood in people exposed to high levels of alcohol in the womb.

25 Feb 2016

Children with autism can develop speech, gestures by listening to different speech sounds

Children with autism and other similar conditions often have difficulties in several areas of communication. A new doctoral thesis in linguistics from the University of Gothenburg shows that these children can develop speech, gestures and a sense of rhythm and melody by listening to various speech sounds.

24 Feb 2016

Immunotherapy emerges as promising strategy for treatment of brain tumors

For decades most cancers have been treated with a core standard of treatments that include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Now, immunotherapy—a type of treatment that harnesses the patient's immune system to combat the disease—represents the future of cancer treatment, with its efficacy being demonstrated in even the most aggressive types of cancer.

24 Feb 2016

Researchers discover new JE virus transmission route

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus causes serious inflammation of the brain in people and fertility problems in pigs. Mosquitoes were previously the only known transmission route. However, the virus can also be spread from pig to pig by direct contact, and this could enable it to circulate in pigs during the mosquito-free winter season.

24 Feb 2016

Gamma Knife and RapidArc equally effective at eradicating cancer in the brain

While two advanced radiosurgery approaches — Gamma Knife and RapidArc — offer different strengths, they are equally effective at eradicating cancer in the brain, say researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

24 Feb 2016

New clinical trial launched to test potential drug that could help immune system combat cancer

Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development, in partnership with Amgen Inc., has launched a new clinical trial to test a drug that could stop a patient's immune system from protecting tumours.

24 Feb 2016

Food-based proteins can help address child malnutrition in developing countries

Contrary to popular belief among world relief workers, children in developing countries may not be eating enough protein, which could contribute to stunted growth, a Johns Hopkins-directed study suggests.

24 Feb 2016

ONR researcher explores how explosive shock waves contribute to traumatic brain injury

Today's warfighters are outfitted with body armor strong enough to withstand shrapnel from a bomb or other explosive device. One debilitating threat from a blast, however, is a force they can't see--the explosive shock wave itself.

24 Feb 2016

New definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis, septic shock

Clifford S. Deutschman, MS, MD, vice chair of research in the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center and an investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , presented new definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis and septic shock at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress in Orlando, FL.

24 Feb 2016

Inadequate dietary intake of essential amino acids and nutrient choline linked to stunting

Worldwide, an estimated 25 percent of children under age 5 suffer from stunted growth and development. The most visible characteristic is short stature, but the effects of stunting are far more profound: The condition prevents children from reaching their cognitive potential; makes them more susceptible to illness and infection; and shortens their life spans.

24 Feb 2016

SOM0226 (tolcapone) drug could significantly improve pharmacological treatment of ATTR

Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (IBB-UAB), in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company SOM Biotech, located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), have published, in Nature Communications, the results of a drug repositioning study in which they describe a powerful drug, SOM0226 (tolcapone) that could significantly improve the pharmacological treatment of familial transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR).

24 Feb 2016

Novel unit can significantly speed access to specialized care for critically ill patients

A novel unit to care for critically ill patients significantly speeds access to specialized care, according to a new study by physician scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center.

24 Feb 2016

Immune cells may play greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought

Immune cells that normally help us fight off bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

24 Feb 2016

Study: Migraine, tension-type headaches may share genetic links with IBS

Migraine and tension-type headaches may share genetic links with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

24 Feb 2016

Longer, more intense period of rehabilitation may boost recovery after stroke or traumatic injury

Cognitive and functional recovery after a stroke or traumatic injury requires intense rehabilitative therapy to help the brain repair and restructure itself. New findings by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that not only is rehabilitation vital - in an animal model, rats with cortical injury that did not receive intensive rehab did not rebuild brain structure or recover function - but that a longer, even more intense period of rehabilitation may produce even greater benefit.

23 Feb 2016

Adapted yoga feasible, beneficial for adults with stroke or traumatic brain injury

A research team, led by an IU School of Health and Rehabilitation faculty member at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has determined that adapted yoga is both feasible and beneficial for adults with stroke or traumatic brain injury.

23 Feb 2016

Damage to language network structural hubs can affect severity of aphasia following stroke

When brain regions that control speech and reading comprehension are destroyed due to blockage of blood flow, patients are often unable to speak or comprehend spoken or written language. These difficulties with language, or "aphasia," are a common symptom in the aftermath of stroke. However, in a new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers report that damage to the underlying connections among different areas of the brain can also affect the severity of aphasia.

23 Feb 2016

New treatment for adults with lazy eye one step closer to reality

A new treatment for adults with lazy eye, a condition previously thought to be treatable only in childhood, is one step closer as a result of research from the University of Waterloo in Canada and Sun Yat-sen University in China.

23 Feb 2016

Natural sugar could become contrast agent for detecting malignant tumours

Ordinary sugar could become a contrast agent of the future for use in magnetic resonance tomography examinations of tumours. Malignant tumours show higher sugar consumption than surrounding tissue.

23 Feb 2016

New CODMAN ENTERPRISE 2 Vascular Reconstruction Device launched for treatment of intracranial aneurysms

Codman Neuro has launched the CODMAN ENTERPRISE 2 Vascular Reconstruction Device, the latest generation of the company’s self-expanding stent and delivery system used to treat wide-necked intracranial aneurysms and to help maintain the position of endovascular coils during and after the procedure.

23 Feb 2016

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Fetal alcohol exposure results in permanent fragmentation in slow-wave sleep

Children with autism can develop speech, gestures by listening to different speech sounds

Immunotherapy emerges as promising strategy for treatment of brain tumors

Researchers discover new JE virus transmission route

Gamma Knife and RapidArc equally effective at eradicating cancer in the brain

New clinical trial launched to test potential drug that could help immune system combat cancer

Food-based proteins can help address child malnutrition in developing countries

ONR researcher explores how explosive shock waves contribute to traumatic brain injury

New definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis, septic shock

Inadequate dietary intake of essential amino acids and nutrient choline linked to stunting

SOM0226 (tolcapone) drug could significantly improve pharmacological treatment of ATTR

Novel unit can significantly speed access to specialized care for critically ill patients

Immune cells may play greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought

Study: Migraine, tension-type headaches may share genetic links with IBS

Longer, more intense period of rehabilitation may boost recovery after stroke or traumatic injury

Adapted yoga feasible, beneficial for adults with stroke or traumatic brain injury

Damage to language network structural hubs can affect severity of aphasia following stroke

New treatment for adults with lazy eye one step closer to reality

Natural sugar could become contrast agent for detecting malignant tumours

New CODMAN ENTERPRISE 2 Vascular Reconstruction Device launched for treatment of intracranial aneurysms

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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