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.

Drugs approved for various conditions also have antibiotic properties

A number of drugs already approved to treat parasitic infections, cancers, infertility and other conditions also show promise as antibiotic agents against staph and tuberculosis infections, according to a new study by University of Illinois chemists and collaborators. Because these agents act against multiple targets within the bacteria, it may be harder for bacteria to develop resistance.

23 Dec 2015

Researchers awarded $16 million NIH/NINDS grant to create methods for detecting CTE during life

Researchers from Boston University, the Cleveland Clinic, Banner Alzheimer's Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, have been awarded a $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

23 Dec 2015

Researchers, patients trade new insights at International Dementia with Lewy Bodies Conference

You thought Alzheimer's was complicated? Or Parkinson's? Try dementia with Lewy bodies, the disease occupying the awkward territory between those two poles.

23 Dec 2015

Researchers describe epigenetic mechanisms underlying the development of cerebellum

From before birth through childhood, connections form between neurons in the brain, ultimately making us who we are. So far, scientists have gained a relatively good understanding of how neural circuits become established, but they know less about the genetic control at play during this crucial developmental process.

23 Dec 2015

Novoron Bioscience receives NIH grant to study novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis

Novoron Bioscience, Inc., a private biotech company dedicated to developing new therapeutics for disorders of the central nervous system, today announced that the company has been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

22 Dec 2015

Study: Brains of compulsive video game players wired differently

Brain scans from nearly 200 adolescent boys provide evidence that the brains of compulsive video game players are wired differently. Chronic video game play is associated with hyperconnectivity between several pairs of brain networks.

22 Dec 2015

Researchers identify biochemical factors that may predict Alzheimer's disease

Investigators have wondered why the brains of some cognitively-intact elderly individuals have abundant pathology on autopsy or significant amyloid deposition on neuroimaging that are characteristic of Alzheimer disease (AD).

22 Dec 2015

Bern study sheds light on the brain mechanism of arousal

Scientists from Bern have discovered a mechanism which is responsible for the rapid arousal from sleep and anesthesia in the brain. The results of their study suggest new strategies for the medical treatment of sleep disorders and recovery of consciousness in vegetative states.

22 Dec 2015

Commonly used diabetes drug may have potential to prevent, treat preeclampsia

An article published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reports that a commonly-used drug for the treatment of diabetes, metformin, may have the potential to prevent and treat preeclampsia. Metformin has long been used to treat diabetes in both non-pregnant and pregnant patients, and is considered safe during pregnancy.

22 Dec 2015

New treatment strategy may take pain away

A brain region controlling whether we feel happy or sad, as well as addiction, is remodeled by chronic pain, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

22 Dec 2015

New MRI-based technology could help identify patients at risk of recurrent stroke

Patients who have had a stroke in the back of the brain are at greater risk of having another within two years if blood flow to the region is diminished, according to results of a multicenter study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

22 Dec 2015

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

In one of the latest examples of precision medicine, teams of geneticists from nine countries, involving more than 100 scientists, analyzed the genes of more than 33,000 individuals in the hope of finding genetic variations responsible for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 or older.

22 Dec 2015

Drug that boosts activity in the brain's 'garbage disposal' system may slow Alzheimer's disease

A drug that boosts activity in the brain's "garbage disposal" system can decrease levels of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders and improve cognition in mice, a new study by neuroscientists at Columbia University Medical Center has found.

22 Dec 2015

Scientists identify genes linked to human intelligence

Scientists from Imperial College London have identified for the first time two clusters of genes linked to human intelligence.

22 Dec 2015

New mathematical models shed light on complex interactions of stem cell function in neural tissue

New research has shed light on the complex interactions of stem cell function and molecular diffusion in neural tissue, which may explain many phenomena from stem cell differentiation to the formation of the cortex of the brain. While researching new methods of reconstructing 3D neural tissue and neural pathways in the brain and spinal cord, Dr. Richard McMurtrey devised new mathematical approaches for understanding the concentration of nutrients within the 3D tissue constructs and how this could affect tissue growth.

22 Dec 2015

Yale researchers reveal why chronic overeating tied to increased risk of depression

Chronic overeating and stress are tied to an increased risk of depression and anxiety, and in a new study, Yale researchers explain why that happens and suggest a possible solution.

22 Dec 2015

Premature babies at higher risk of developing autism in later childhood

Extremely premature babies run a much higher risk of developing autism in later childhood, and even during the neonate period differences are seen in the brains of those who do. This according to a new study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden.

22 Dec 2015

Researchers outline novel molecular interactions affecting key cancer pathway in humans

Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore have delineated novel molecular interactions affecting the activity of the TGF-β pathway, a key cancer pathway in humans affecting cancer progression.

22 Dec 2015

Alexza reports interim results from AZ-002 Phase 2a study in epilepsy patients

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced interim results of its Phase 2a study of AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) in epilepsy patients. AZ-002 produced a dose-related decrease in mean Standardized Photosensivity Range (SPR), the primary endpoint in the study.

21 Dec 2015

Aquinnah secures $5 million private equity investment from Takeda

Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has received a $5 Million investment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Limited, in it's first private equity financing. The company has assembled a world-class team of drug developers and an exceptional Scientific Advisory Board in the fields of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), protein and RNA regulation, and neurodegenerative diseases.

21 Dec 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Drugs approved for various conditions also have antibiotic properties

Researchers awarded $16 million NIH/NINDS grant to create methods for detecting CTE during life

Researchers, patients trade new insights at International Dementia with Lewy Bodies Conference

Researchers describe epigenetic mechanisms underlying the development of cerebellum

Novoron Bioscience receives NIH grant to study novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis

Study: Brains of compulsive video game players wired differently

Researchers identify biochemical factors that may predict Alzheimer's disease

Bern study sheds light on the brain mechanism of arousal

Commonly used diabetes drug may have potential to prevent, treat preeclampsia

New treatment strategy may take pain away

New MRI-based technology could help identify patients at risk of recurrent stroke

Scientists identify 52 genetic variations associated with age-related macular degeneration

Drug that boosts activity in the brain's 'garbage disposal' system may slow Alzheimer's disease

Scientists identify genes linked to human intelligence

New mathematical models shed light on complex interactions of stem cell function in neural tissue

Yale researchers reveal why chronic overeating tied to increased risk of depression

Premature babies at higher risk of developing autism in later childhood

Researchers outline novel molecular interactions affecting key cancer pathway in humans

Alexza reports interim results from AZ-002 Phase 2a study in epilepsy patients

Aquinnah secures $5 million private equity investment from Takeda

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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