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.

Providing novice surgeons with regular feedback can help prevent blood clots among hospitalized patients

A study of general surgery residents at The Johns Hopkins Hospital suggests that in the efforts to prevent dangerous blood clots among hospitalized patients, regular, one-on-one feedback and written report cards work a lot better than the usual group lectures that newly minted surgeons receive as part of their training.

11 Dec 2015

PET-MRI combination may change management of high-risk cancer patients

PET/CT and whole-body MRI detect extraskeletal disease that may change the management of high-risk breast and prostate cancer patients, according to a recent study reported in the December issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

11 Dec 2015

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

In an international collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA), neuroscientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum have determined a link between brain levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, the main source of inhibition in the brain, and tactile learning. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, they were able to show that success in learning can be predicted by baseline GABA levels.

11 Dec 2015

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Adjusting a specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency immediately and dramatically alters rats' forebrain activity and alertness levels, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown.

11 Dec 2015

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

Although it is known that psychiatric disorders have a strong genetic component, untangling the web of genes contributing to each disease is a daunting task. Scientists have found hundreds of genes that are mutated in patients with disorders such as autism, but each patient usually has only a handful of these variations.

10 Dec 2015

NeuroQuest to start U.S. clinical validation trials of blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

NeuroQuest Development Center, Inc., today announced they have entered into a service agreement with the University of California, San Diego for collection and processing of blood samples for their U.S. clinical validation trials.

10 Dec 2015

Zecotek Photonics receives order for patented LFS scintillation crystals

Zecotek Photonics Inc., a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for industrial, healthcare and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that it has received an order for its patented Lutetium Fine Silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals from a specialized medical imaging device manufacturer based in the United States.

10 Dec 2015

Lilly, Merck announce another immuno-oncology collaboration

Eli Lilly and Company and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced another immuno-oncology collaboration that will evaluate abemaciclib (LY2835219), Lilly's cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and 6 inhibitor, and Merck's KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in a Phase I study across multiple tumor types.

10 Dec 2015

New heart failure drug may increase patients' risk of Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration

Patients with mild heart failure stand to benefit from a new drug that can halt the progression of their disease and reduce their risk of cardiovascular-related death. But the drug -- a tablet that combines the agents valsartan and sacubitril, sold under the trade name Entresto by drugmaker Novartis -- may be too good to be true, according to Arthur M. Feldman, MD, PhD, Executive Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Chief Academic Officer of the Temple University Health System, and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Medicine at LKSOM.

10 Dec 2015

Two UK studies reveal apparent increase in healthy ageing, less severe disability

Two studies conducted 20 years apart in England reveal an apparent increase in healthy ageing, or years lived healthily, reflecting less cognitive impairment; and an increase in the proportion of life lived healthily, through a larger proportion of years lived with disability but less rather than more severe disability.

10 Dec 2015

Researchers identify brain processes in mice that shape different sensory perceptions

Scientists have long known that when sounds are faint or objects are seen through fog in the distance, repetition of these weak or ambiguous sensory “inputs” can result in different perceptions inside the same brain.

10 Dec 2015

VNS technology could help improve lives of people recovering from stroke

A new study involving UT Dallas researchers shows that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) technology could help improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who suffer weakness and paralysis caused by strokes.

10 Dec 2015

Researchers use mathematical models to study brain cells essential for correct functioning of neurons

Applying mathematical models used for studying the galaxies or interactions between elementary particles, researchers at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have analysed the spatial distribution of astrocytes: brain cells that are essential for the correct functioning of neurons.

10 Dec 2015

Study finds link between congenital heart disease and neurodevelopmental disorders

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian, the Pediatric Cardiac Genetics Consortium, and the Pediatric Heart Network have found a number of genetic mutations that explain why many children with congenital heart disease also have other significant health challenges, including neurodevelopmental disorders and other congenital problems.

9 Dec 2015

Older men with sleep-disordered breathing at greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation

Sleep-disordered breathing often predicts the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) in older men, according to U.S. researchers.

9 Dec 2015

Tetra begins human Phase 1 safety trials of BPN14770

Tetra Discovery Partners today announced that the company has initiated human Phase 1 safety trials of its lead compound BPN14770, which Tetra is developing as a potential treatment to both improve memory and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

9 Dec 2015

Gene mutations that cause congenital heart disease also lead to neurodevelopmental delays

Some of the same gene mutations that cause heart defects in children also lead to neurodevelopmental delays, including learning disabilities. A large study of congenital heart disease (CHD) reveals overlapping genetic influences during early childhood development.

9 Dec 2015

Research examines ketone esters to combat hyperbaric oxygen toxicity in Navy divers

For the first time, ketone esters-oral supplements useful in epilepsy treatment-are being studied to fight seizures caused by hyperbaric oxygen toxicity, a life-threatening byproduct of breathing too much oxygen that impacts deep-water divers.

9 Dec 2015

Biotypes can identify distinct subgroups of psychosis

Three biomarker-based categories, called biotypes, outperformed traditional diagnoses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psychosis, in sorting psychosis cases into distinct subgroups on the basis of brain biology, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

9 Dec 2015

Gene may play role in protecting breast cancer patients from developing chemobrain

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has established that variation of a gene may have a role in protecting cancer patients from developing chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, commonly known as 'chemofog' or 'chemobrain'.

9 Dec 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Providing novice surgeons with regular feedback can help prevent blood clots among hospitalized patients

PET-MRI combination may change management of high-risk cancer patients

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

NeuroQuest to start U.S. clinical validation trials of blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Zecotek Photonics receives order for patented LFS scintillation crystals

Lilly, Merck announce another immuno-oncology collaboration

New heart failure drug may increase patients' risk of Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration

Two UK studies reveal apparent increase in healthy ageing, less severe disability

Researchers identify brain processes in mice that shape different sensory perceptions

VNS technology could help improve lives of people recovering from stroke

Researchers use mathematical models to study brain cells essential for correct functioning of neurons

Study finds link between congenital heart disease and neurodevelopmental disorders

Older men with sleep-disordered breathing at greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation

Tetra begins human Phase 1 safety trials of BPN14770

Gene mutations that cause congenital heart disease also lead to neurodevelopmental delays

Research examines ketone esters to combat hyperbaric oxygen toxicity in Navy divers

Biotypes can identify distinct subgroups of psychosis

Gene may play role in protecting breast cancer patients from developing chemobrain

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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