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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.

New approach in treating multiple sclerosis

In his article, "Pathoetiology of multiple sclerosis: are we barking up the wrong tree?", Peter K. Stys of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, argues that while the majority of the medical research community currently approaches MS as an autoimmune disease (much like Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis), for which the trigger is the immune system attacking a particular part of the nervous system, the features of the disease are equally well explained by approaching MS as a neurodegenerative disease (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's), which is followed by an immune reaction to damage.

5 Jun 2013

Doctors should conduct frail screening to prevent bad outcomes

Everyone older than 70 should be checked for frailty, a condition that is both easily treated and potentially deadly, according to an article by representatives from six major international and U.S. medical organizations.

5 Jun 2013

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical recruits first traumatic brain injury patient to evaluate NeuroSTAT

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB, a leading mitochondrial medicine company, has recruited the first patient in a Phase IIa clinical trial to evaluate the company´s drug candidate NeuroSTAT® for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.

5 Jun 2013

Johns Hopkins researchers examine how motor memories are formed and lost

If people are unable to perceive their own errors as they complete a routine, simple task, their skill will decline over time, Johns Hopkins researchers have found - but not for the reasons scientists assumed.

5 Jun 2013

Study to help scientists better understand brain behavior, treat brain disease

A cross-disciplinary collaboration of researchers in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis explores the neural synchrony between circuits in the brain and their behavior under simulated drug addiction.

5 Jun 2013

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

For many older adults, the aging process seems to go hand-in-hand with an annoying increase in clumsiness - difficulties dialing a phone, fumbling with keys in a lock or knocking over the occasional wine glass while reaching for a salt shaker.

5 Jun 2013

EU funds d-LIVER project to help people suffering from liver disease

The EU has provided funding for the d-LIVER project, in which researchers from several countries will work on a number of measures to help people suffering from liver disease.

5 Jun 2013

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

The same mechanism that lets the immune system mount a massive attack against invading bacteria contributes to the destruction of brain cells as part of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

5 Jun 2013

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, however, have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved.

5 Jun 2013

UCLA researchers identify abnormal brain networks in Fragile X syndrome

The genetic malady known as Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes the syndrome and understand the damage it does in misshaping the brain's synapses - the connections between neurons. But how this abnormal shaping of synapses translates into abnormal behavior is unclear.

5 Jun 2013

Childhood cognitive ability linked to cognitive ability, cortical thickness in old age

A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood.

5 Jun 2013

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

A team of researchers led by a neuroscientist at the University of California, Riverside has been awarded a nearly $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense to investigate the role of sleep in memory and learning.

5 Jun 2013

Researchers report that two biomarkers appear to indicate risk for silent strokes

Two biomarkers widely being investigated as predictors of heart and vascular disease appear to indicate risk for "silent" strokes and other causes of mild brain damage that present no symptoms, report researchers from The Methodist Hospital and several other institutions in an upcoming issue of Stroke (now online).

5 Jun 2013

Study reveals how type 2 diabetes and CVD increase risk of cognitive decline

People suffering from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

5 Jun 2013

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

Canadian researcher Edor Kabashi of the Université de Montréal has developed the first animal model to study the function of a gene responsible for the highest percentage of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Results to date shed light on the cause of the devastating disease.

4 Jun 2013

Tel Aviv University researchers find protein modification may help control Alzheimer's and epilepsy

In the brain, cell-to-cell communication is dependent on neurotransmitters, chemicals that aid the transfer of information between neurons. Several proteins have the ability to modify the production of these chemicals by either increasing or decreasing their amount, or promoting or preventing their secretion.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers solve long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells

The long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells and what activates them after years and even decades of latency may have been solved. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have identified the microenvironment surrounding microvasculature - the small blood vessels that transport blood within tissues - as a niche where dormant cancer cells reside. When these blood vessels begin to sprout, the new tips produce molecules that transform dormant cancer cells into metastatic tumors.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers establish link between abnormal structure of synapses and behavioral abnormalities of brain circuits in FXS

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic malady that is the most common inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes FXS, and the damage it does-- misshaping the brain's synapses, the connections between neurons. But how that abnormal shaping of synapses translates to abnormal behavior is unclear.

4 Jun 2013

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Highly educated individuals with mild cognitive impairment that later progressed to Alzheimer's disease cope better with the disease than individuals with a lower level of education in the same situation, according to research published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS

As the result of a major breakthrough by researchers at Northwestern University's School of Medicine, researchers studying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, are now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS.

4 Jun 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New approach in treating multiple sclerosis

Doctors should conduct frail screening to prevent bad outcomes

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical recruits first traumatic brain injury patient to evaluate NeuroSTAT

Johns Hopkins researchers examine how motor memories are formed and lost

Study to help scientists better understand brain behavior, treat brain disease

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

EU funds d-LIVER project to help people suffering from liver disease

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

UCLA researchers identify abnormal brain networks in Fragile X syndrome

Childhood cognitive ability linked to cognitive ability, cortical thickness in old age

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

Researchers report that two biomarkers appear to indicate risk for silent strokes

Study reveals how type 2 diabetes and CVD increase risk of cognitive decline

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

Tel Aviv University researchers find protein modification may help control Alzheimer's and epilepsy

Researchers solve long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells

Researchers establish link between abnormal structure of synapses and behavioral abnormalities of brain circuits in FXS

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Researchers now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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