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.

Researchers find how different neurons work together to reduce responses to frequent sounds

Being able to understand speech is essential to our evolution as humans. Hearing lets us perceive the same word even when spoken at different speeds or pitches, and also gives us extra sensitivity to unexpected sounds. Now, new studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarify how these two crucial features of audition are managed by the brain.

12 Oct 2015

Study shows that IVIG could prevent brain atrophy, delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

In a Sutter Institute of Medical Research study published this month in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, the blood product intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, was found to reduce brain atrophy and cognitive decline in patients in the early, pre-dementia phase of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Oct 2015

New computer program can predict cochlear implant outcomes in hearing-impaired children

A new computer program that analyzes functional brain MRIs of hearing impaired children can predict whether they will develop effective language skills within two years of cochlear implant surgery, according to a study in the journal Brain and Behavior.

12 Oct 2015

New clinical study focuses on investigational treatment to reduce impact of key protein from the brain

The Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is part of a landmark clinical trial that looks at removing a key protein from the brain to prevent memory loss at least a decade before symptoms are noticed in healthy older adults.

12 Oct 2015

Lithium can be safe, effective for children suffering from bipolar disorder

A multicenter study of young patients with bipolar disorder provides what may be the most scientifically rigorous demonstration to date that lithium -- a drug used successfully for decades to treat adults with the condition -- can also be safe and effective for children suffering from it.

12 Oct 2015

Pioneering surgical technique restores hand and arm movement to quadriplegic patients

A pioneering surgical technique has restored some hand and arm movement to patients immobilized by spinal cord injuries in the neck, reports a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

12 Oct 2015

Study opens new doors to research possible treatment for patients suffering from neuropathic pain

Chronic pain results from disease or trauma to the nervous system. Damaged nerve fibres with heightened responses to normal stimuli send incorrect messages to pain centres in the brain. This phenomenon, called "peripheral and central sensitization" is one of the key mechanisms involved in the condition which touches people with diabetes, cancer, and those suffering from multiple sclerosis, among others.

12 Oct 2015

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows that a single drop of blood in the brain is sufficient to activate an autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first demonstration that introduction of blood in the healthy brain is sufficient to cause peripheral immune cells to enter the brain, which then go on to cause brain damage.

12 Oct 2015

UConn researchers sequence RNA of most complicated gene

UConn researchers have sequenced the RNA of the most complicated gene known in nature, using a hand-held sequencer no bigger than a cell phone.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 12 Oct 2015

FDA permits marketing of first CSF nucleic acid-based test for detection of multiple pathogens

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) nucleic acid-based test for simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens that can cause central nervous system infections.

12 Oct 2015

Physicists use diamonds to detect early-stage cancerous tumours

Physicists from the University of Sydney have devised a way to use diamonds to identify cancerous tumours before they become life threatening.

12 Oct 2015

Phase III studies show Roche's ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate, delays disability progression in MS patients

Three phase III studies being presented at the European Committee for Treatment Research in Multiple Sclerosis congress demonstrate that treating MS with ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate and delay onset of disability progression compared to interferon beta-1a in relapsing forms of MS and disability progression in primary progressive MS compared to placebo.

12 Oct 2015

FDA approves Opdivo to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Opdivo (nivolumab) to treat patients with advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer whose disease progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

11 Oct 2015

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Expression of the human endogenous retrovirus-K is upregulated in some patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and causes degeneration of motor neurons when overexpressed in mice, research shows.

9 Oct 2015

Scientists can now use skin samples from older patients to grow brain cells

For the first time, scientists can use skin samples from older patients to create brain cells without rolling back the youthfulness clock in the cells first. The new technique, which yields cells resembling those found in older people's brains, will be a boon to scientists studying age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

9 Oct 2015

Artificial lung model could provide better understanding of health risks associated with airborne pollution

A life-sized artificial human lung created at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is the first diagnostic tool for understanding in real time how tiny particles move and behave in the deepest part of the human lungs (alveolar tissue).

9 Oct 2015

FDA approves expanded indication for Optune device for brain cancer patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved an expanded indication for the Optune device to treat patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive form of brain cancer.

9 Oct 2015

Scientists map EGFRvIII mutant that causes brain cancer

A team of Ludwig Cancer Research scientists has mapped out how a mutant version of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) known as EGFRvIII specifically drives critical processes that alter the reading of the genome to fuel the growth of the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and--most important--how each process is linked to the other.

9 Oct 2015

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

An estimated seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease (PD), which is an incurable and progressive disease of the nervous system affecting movement and cognitive function. More than half of PD patients develop progressive disease showing signs of dementia similar to Alzheimer's disease.

9 Oct 2015

Study: Learning complex auditory categories through procedural learning is impaired in dyslexia

The cognitive skills used to learn how to ride a bike may be the key to a more accurate understanding of developmental dyslexia. And, they may lead to improved interventions.

9 Oct 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers find how different neurons work together to reduce responses to frequent sounds

Study shows that IVIG could prevent brain atrophy, delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

New computer program can predict cochlear implant outcomes in hearing-impaired children

New clinical study focuses on investigational treatment to reduce impact of key protein from the brain

Lithium can be safe, effective for children suffering from bipolar disorder

Pioneering surgical technique restores hand and arm movement to quadriplegic patients

Study opens new doors to research possible treatment for patients suffering from neuropathic pain

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

UConn researchers sequence RNA of most complicated gene

FDA permits marketing of first CSF nucleic acid-based test for detection of multiple pathogens

Physicists use diamonds to detect early-stage cancerous tumours

Phase III studies show Roche's ocrelizumab reduces relapse rate, delays disability progression in MS patients

FDA approves Opdivo to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Scientists can now use skin samples from older patients to grow brain cells

Artificial lung model could provide better understanding of health risks associated with airborne pollution

FDA approves expanded indication for Optune device for brain cancer patients

Scientists map EGFRvIII mutant that causes brain cancer

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

Study: Learning complex auditory categories through procedural learning is impaired in dyslexia

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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