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.

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1 Oct 2015

Cornell University, MSKCC jointly open new $10 million Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence

Cornell University, in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is opening a new $10 million Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence that brings together scientists, engineers, biologists and physicians to develop and translate new cancer care applications based on nanotechnology.

30 Sep 2015

New Cerebral Aneurysm and AVMs modules broaden scope of NeuroVascular Quality Initiative

The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery and M2S, a leading clinical registry provider, are pleased to announce the launch of the new Cerebral Aneurysm module for the NeuroVascular Quality Initiative (NVQI®), and the planned launch for the Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) module in early October.

30 Sep 2015

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Researchers at USC and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss.

30 Sep 2015

Aelan Cell Technologies, Gladstone Institutes partner to study stem cell rejuvenation

Aelan Cell Technologies today announced they have entered into an agreement with the Gladstone Institutes to further its studies on stem cell rejuvenation. This effort will be led by Meenakshi Gaur, Ph.D. of Aelan Cell Technologies and Kathryn Ivey, Ph.D. of the Gladstone Institutes.

30 Sep 2015

Glowing protein may replace fiber optic cable as light source in optogenetics research

Optogenetics has taken neuroscience by storm in recent years because the technique allows scientists to study the brain conveniently in animals, activating or inhibiting selected groups of neurons at the flip of a switch. Most often, scientists use a fiber optic cable to deliver light into the brain.

30 Sep 2015

Collaborative approach may speed discovery of new preventive treatments for Alzheimer's disease

The future success of Alzheimer's prevention research could depend on the ability of researchers from different clinical trials to build collaborative relationships that facilitate the sharing of information, resources and expertise that may speed the discovery of new preventive treatments, according to leading Alzheimer's researchers who published a Perspectives article, "CAP--advancing the evaluation of preclinical Alzheimer disease treatments," online today in Nature Reviews Neurology.

30 Sep 2015

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

In a study with more than 100 participants, Claus Lamm and his interdisciplinary team used an innovative experimental trick, the so-called placebo analgesia effect, to close an explanatory gap in the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy.

30 Sep 2015

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

Discoveries about how the human brain contributes to our success - both as a species and as individuals - are among the first fruit of projects funded under the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative program as well as the Human Connectome Project.

30 Sep 2015

Stroke patients with spatial neglect more likely to fall and have longer stays in hospital

Using the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP), Kessler researchers found a high rate of spatial neglect among inpatients with stroke. Affected patients had a higher risk for falls, longer lengths of stay and lesser likelihood of returning home after discharge.

30 Sep 2015

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Proteins sometimes run amuck. All the good stuff (the useful genetic and biological material) they contain can get distorted. Mutations in specific amino acids can cause long strands of proteins to curl in on themselves (like a ball of wool a cat has played with) and refuse to break apart.

30 Sep 2015

Clinical trial initiated to determine feasibility, safety of focused ultrasound to treat depression

The first patient with depression has been treated with focused ultrasound. This procedure marks the beginning of a pilot clinical trial to determine the feasibility and safety of MR-guided focused ultrasound to non-invasively destroy a small volume of tissue deep in the brain - the anterior limb of the internal capsule - a well-established target for treating severe depression.

29 Sep 2015

Disruption of blood-CSF barrier may negatively affect progression of Alzheimer's disease

More and more data from preclinical and clinical studies strengthen the hypothesis that immune system-mediated actions contribute to and drive pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. The team of Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke in the Claude Libert Group (VIB/UGent) combined their knowledge and expertise related to inflammation with the expertise in Alzheimer's disease present in the Bart De Strooper Group (VIB/KU Leuven).

29 Sep 2015

Type-2 diabetes medication can affect the brain's reward system, reduce intake of food

Many studies have focused on how much we eat when we are hungry, but sometimes we eat just to feel better. A new dissertation at Sahlgrenska Academy shows that medication used for type-2 diabetes wich mimics the gut-brain hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, can affect the brain's reward system and reduce the intake of food.

29 Sep 2015

Researchers suggest potential method of screening for jaundice in preterm infants

A research group led by Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Project Professor MORIOKA Ichirou and Professor IIJIMA Kazumoto (Department of Pediatrics) has suggested a potential method of screening for jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia), a cause of cerebral palsy and loss of hearing in preterm infants with kyperbilirubinemia, using painless dermal monitoring.

29 Sep 2015

Researchers develop strategies to prevent pediatric head injuries from toppled TV sets

Researchers from the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) reviewed medical articles describing head injuries caused by toppled television sets in children 0 to 18 years of age. These injuries, which can be severe and sometimes fatal in small children, are often unwitnessed by adult caregivers, indicating a lack of awareness of the dangers posed to toddlers by TV sets that are not securely mounted.

29 Sep 2015

Duke Medicine scientists use transparent fish to show how Cryptococcal meningitis takes over the brain

Scientists at Duke Medicine are using transparent fish to watch in real time as Cryptococcal meningitis takes over the brain. The resulting images are worthy of a sci-fi movie teaser, but could be valuable in disrupting the real, crippling brain infection that kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year.

29 Sep 2015

New self-contained device could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerate treatment and diagnosis

Researchers at Houston Methodist, along with collaborators at two major Singapore institutions, have developed a lab in a needle device that could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerating treatment and diagnosis by days.

29 Sep 2015

Study: Increased acetylation of histones promotes fear extinction in mice

The targeted modulation of gene activity and cellular signaling pathways could provide a new approach to the treatment of fear and anxiety states according to the recent findings of a project sponsored by the Austrian Science Fund FWF.

29 Sep 2015

New targeted therapy shows promise against small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease that is difficult to treat and is frequently only diagnosed when it has spread to other parts of the body (metastasised). Five-year survival rates in SCLC, which accounts for about 14% of all lung cancers, are very low, at only six percent. But today US researchers will present two novel findings with important implications for treatment at the 2015 European Cancer Congress.

29 Sep 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Cornell University, MSKCC jointly open new $10 million Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence

New Cerebral Aneurysm and AVMs modules broaden scope of NeuroVascular Quality Initiative

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Aelan Cell Technologies, Gladstone Institutes partner to study stem cell rejuvenation

Glowing protein may replace fiber optic cable as light source in optogenetics research

Collaborative approach may speed discovery of new preventive treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

Stroke patients with spatial neglect more likely to fall and have longer stays in hospital

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Clinical trial initiated to determine feasibility, safety of focused ultrasound to treat depression

Disruption of blood-CSF barrier may negatively affect progression of Alzheimer's disease

Type-2 diabetes medication can affect the brain's reward system, reduce intake of food

Researchers suggest potential method of screening for jaundice in preterm infants

Researchers develop strategies to prevent pediatric head injuries from toppled TV sets

Duke Medicine scientists use transparent fish to show how Cryptococcal meningitis takes over the brain

New self-contained device could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerate treatment and diagnosis

Study: Increased acetylation of histones promotes fear extinction in mice

New targeted therapy shows promise against small cell lung cancer

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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