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.

UCSF researchers develop molecular 'on switch' that allows control over the actions of T cells

UC San Francisco researchers have engineered a molecular "on switch" that allows tight control over the actions of T cells, immune system cells that have shown great potential as therapies for cancer. The innovation lays the groundwork for sharply reducing severe, sometimes deadly side effects that have been a significant hurdle to advancing T cell-based treatments.

25 Sep 2015

HSCI researchers find surprising similarities between SMA and ALS

Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers studying spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have found what they term "surprising similarities" between this childhood disorder that attacks motor neurons and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

25 Sep 2015

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation announces recipients of NARSAD Young Investigator Grants

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation today announced the award of its NARSAD Young Investigator Grants valued at more than $13 million to 191 of the world's most promising young scientists.

24 Sep 2015

Adult survivors of childhood posterior fossa brain tumors have low working memory

Adult survivors of childhood brain tumors have lower working memory performance compared to healthy adults, according to researchers at Georgia State University and Emory University.

24 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal potential new treatment methods for fatal brain disease

Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich reveal possible new treatment methods for a rare, usually fatal brain disease. Thanks to their discovery that specific antibodies play a key role in combating the viral infection, a vaccine against the disease "progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy" could now be developed.

24 Sep 2015

Premature infants in intensive care units exposed to a great deal of pain

Premature infants receiving intensive care are exposed to a great deal of pain, and this pain causes damage to the child. Despite this half of the infants admitted to neonatal intensive units will not receive any pain relief, according to a new European study published today in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

24 Sep 2015

JRC, CERN to explore potential of accelerator-driven method for producing targeted alpha therapy for cancer

A novel, accelerator-driven method could produce nuclides for targeted alpha therapy of cancer in practically unlimited amounts, overcoming current obstacles for its wider use due to a limited production of alpha-emitters. The JRC and the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire have embarked to explore the potential of the jointly proposed method.

24 Sep 2015

Spiritual beliefs may impact physical and mental health, MU study finds

Individuals who blame karma for their poor health have more pain and worse physical and mental health, according to a new study from University of Missouri researchers. Targeted interventions to counteract negative spiritual beliefs could help some individuals decrease pain and improve their overall health, the researchers said.

24 Sep 2015

Feeling dizzy after standing up may signal serious conditions, increased risk of death

People who get dizzy several minutes after standing up may be at risk of more serious conditions and even an increased risk of death, according to new research published in the September 23, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Sep 2015

Neuroscientists reveal the brain malady responsible for tinnitus, chronic pain

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center and Germany's Technische Universität München say they've uncovered the brain malady responsible for tinnitus and for chronic pain — the uncomfortable, sometimes agonizing sensations that persist long after an initial injury.

24 Sep 2015

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

It only takes seconds: one cancerous cell breaks off from a tumor, slips into the bloodstream and quickly lodges elsewhere in the body. These colonizers may bloom into deadly metastatic cancer right away or lie dormant for years, only to trigger a recurrence decades after the primary tumor is removed.

24 Sep 2015

Terminally ill patients with certain subtypes of delirium show higher probability of imminent death

In cancer patients nearing the end of life, certain subtypes of delirium—specifically, hypoactive and "mixed" delirium—are a strong indicator that death will come soon, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

24 Sep 2015

Study explores effectiveness of frontline treatments for couples with unexplained infertility

A breast cancer drug with promise for improving the chance that couples with unexplained infertility can have a baby without increasing their risk of multiple births apparently does not deliver, according to a comparative study.

24 Sep 2015

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

When you remember a particular experience, that memory has three critical elements -- what, when, and where. MIT neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that processes the "when" and "where" components of memory.

24 Sep 2015

Use of exergaming can improve physical and mental fitness among children with ASD

A study conducted by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston says games used for exercising can improve physical and mental fitness in children with autism spectrum disorders.

24 Sep 2015

Progression confirmation period too short to define disability persistence in MS

Researchers recommend extending the minimum timeframe for confirming disability progression in multiple sclerosis from 3–6 months to 12 or 24 months to better distinguish true irreversible disability from relapse-associated transient disability.

23 Sep 2015

Dextromethorphan–quinidine promising for agitation in Alzheimer’s patients

The combination of dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulphate shows promising efficacy against agitation in a phase 2 trial in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

23 Sep 2015

ASU and three partner institutions awarded NSF grant to study how healthy brains create memories of odors

Like most animals, we rely on our sense of smell for survival. It's critical to our health and an important factor in our quality of life.

23 Sep 2015

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

A team led by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) this week publishes in PNAS a new analysis of data on the genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Sep 2015

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

Columbia University will award the 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to S. Lawrence Zipursky, PhD, for discovering a molecular identification system that helps neurons to navigate and wire the brain. Zipursky is a professor of biological chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

23 Sep 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

UCSF researchers develop molecular 'on switch' that allows control over the actions of T cells

HSCI researchers find surprising similarities between SMA and ALS

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation announces recipients of NARSAD Young Investigator Grants

Adult survivors of childhood posterior fossa brain tumors have low working memory

Researchers reveal potential new treatment methods for fatal brain disease

Premature infants in intensive care units exposed to a great deal of pain

JRC, CERN to explore potential of accelerator-driven method for producing targeted alpha therapy for cancer

Spiritual beliefs may impact physical and mental health, MU study finds

Feeling dizzy after standing up may signal serious conditions, increased risk of death

Neuroscientists reveal the brain malady responsible for tinnitus, chronic pain

Research suggests potential drug targets to stop cancer spread

Terminally ill patients with certain subtypes of delirium show higher probability of imminent death

Study explores effectiveness of frontline treatments for couples with unexplained infertility

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

Use of exergaming can improve physical and mental fitness among children with ASD

Progression confirmation period too short to define disability persistence in MS

Dextromethorphan–quinidine promising for agitation in Alzheimer’s patients

ASU and three partner institutions awarded NSF grant to study how healthy brains create memories of odors

New analysis shows rare gene mutations cause half of all ASD cases

S. Lawrence Zipursky to receive 2015 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

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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