Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

ASV therapy used to treat central sleep apnoea in heart failure patients increases mortality

Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy increases mortality and should not be used to treat central sleep apnoea in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, the SERVE-HF trial shows.

1 Sep 2015

UCSF-led team develops new technique to create tiny models of human tissues

A UCSF-led team has developed a technique to build tiny models of human tissues, called organoids, more precisely than ever before using a process that turns human cells into a biological equivalent of LEGO bricks. These mini-tissues in a dish can be used to study how particular structural features of tissue affect normal growth or go awry in cancer. They could be used for therapeutic drug screening and to help teach researchers how to grow whole human organs.

1 Sep 2015

Newly discovered prion causes Multiple System Atrophy

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson's disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, akin to the misfolded proteins involved in incurable progressive brain diseases such Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to two new research papers led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

1 Sep 2015

New way to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation can give relief for severe depression

A group of UK scientists have found a way of understanding how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can give relief to severely depressed patients. TMS is used as an alternative to Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT), but it is not known how it achieves its therapeutic effect. Understanding how it works may open the door to better, more targeted treatment for depression and other conditions.

31 Aug 2015

Study shows food craving may be hard-wired into the brain of overweight patients

An international group of researchers have found that food craving activates different brain networks between obese and normal weight patients.

31 Aug 2015

ATTEMPT-CVD trial results show that ARBs may have better impact on CVD biomarkers

When it comes to treating high blood pressure, not all anti-hypertensive medications are equal, and results of the ATTEMPT-CVD trial suggest that telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) might have benefits over non-ARB treatment.

31 Aug 2015

Bystander CPR can prevent brain damage, nursing home admission following cardiac arrest

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been linked to a 30% lower risk of nursing home admission and brain damage in survivors of cardiac arrest outside hospital in research presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Kristian Kragholm, a PhD student in the Department of Anesthesiology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark.

31 Aug 2015

Single dose of cocaine can impair ability to recognise negative emotions

A single dose of cocaine can interfere with the ability to recognise negative emotions, according to new research presented at the ECNP conference in Amsterdam.

31 Aug 2015

$Patients with refractory cardiac arrest brought to hospital with ongoing CPR can survive$

Patients with refractory cardiac arrest brought to hospital with ongoing CPR can survive

Refractory cardiac arrest patients brought to hospital with ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can survive with good brain function, according to research in nearly 4 000 patients presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Helle Søholm, a cardiologist at Copenhagen University Hospital Righospitalet in Denmark.

29 Aug 2015

September tip sheet from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

A computer algorithm did a better job than doctors at documenting "red flag" symptoms among patients with gastrointestinal disorders, a Cedars-Sinai study has found, underscoring the potential of the technology to improve patient care.

29 Aug 2015

Brain tumor is not always the death sentence

Only half of brain cancers actually start in the brain. The rest - as in the case of former president Jimmy Carter - are metastatic tumors from cancer that originated elsewhere in the body.

29 Aug 2015

People with BPD traits have lowered activity in brain regions that support empathy

Those with borderline personality disorder, or BPD, a mental illness marked by unstable moods, often experience trouble maintaining interpersonal relationships. New research from the University of Georgia indicates that this may have to do with lowered brain activity in regions important for empathy in individuals with borderline personality traits.

29 Aug 2015

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned.

29 Aug 2015

KAIST scientists predict how biological circuits sustain rhythms

Our bodies have a variety of biological clocks that follow rhythms or oscillations with periods ranging from seconds to days. For example, our hearts beat every second, and cells divide periodically. The circadian clock located in the hypothalamus generates twenty-four hour rhythms, timing our sleep and hormone release.

29 Aug 2015

Study shows lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes foaetal abnormalities

A new international study shows that 5,000 foetuses in Europe annually are affected by spina bifida and other severe defects on the central nervous system. Seventy per cent of these pregnancies are terminated, while increased mortality and serious diseases affect the children who are born. At least half of the cases can be avoided by adding folic acid to staple foods as is already being done in seventy non-European countries.

29 Aug 2015

FDA approves MagVenture MagVita TMS Therapy system for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

On July 31, 2015 the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the MagVita TMS Therapy system for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode.

28 Aug 2015

Cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain broadcast message throughout the cerebral cortex

When a large combat unit, widely dispersed in dense jungle, goes to battle, no single soldier knows precisely how his actions are affecting the unit's success or failure. But in modern armies, every soldier is connected via an audio link that can instantly receive broadcasts - reporting both positive and negative surprises - based on new intelligence. The real-time broadcasts enable dispersed troops to learn from these reports and can be critical since no solider has an overview of the entire unit's situation.

28 Aug 2015

Consumers willing to pay 30% more for Fair Trade products, study finds

Products labeled with a Fair Trade logo cause prospective buyers to dig deeper into their pockets. In an experiment conducted at the University of Bonn, participants were willing to pay on average 30 percent more for ethically produced goods, compared to their conventionally produced counterparts.

28 Aug 2015

New study may lead to effective treatment to prevent common chemotherapy side effects in cancer patients

Annually, hundreds of thousands of patients battling cancer undergo chemotherapy, which often results in poorly tolerated side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of the desire to eat.

28 Aug 2015

Aphantasia: A condition that describes people born with diminished visual imagery ability

If counting sheep is an abstract concept, or you are unable to visualise the faces of loved ones, you could have aphantasia - a newly defined condition to describe people who are born without a "mind's eye".

28 Aug 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

ASV therapy used to treat central sleep apnoea in heart failure patients increases mortality

UCSF-led team develops new technique to create tiny models of human tissues

Newly discovered prion causes Multiple System Atrophy

New way to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation can give relief for severe depression

Study shows food craving may be hard-wired into the brain of overweight patients

ATTEMPT-CVD trial results show that ARBs may have better impact on CVD biomarkers

Bystander CPR can prevent brain damage, nursing home admission following cardiac arrest

Single dose of cocaine can impair ability to recognise negative emotions

Patients with refractory cardiac arrest brought to hospital with ongoing CPR can survive

September tip sheet from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Brain tumor is not always the death sentence

People with BPD traits have lowered activity in brain regions that support empathy

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

KAIST scientists predict how biological circuits sustain rhythms

Study shows lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes foaetal abnormalities

FDA approves MagVenture MagVita TMS Therapy system for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain broadcast message throughout the cerebral cortex

Consumers willing to pay 30% more for Fair Trade products, study finds

New study may lead to effective treatment to prevent common chemotherapy side effects in cancer patients

Aphantasia: A condition that describes people born with diminished visual imagery ability

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

Latest News