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.

Multiple IV administration of adipose-derived MSCs may extend healthy life and lifespan

Researchers in Korea have determined the possibility that adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may extend healthy life and lifespan by intravenous injections.

28 Aug 2015

Findings reveal a new way to prevent meningitis

The fungus Cryptococcus causes meningitis, a brain disease that kills about 1 million people each year — mainly those with impaired immune systems due to AIDS, cancer treatment or an organ transplant.

28 Aug 2015

Powerful explosive devices of 21st century warfare prompt urgent calls to re-engineer protective gear

Battle-inflicted head injuries are as old as war itself, evidenced by the copper helmets worn by Bronze Age soldiers to deflect blows from spears and axes. Over the ensuing millennia, as weapons evolved, so did armor. Today, the powerful explosive devices of 21st century warfare have once again raised the stakes, prompting urgent calls to re-engineer protective gear.

28 Aug 2015

Cell-to-cell transmission of HIV leads to development of AIDS

Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have revealed that HIV does not cause AIDS by the virus's direct effect on the host's immune cells, but rather through the cells' lethal influence on one another.

28 Aug 2015

Researchers find fatty acid deposits in brains of Alzheimer's patients

People with Alzheimer's disease have fat deposits in the brain. For the first time since the disease was described 109 years ago, researchers affiliated with the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have discovered accumulations of fat droplets in the brain of patients who died from the disease and have identified the nature of the fat.

28 Aug 2015

Brain scans may help predict patients' response to antipsychotic drug treatment

Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that brain scans can be used to predict patients' response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The findings are published online in the latest issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.

28 Aug 2015

Brain cells in Parkinson's disease die prematurely, burning out like an overheating motor

The death of brain cells in Parkinson's disease may be caused by a form of cellular energy crisis in neurons that require unusually high quantities of energy to carry out their job of regulating movement, researchers at the University of Montreal reported today.

28 Aug 2015

SLU study finds that length of stay in ED makes no real difference in mortality of trauma patient

The amount of time a trauma patient stays in the emergency department (ED) makes no real difference in the patient's mortality, researchers at Saint Louis University found in a recent study.

28 Aug 2015

Alzheimer's Association urges people to participate in ‘Walk to End Alzheimer's’

The Alzheimer's Association® is calling on people to "get in the Purple Zone" and get behind the cause that affects more than 5 million people in the U.S.

28 Aug 2015

Children exposed to toxic air pollutants at home more likely to have lower GPAs

A University of Texas at El Paso study on children's health has found that fourth and fifth graders who are exposed to toxic air pollutants at home are more likely to have lower GPAs.

28 Aug 2015

Brainbow technique reveals surprising data about brain's visual circuitry

Neuroscientists know that some connections in the brain are pruned through neural development. Function gives rise to structure, according to the textbooks. But scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered that the textbooks might be wrong.

28 Aug 2015

Experimental gene therapy may prevent neuronal degeneration in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Degenerating neurons in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) measurably responded to an experimental gene therapy in which nerve growth factor (NGF) was injected into their brains, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the current issue of JAMA Neurology.

28 Aug 2015

UiO researchers test new nasal spray device for treating mental illness

Researchers at the University of Oslo have tested a new device for delivering hormone treatments for mental illness through the nose. This method was found to deliver medicine to the brain with few side effects.

27 Aug 2015

Young adults diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence show differences in brain structure, memory

Young adults diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence show differences in brain structure and perform poorly in memory tests compared to their peers, according to new research from the University of Cambridge, UK, and the University of Oulu, Finland.

27 Aug 2015

Mental focussing may trigger learning mechanisms

A study conducted with experienced scholars of Zen-Meditation shows that mental focussing can induce learning mechanisms, similar to physical training. Researchers at the Ruhr-University Bochum and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University München discovered this phenomenon during a scientifically monitored meditation retreat. The journal "Scientific Reports", from the makers of "Nature", has now published their new findings on the plasticity of the brain.

27 Aug 2015

Study shows how difficulty making good decisions can make certain people vulnerable to suicide

Not even close to every person who faces challenges or lives with severe depression commits suicide. Some people are more vulnerable than others.

27 Aug 2015

PFF, Veracyte partner on U.S. survey exploring patients' diagnostic experiences with interstitial lung diseases

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and Veracyte, Inc. announced that the organizations are partnering on a U.S. patient survey to advance understanding of patients' diagnostic experiences with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

27 Aug 2015

NTNU researchers find link between aggression and gene variant in children

Some children react more strongly to negative experiences than others. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found a link between aggression and variants of a particular gene.

27 Aug 2015

Transplanting multi-layered sheet of liver cells into damaged liver improves function in test animals

Liver transplantation is currently the only established treatment for patients with end stage liver failure. However, this treatment is limited by the shortage of donors and the conditional integrity and suitability of the available organs. Transplanting donor hepatocytes (liver cells) into the liver as an alternative to liver transplantation also has drawbacks as the rate of survival of primary hepatocytes is limited and often severe complications can result from the transplantation procedure.

27 Aug 2015

Two studies highlight important new discovery around most common genetic defect linked to ALS

In today's issue of Nature, two new studies funded in part by The ALS Association both highlight an important new discovery around the C9orf72 mutation, the most common genetic defect associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

27 Aug 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Multiple IV administration of adipose-derived MSCs may extend healthy life and lifespan

Findings reveal a new way to prevent meningitis

Powerful explosive devices of 21st century warfare prompt urgent calls to re-engineer protective gear

Cell-to-cell transmission of HIV leads to development of AIDS

Researchers find fatty acid deposits in brains of Alzheimer's patients

Brain scans may help predict patients' response to antipsychotic drug treatment

Brain cells in Parkinson's disease die prematurely, burning out like an overheating motor

SLU study finds that length of stay in ED makes no real difference in mortality of trauma patient

Alzheimer's Association urges people to participate in ‘Walk to End Alzheimer's’

Children exposed to toxic air pollutants at home more likely to have lower GPAs

Brainbow technique reveals surprising data about brain's visual circuitry

Experimental gene therapy may prevent neuronal degeneration in patients with Alzheimer's disease

UiO researchers test new nasal spray device for treating mental illness

Young adults diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence show differences in brain structure, memory

Mental focussing may trigger learning mechanisms

Study shows how difficulty making good decisions can make certain people vulnerable to suicide

PFF, Veracyte partner on U.S. survey exploring patients' diagnostic experiences with interstitial lung diseases

NTNU researchers find link between aggression and gene variant in children

Transplanting multi-layered sheet of liver cells into damaged liver improves function in test animals

Two studies highlight important new discovery around most common genetic defect linked to ALS

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

Latest News