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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 awarded $6.4 million grant to identify causes of neurodevelopmental disorders in children with CHDs

As advances in medicine are giving rise to growing numbers of children who are surviving severe heart defects, a phenomenon is emerging that is catching parents and healthcare providers off-guard. Over half of these children also have a seemingly unrelated disability: neurodevelopmental disorders. Some have severe cognitive and motor deficits that arise early.

25 Aug 2015

Brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form long-term memories

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found how even brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form permanent, long-term brain connections, or memories, in a specific region of the brain. Moreover, the research team, working with rats, says it was able to chemically stimulate those biological pathways in the locus coeruleus -- the area of the brain best known for releasing the "fight or flight" hormone noradrenaline -- to heighten and improve the animals' hearing.

25 Aug 2015

Understanding the causes of sudden death in epilepsy: an interview with Professor Sanjay Sisodiya

SUDEP is the sudden unexpected witnessed or unwitnessed, non-traumatic and non-drowning death in people with epilepsy, with or without evidence of a seizure. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the known context of a seizure, excluding documented status epilepticus, where people have seizure after seizure.

24 Aug 2015

Variation in genetic mechanism increases fat storage and drives obesity

A specific gene region has long been suspected of contributing to obesity in humans but the precise mechanisms behind this were previously unclear. Now, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School and other partners have been able to show that a single genetic alteration in this region reduces thermogenesis (fat burning), instead increasing lipid storage.

24 Aug 2015

Cognitive factors associated with activity, participation in everyday life among people with MS

Kessler Foundation researchers found that processing speed is the primary limiting factor associated with activity and participation in everyday life among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). "Factors that moderate activity limitation and participation restriction in people with multiple sclerosis" was published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

24 Aug 2015

Poor sleep may impact treatment and recovery in veterans with PTSD, TBI

Poor sleep may impact treatment and recovery in veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A review of extensive research on sleep in TBI and PTSD has found that sleep-focused interventions can improve treatment outcomes in veterans.

24 Aug 2015

NW Bio's DCVax-L Phase III trial ongoing for treatment of patients with newly diagnosed GBM

Northwest Biotherapeutics, a U.S. biotechnology company developing DCVax personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, confirmed today that its Phase III trial of DCVax-L for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is ongoing and the patients enrolled in the trial are continuing to be treated per the protocol.

23 Aug 2015

Preference-based decisions become less stable when information flowing between brain regions gets disrupted

Some people find it difficult to make decisions. In a new study, neuroeconomists from the University of Zurich now reveal that the intensity of the communication between different regions of the brain dictates whether we are indecisive or not.

21 Aug 2015

Researchers evaluate use of human fetal progenitor tenocyte to repair tendon injuries

Tendon injuries, especially those acquired while engaging in sports, are not easily healed due to the fibrous nature of tendon tissues which transmit forces from muscle to bone and protect surrounding tissues against tension and compression. Tendon injuries to wrists, knees, elbows and rotator cuffs, often from over use when playing golf or tennis, are increasingly common for both professional and amateur athletes ("weekend warriors") alike.

21 Aug 2015

Maltreated children experience more intense emotions than their peers

Children who have been abused or exposed to other types of trauma typically experience more intense emotions than their peers, a byproduct of living in volatile, dangerous environments.

21 Aug 2015

Adolescent e-cigarette users more likely to start smoking

As e-cigarette usage among high school students continues to climb, a recent study from The Journal of the American Medical Association reveals an unsettling trend: that adolescent e-cigarette users are more likely than their non-vaping peers to initiate use of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and hookahs. The reason may lie in a common denominator between e-cigarettes and their combustible counterparts: nicotine.

21 Aug 2015

Two proteins that help cells eliminate trash may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease

Two proteins that share the ability to help cells deal with their trash appear to need each other to do their jobs and when they don't connect, it appears to contribute to development of Parkinson's disease, scientists report.

21 Aug 2015

Researchers identify strategy to prevent adenoviruses from multiplying and causing sickness in humans

Using an animal model they developed, Saint Louis University and Utah State university researchers have identified a strategy that could keep a common group of viruses called adenoviruses from replicating and causing sickness in humans.

21 Aug 2015

Medicaid could save billions as patents for several blockbuster antipsychotic medications expire

Medicaid is expected to save billions of dollars a year as patents for several blockbuster antipsychotic medications expire and use of generic versions of these drugs increases, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. These savings may provide relief from the high costs of these medications and allow policymakers to lift restrictions on patients' access, the researchers argue.

21 Aug 2015

Hippocampus in the brain's temporal lobe involved in quick, successful conflict resolution

The hippocampus in the brain's temporal lobe is responsible for more than just long-term memory. Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that it is also involved in quick and successful conflict resolution.

21 Aug 2015

Temporary postnatal visual deprivation induces permanent auditory responses in the brain's visual area

A brief period of postnatal visual deprivation, when early in life, drives a rewiring of the brain areas involved in visual processing, even if the visual restoration is completed well before the baby reaches one year of age, researchers at the University of Trento, McMaster University, and the University of Montreal revealed today in Current Biology.

21 Aug 2015

New study finds significant association between ADHD and TBI

A new study has found a "significant association" between adults who have suffered a traumatic brain injury at some point in their lives and who also have attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

21 Aug 2015

Researchers find effectiveness of ramelteon for treatment of sleep disturbances after TBI

Kessler researchers found preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of ramelteon for the treatment of sleep disturbances after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article, "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on May 28, 2015. Authors are Anthony Lequerica, PhD, and Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, of Kessler Foundation, Neil Jasey, MD, of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Jaclyn Portelli Tremont, MA, of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University.

21 Aug 2015

CRY launches fundraising and awareness campaign 'Healthy Start'

In a small village in West Bengal, India, 7-month-old Anwesha is oblivious to the fact that in her community, for generations before her, many newborns did not even live to see their first birthday. In an age old tradition, the community believed that the survival of the newborn or the mother is pre-determined and no extra care or immunization should interfere with the inevitable. It was only after persistent effort by CRY-supported project SSDC for a decade that the attitude of the community began to change.

20 Aug 2015

S1 Biopharma supports FDA's approval of flibanserin for women living with HSDD

S1 Biopharma is a developer of first-in-class drugs for sexual dysfunction in both women and men. The company's lead compound, Lorexys, is currently in Phase IIb for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).

20 Aug 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers awarded $6.4 million grant to identify causes of neurodevelopmental disorders in children with CHDs

Brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form long-term memories

Understanding the causes of sudden death in epilepsy: an interview with Professor Sanjay Sisodiya

Variation in genetic mechanism increases fat storage and drives obesity

Cognitive factors associated with activity, participation in everyday life among people with MS

Poor sleep may impact treatment and recovery in veterans with PTSD, TBI

NW Bio's DCVax-L Phase III trial ongoing for treatment of patients with newly diagnosed GBM

Preference-based decisions become less stable when information flowing between brain regions gets disrupted

Researchers evaluate use of human fetal progenitor tenocyte to repair tendon injuries

Maltreated children experience more intense emotions than their peers

Adolescent e-cigarette users more likely to start smoking

Two proteins that help cells eliminate trash may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease

Researchers identify strategy to prevent adenoviruses from multiplying and causing sickness in humans

Medicaid could save billions as patents for several blockbuster antipsychotic medications expire

Hippocampus in the brain's temporal lobe involved in quick, successful conflict resolution

Temporary postnatal visual deprivation induces permanent auditory responses in the brain's visual area

New study finds significant association between ADHD and TBI

Researchers find effectiveness of ramelteon for treatment of sleep disturbances after TBI

CRY launches fundraising and awareness campaign 'Healthy Start'

S1 Biopharma supports FDA's approval of flibanserin for women living with HSDD

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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