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.

Johns Hopkins researchers discover role of TDP-43 protein in autopsy brain cells of patients with ALS

Autopsies of nearly every patient with the lethal neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and many with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), show pathologists telltale clumps of a protein called TDP-43. Now, working with mouse and human cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have discovered the normal role of TDP-43 in cells and why its abnormal accumulation may cause disease.

7 Aug 2015

Study: Dietary carbohydrate essential for evolution of modern big-brained humans

Understanding how and why we evolved such large brains is one of the most puzzling issues in the study of human evolution. It is widely accepted that brain size increase is partly linked to changes in diet over the last 3 million years, and increases in meat consumption and the development of cooking have received particular attention from the scientific community.

7 Aug 2015

New technology that tracks patients' eye movements may accurately measure brain injury

New technology that tracks the eye movements of patients may be a more accurate measure of brain injury than any other diagnostic measurements currently in use, according to a study recently published in the journal Concussion.

7 Aug 2015

UNC researchers show how a genetic mutation disables molecular switch and causes autism

Last December, researchers identified more than 1,000 gene mutations in individuals with autism, but how these mutations increased risk for autism was unclear. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers are the first to show how one of these mutations disables a molecular switch in one of these genes and causes autism.

7 Aug 2015

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States have developed a new model to study motor neuron degeneration and have used this to identify three genes involved in the neurodegeneration process. These findings could have relevance for understanding the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other forms of motor neuron disease (MND).

7 Aug 2015

Einstein and Montefiore researchers receive $1.2 million grant to advance spinal cord injury research

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System have received a $1.2 million grant from New York State to advance their promising technology for treating paralysis and other effects of spinal cord injuries (SCI).

7 Aug 2015

NFIX protein drives NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes

An international team of researchers has shown that NFIX, a protein that regulates neuronal stem cell activity (NSC), also has a role in driving NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes, a type of glial cell. These cells produce the myelin that surrounds and protects neurons.

7 Aug 2015

Study opens up new avenues for researchers to explore treatment for childhood-onset schizophrenia

Fundamental differences between how the brain forms during adolescence have been discovered in children with schizophrenia and their siblings, a new study shows. The study opens up new avenues for researchers to explore when developing treatment for the illness, which can be hugely debilitating for children.

7 Aug 2015

Early cognitive changes linked to white matter damage in Parkinson’s

Subtle changes in white matter integrity are detectable in patients with Parkinson’s disease and are associated with early impairments in cognition, say researchers.

6 Aug 2015

Celsion reports updated results from HEAT Study of ThermoDox in patients with primary liver cancer

Celsion Corporation, an oncology drug development company, today announced updated results from its retrospective analysis of the Company's 701-patient HEAT Study of ThermoDox, Celsion's proprietary heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin in combination with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

6 Aug 2015

Modern living could lead to 'hidden' epidemic of neurological brain disease

Modern living could be responsible for an 'almost epidemic' increase in neurological brain disease, according to new research from Bournemouth University.

6 Aug 2015

Vtesse reports preliminary results from VTS-270 Phase 1 trial for treatment of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C

Vtesse, Inc. announced preliminary results today from an open-label Phase 1 clinical trial with VTS-270 (a formulation of (2-hydroxypropyl)-beta-cyclodextrin) for treatment of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC) conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

6 Aug 2015

Discovery may lead to new ways to diagnose, treat brain cancer

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have uncovered a link between the genomes of cells originating in the neural crest and development of tumors — a discovery that could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat cancer.

6 Aug 2015

Hospital physicians rarely identify or address overweight/obesity in children

Physicians and physician trainees fail to identify or address overweight/obesity in over 90 percent of hospitalized children, according to new research from a Saint Louis University pediatric hospitalist.

6 Aug 2015

Diets high in sodium could be a novel risk factor in development of multiple sclerosis

Here's another reason to put the salt shaker down: New research in mice shows that diets high in sodium may be a novel risk factor in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by influencing immune cells that cause the disease. Although this research does implicate salt intake as a risk factor, it is important to note that dietary salt is likely just one of the many environmental factors contributing to this complex disease, and very much influenced by one's genetic background.

6 Aug 2015

Structural brain changes found in chemoradiation-treated glioblastoma patients

US researchers find evidence of marked and progressive brain atrophy during standard chemoradiation therapy in patients with glioblastoma.

5 Aug 2015

TSRI study shows single injection of blebbistatin drug prevents methamphetamine relapse in animal models

Recovering addicts often grapple with the ghosts of their addiction—memories that tempt them to relapse even after rehabilitation and months, or even years, of drug-free living.

5 Aug 2015

New research could help understand how ongoing behavior influences visual perception

Our brains are constantly barraged with sensory information, but have an amazing ability to filter out just what they need to understand what's going on around us. For instance, if you stand perfectly still in a room, and that room rotates around you, it's terrifying.

5 Aug 2015

Sleeping in lateral position may effectively remove brain waste, say Stony Brook researchers

Sleeping in the lateral, or side position, as compared to sleeping on one's back or stomach, may more effectively remove brain waste and prove to be an important practice to help reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases, according to researchers at Stony Brook University.

5 Aug 2015

Aging adults who follow MIND diet can delay cognitive decline

While cognitive abilities naturally diminish as part of the normal aging process, it may be possible to take a bite out of this expected decline.

5 Aug 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Johns Hopkins researchers discover role of TDP-43 protein in autopsy brain cells of patients with ALS

Study: Dietary carbohydrate essential for evolution of modern big-brained humans

New technology that tracks patients' eye movements may accurately measure brain injury

UNC researchers show how a genetic mutation disables molecular switch and causes autism

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Einstein and Montefiore researchers receive $1.2 million grant to advance spinal cord injury research

NFIX protein drives NSC differentiation toward oligodendrocytes

Study opens up new avenues for researchers to explore treatment for childhood-onset schizophrenia

Early cognitive changes linked to white matter damage in Parkinson’s

Celsion reports updated results from HEAT Study of ThermoDox in patients with primary liver cancer

Modern living could lead to 'hidden' epidemic of neurological brain disease

Vtesse reports preliminary results from VTS-270 Phase 1 trial for treatment of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C

Discovery may lead to new ways to diagnose, treat brain cancer

Hospital physicians rarely identify or address overweight/obesity in children

Diets high in sodium could be a novel risk factor in development of multiple sclerosis

Structural brain changes found in chemoradiation-treated glioblastoma patients

TSRI study shows single injection of blebbistatin drug prevents methamphetamine relapse in animal models

New research could help understand how ongoing behavior influences visual perception

Sleeping in lateral position may effectively remove brain waste, say Stony Brook researchers

Aging adults who follow MIND diet can delay cognitive decline

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

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