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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.

Yale researchers lead NIH-funded study of preschool and school-aged children with ASD

Yale School of Medicine researchers will lead a national multi-center study of preschool and school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to identify non-invasive biological markers (biomarkers) that could help physicians diagnose, track, and assess treatments in autism patients.

21 Jul 2015

Duke study finds that gut worms can protect babies' brains from chronic inflammation

A Duke University study in rats finds that gut worms can protect babies' brains from long-term learning and memory problems caused by newborn infections.

21 Jul 2015

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have identified key differences between patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and those with the most common genetic form of ALS, a mutation in the C9orf72 gene.

21 Jul 2015

Expectations shape babies' brains

Infants can use their expectations about the world to rapidly shape their developing brains, researchers have found.

21 Jul 2015

Stanford researchers identify iron-containing microglia in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

Examining post-mortem tissue from the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators identified what appear to be iron-containing microglia -- specialized scavenger cells that sometimes become inflammatory -- in a particular part of the hippocampus, a key brain structure whose integrity is critical to memory formation.

21 Jul 2015

Alzheimer's Association recognizes four scientists with Lifetime Achievement Awards at AAIC 2015

The Alzheimer's Association recognizes four leading scientists for their contributions to advancing Alzheimer's disease and dementia research. The awards were presented during the opening session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2015 in Washington, D.C.

21 Jul 2015

MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research presented at AAIC 2015

At the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2015 in Washington D.C., MetLife Foundation presented its annual MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research. These awards were presented to Randall Bateman, M.D., and Christian Haass, Ph.D., for their contributions in advancing Alzheimer's disease research.

21 Jul 2015

Patients' own genetically engineered immune cells show significant success against multiple myeloma

In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for certain cancers. Now this strategy, which uses patients' own immune cells, genetically engineered to target tumors, has shown significant success against multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells that is largely incurable.

21 Jul 2015

New approach holds great promise for developing effective treatments for human mitochondrial diseases

Using existing drugs, such as lithium, to restore basic biological processes in human cells and animal models, researchers may have broken a long-standing logjam in devising effective treatments for human mitochondrial diseases.

21 Jul 2015

New monoclonal antibodies may provide blueprint for effective Alzheimer's disease treatments

Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center's Center for Cognitive Neurology have evidence that monoclonal antibodies they developed may provide the blueprint for effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.

21 Jul 2015

NeoGenomics announces launch of new germline cancer predisposition testing services

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today the launch of a new line of germline cancer predisposition testing services. The new tests include comprehensive testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 encompassing an analysis of all exons and adjacent intronic regions.

20 Jul 2015

New approach to imaging glucose uptake activity in single living cells

Researchers at Columbia University have reported a new approach to visualize glucose uptake activity in single living cells by light microscopy with minimum disturbance. In a recent study published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Associate Professor of Chemistry Wei Min's team developed a new glucose analogue that can mimic the natural glucose, and imaged its uptake as energy source by living cancer cells, neurons and tissues at the single cell level.

20 Jul 2015

C2N-8E12 (ABBV-8E12) gets orphan drug designation from FDA for PSP treatment

C2N Diagnostics and AbbVie today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted their investigational recombinant humanized anti-tau antibody, C2N-8E12 (ABBV-8E12), an orphan drug designation for the treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

17 Jul 2015

UofL conducts Phase I research study for children with relapsed tumors

Zach feels "pretty good." Sam wants to be "done with shots!" And Tyler finds it helps to "just keep thinking that at least I'm getting out of school." They are normal boys who had normal lives until cancer came into the picture. All have faced the disease for two years or more, with surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. All were diagnosed with various malignant solid tumors, went into remission and then relapsed.

17 Jul 2015

Virginia Tech scientist uses mathematical model to show how bacteria can control behavior of robots

Forget the Vulcan mind-meld of the Star Trek generation -- as far as mind control techniques go, bacteria is the next frontier. In a paper published July 16 in Scientific Reports, which is part of the Nature Publishing Group, a Virginia Tech scientist used a mathematical model to demonstrate that bacteria can control the behavior of an inanimate device like a robot.

17 Jul 2015

New study contributes to understanding of inner ear development

Unlike birds and amphibians, mammals can't recover lost hearing. In people, the cells of the inner ear responsible for detecting sound and transmitting those signals to the brain form during early stages of development and can't be replaced if lost due to illness, injury or aging.

17 Jul 2015

Cognitive training can help reduce civilian shooting casualties

Although firing a gun seems like one action, it is made up of many smaller decisions and movements that require coordination between multiple brain areas. The sudden decision to not shoot, called 'response inhibition,' is critical when someone innocent comes into the line of fire. That is what soldiers in war experience when they're about to pull the trigger and then realize that their target is a civilian or an ally. Or when a law enforcement officer realizes that a person they thought was armed and dangerous is actually an innocent bystander.

17 Jul 2015

Neuroscientists interpret code the brain uses to make noisy neuronal circuits

By analyzing the signals of individual neurons in animals undergoing behavioral tests, neuroscientists at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Geneva and the University of Rochester have deciphered the code the brain uses to make the most of its inherently "noisy" neuronal circuits.

17 Jul 2015

Having high blood pressure in midlife can affect cognition many years later

Having high blood pressure in your 50's may impact your ability to keep track or plan ahead in your 80's. This study reports a connection between high blood pressure at a younger age can affect cognition many years later. It currently appears in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

17 Jul 2015

Next-generation tissue implant allows neuroscientists to wirelessly control neurons inside the brains of mice

A study showed that scientists can wirelessly determine the path a mouse walks with a press of a button. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, created a remote controlled, next-generation tissue implant that allows neuroscientists to inject drugs and shine lights on neurons deep inside the brains of mice.

17 Jul 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Yale researchers lead NIH-funded study of preschool and school-aged children with ASD

Duke study finds that gut worms can protect babies' brains from chronic inflammation

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Expectations shape babies' brains

Stanford researchers identify iron-containing microglia in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's Association recognizes four scientists with Lifetime Achievement Awards at AAIC 2015

MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research presented at AAIC 2015

Patients' own genetically engineered immune cells show significant success against multiple myeloma

New approach holds great promise for developing effective treatments for human mitochondrial diseases

New monoclonal antibodies may provide blueprint for effective Alzheimer's disease treatments

NeoGenomics announces launch of new germline cancer predisposition testing services

New approach to imaging glucose uptake activity in single living cells

C2N-8E12 (ABBV-8E12) gets orphan drug designation from FDA for PSP treatment

UofL conducts Phase I research study for children with relapsed tumors

Virginia Tech scientist uses mathematical model to show how bacteria can control behavior of robots

New study contributes to understanding of inner ear development

Cognitive training can help reduce civilian shooting casualties

Neuroscientists interpret code the brain uses to make noisy neuronal circuits

Having high blood pressure in midlife can affect cognition many years later

Next-generation tissue implant allows neuroscientists to wirelessly control neurons inside the brains of mice

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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