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.

Retrosplenial cortex serves as 'conjunction junction' for brain's navigation function

Ever wake at night needing a drink of water and then find your way to the kitchen in the dark without stubbing your toe?

10 Jul 2015

New study confirms neuroprotective role of PrPC against epilepsy

For some time, scientists have been wondering what the physiological role of PrP is in its normal physiological state. Previous studies suggested that among its functions one was preventing the onset of seizure discharges in the brain (most likely by modulating the action of specific synaptic channels), but some had questioned the validity of the research.

9 Jul 2015

New UCLA study reveals genetic architecture of schizophrenia

A new study by UCLA scientists adds to the understanding of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia. Past research has shown the impact of commonly occurring genetic variants on a person's risk of developing schizophrenia. This new study focused instead on rare coding mutations that affect protein function. It found that patients with schizophrenia have a higher-than-normal share of these mutations.

9 Jul 2015

Severe burns dramatically change bacteria populations, study finds

A study published in PLOS ONE has found that burn patients experience dramatic changes in the 100 trillion bacteria inside the gastrointestinal tract.

9 Jul 2015

Johns Hopkins, IOCB Prague sign drug discovery research agreement

The Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery (JHDD) program, created with the mission of identifying novel drug targets arising from Johns Hopkins faculty research and translating them into new therapeutics, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague) have entered into a five-year drug discovery research agreement to develop small-molecule and peptide drugs for a range of therapeutic areas including neurological diseases, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders.

9 Jul 2015

New study finds that secondhand smoke increases risk of stroke for nonsmokers

Nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke each year. Stroke is responsible for one out of every 19 deaths in the U.S. and it is a leading cause of disability. A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that secondhand smoke (SHS) increases the risk of stroke by about 30 percent for nonsmokers.

9 Jul 2015

Researchers find way to measure the aging process in young adults

An international research team from the US, UK, Israel and New Zealand has found a way to measure the aging process in young adults -- a younger population than is usually tested in aging studies.

9 Jul 2015

Diabetes and high blood sugar impose negative effect on cognitive, decision-making skills

MINNEAPOLIS - In just two years, people with type 2 diabetes experienced negative changes in their ability to regulate blood flow in the brain, which was associated with lower scores on tests of cognition skills and their ability to perform their daily activities, according to a new study published in the July 8, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Jul 2015

Neuroscientist receives $2.9 million grant to explore link between language and brain function

Can reading interventions positively impact reading skills and math skills? If so, can the improvement be observed inside the brains of children with combined reading and math disabilities?

9 Jul 2015

Study: Brain activity changes after memory retraining in TBI patients

Kessler Foundation researchers published results of their TBI-MEM trial, the first study to demonstrate significant changes in cerebral activation after memory retraining in individuals with traumatic brain injury.

9 Jul 2015

International consensus panel reviews new diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

New diagnostic criteria were introduced this week for neuromyelitis optica, now called neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, which is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that is sometimes mistaken for multiple sclerosis.

9 Jul 2015

Ludwig, CRI launch clinical trials to evaluate immunotherapies for treatment of GBM and solid tumors

Ludwig Cancer Research and the Cancer Research Institute have launched clinical trials evaluating an immunotherapy for the treatment of the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and a combination of immunotherapies for a variety of solid tumors.

8 Jul 2015

SISSA scientists create synthetic enzymes that can differentiate between active and inactive genes

Certain genetic diseases arise from a deficit of specific genes. An enzyme that amplifies gene transcription could be a viable therapy in these cases, as long as genes are not stimulated to work on the wrong part of the body. SISSA scientists have created synthetic "intelligent" enzymes which are able to differentiate between active and inactive genes and selectively stimulate the former ones.

8 Jul 2015

Adolescents more likely to try e-cigarettes when exposed to TV ads

Adolescents who are exposed to e-cigarette TV advertising are more likely to try e-cigarettes in the future, according to a groundbreaking experiment from researchers at RTI International. Although advertising and adolescent use of e-cigarettes have simultaneously increased in recent years, this is the first study to demonstrate a direct link between adolescents' exposure to advertising and their likelihood of future use.

8 Jul 2015

Cedars-Sinai researchers test new methods for preserving cognition in laboratory mice

Cedars-Sinai researchers have successfully tested two new methods for preserving cognition in laboratory mice that exhibit features of Alzheimer's disease by using white blood cells from bone marrow and a drug for multiple sclerosis to control immune response in the brain.

8 Jul 2015

Decreased connectivity between network-specific brain regions linked to cognitive deficit in MS

An estimated 2.3 million individuals are living with multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide. Approximately half of all individuals with MS experience changes in cognition such as impaired concentration, attention, memory, and judgment. The underlying brain basis for these deleterious effects has been largely elusive.

8 Jul 2015

Chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created for IVF can be predicted at earliest stage of human development

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, Stanford University, University of Valencia and IGENOMIX have discovered that chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos created for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, can be predicted within the first 30 hours of development at the cell-1 stage which results from the union of a female egg and male sperm.

8 Jul 2015

IRB Barcelona scientists provide molecular details about Seckel Syndrome

Today in Nature Communications, scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) provide molecular details about Seckel Syndrome, a rare disease that causes microcephaly, or small brain, and growth delays.

8 Jul 2015

UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

Scientists from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of North Texas Health Science Center are building a prototype for an implantable in-line shunt flow monitoring system that would deliver both on-demand and continuous readings of hydrocephalus.

8 Jul 2015

Guidelines on children's exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields confusing for parents

New research suggests guidelines on children's exposure to radio frequency waves from technology are confusing for parents.

8 Jul 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Retrosplenial cortex serves as 'conjunction junction' for brain's navigation function

New study confirms neuroprotective role of PrPC against epilepsy

New UCLA study reveals genetic architecture of schizophrenia

Severe burns dramatically change bacteria populations, study finds

Johns Hopkins, IOCB Prague sign drug discovery research agreement

New study finds that secondhand smoke increases risk of stroke for nonsmokers

Researchers find way to measure the aging process in young adults

Diabetes and high blood sugar impose negative effect on cognitive, decision-making skills

Neuroscientist receives $2.9 million grant to explore link between language and brain function

Study: Brain activity changes after memory retraining in TBI patients

International consensus panel reviews new diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Ludwig, CRI launch clinical trials to evaluate immunotherapies for treatment of GBM and solid tumors

SISSA scientists create synthetic enzymes that can differentiate between active and inactive genes

Adolescents more likely to try e-cigarettes when exposed to TV ads

Cedars-Sinai researchers test new methods for preserving cognition in laboratory mice

Decreased connectivity between network-specific brain regions linked to cognitive deficit in MS

Chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created for IVF can be predicted at earliest stage of human development

IRB Barcelona scientists provide molecular details about Seckel Syndrome

UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

Guidelines on children's exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields confusing for parents

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