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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.

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, providing insight into how the condition may develop and respond to treatment, have been identified in an internationally collaborative study led by a Georgia State University scientist.

7 Jul 2015

Cognizin citicoline shows promise in patients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence

The results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that Cognizin citicoline (Jarrow Formulas) was effective at reducing cocaine use, based on urine drug screens, in patients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in Advance, included a total of 130 outpatients with bipolar I disorder and cocaine dependence, who received either Cognizin citicoline or placebo add-on therapy for 12 weeks.

7 Jul 2015

Abide Therapeutics begins Phase 1a study of ABX-1431 investigational endocannabinoid system modulator

Abide Therapeutics, a developer of innovative pharmaceuticals, announced today initiation of enrollment and dosing of the first subject in a Phase 1a clinical study of ABX-1431, a first-in-class, investigational endocannabinoid system modulator.

7 Jul 2015

Scientists and families to gather in The Woodlands, Texas to build up community around Christianson Syndrome

It takes a committed community to develop effective treatments for a new disease. With that hope, scientists and families will come together in a Houston suburb July 30- Aug. 2 to build up the community around Christianson Syndrome, a genetic intellectual disability disorder, often associated with autistic features, first discovered 16 years ago.

7 Jul 2015

Changes in key biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease during midlife may help predict future dementia risk

Studying brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy adults, scientists have shown that changes in key biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease during midlife may help identify those who will develop dementia years later, according to new research.

7 Jul 2015

Patients who receive intracranial stents at increased risk of experiencing another stroke

The risk of experiencing another stroke is higher if patients, after dilation of their blood vessels in the brain, receive not only clot-inhibiting drugs, but also have stents inserted. The recently published results of the VISSIT study confirm this conclusion of a rapid report by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) of October 2014.

7 Jul 2015

Allergan agrees to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to Merck's CGRP migraine development program

Allergan plc and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Allergan will acquire the exclusive worldwide rights to Merck's investigational small molecule oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists, which are being developed for the treatment and prevention of migraine, subject to expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR).

7 Jul 2015

Commercially available headphones unlikely to interfere with programmable shunt valve settings

Researchers at Brown University examined three magnetically programmable shunt valves to see if the magnetic field emissions of headphones can cause unintentional changes in shunt valve settings. Based on their findings, the researchers state that it is highly unlikely that commercially available headphones will interfere with programmable shunt valve settings.

7 Jul 2015

Mild head injury patients having lower serum S100B levels unlikely to have intracranial hemorrhage

Researchers conducted a prospective observational study in elderly patients and adult patients receiving antiplatelet therapy who presented with mild head injury at two trauma hospitals in Vienna: the Trauma Hospital Meidling and the Donauspital.

7 Jul 2015

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

Already pioneers in the use of immunotherapy, City of Hope researchers are now testing the bold approach to cancer treatment against one of medicine's biggest challenges: brain cancer. This month, they will launch a clinical trial using patients' own modified T cells to fight advanced brain tumors.

7 Jul 2015

Henry Ford Hospital wins Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award

The Stroke and Neurovascular Disease Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.

7 Jul 2015

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Cancer's ability to grow unchecked is often attributed to cancer stem cells, a small fraction of cancer cells that have the capacity to grow and multiply indefinitely. How cancer stem cells retain this property while the bulk of a tumor's cells do not remains largely unknown. Using human tumor samples and mouse models, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center discovered that cancer stem cell properties are determined by epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications cells use to control which genes are turned on or off.

7 Jul 2015

Dental pulp stem cell transplants can contribute to peripheral nerve regeneration

Peripheral nerve injuries often are caused by trauma or surgical complications and can result in considerable disabilities. Regeneration of peripheral nerves can be accomplished effectively using autologous (self-donated) nerve grafts, but that procedure may sacrifice a functional nerve and cause loss of sensation in another part of the patient's body.

7 Jul 2015

Bacterial biofilms play role in development of systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type-1 diabetes are among more than a score of diseases in which the immune system attacks the body it was designed to defend. But just why the immune system begins its misdirected assault has remained a mystery.

7 Jul 2015

Findings reveal new pathway to develop effective treatments and therapies for asthma, allergy

Investigators have discovered the precise molecular steps that enable immune cells implicated in certain forms of asthma and allergy to develop and survive in the body. The findings from Weill Cornell Medical College reveal a new pathway that scientists could use to develop more effective treatments and therapies for the chronic lung disorder.

7 Jul 2015

Study explores link between medical marijuana ads and youth behavior

Adolescents who saw advertising for medical marijuana were more likely to either report using marijuana or say they planned to use the substance in the future, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

7 Jul 2015

AOSSM to present awards and grants to encourage cutting-edge research in orthopaedic sports medicine

In order to recognize and encourage cutting-edge research in key areas of orthopaedic sports medicine, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine will present ten research awards and seven grants during its Annual Meeting, July 9-12 in Orlando, FL.

7 Jul 2015

Disproportionate number of older people hospitalized in Canada with TBI

A disproportionate number of people hospitalized in Canada with traumatic brain injuries are 65 years or older, a new study from St. Michael's Hospital has found.

7 Jul 2015

New findings can help scientists generate tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics

Optogenetics techniques, which allow scientists to map and control nerve cells using light stimulation, are being used to study neural circuits in the brain with unprecedented precision. This revolutionary technology relies on light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsins, and researchers at UC Santa Cruz have now determined the molecular mechanism involved in the light-induced activation of one of these proteins.

7 Jul 2015

MIT researchers reveal key brainwave changes among patients receiving nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas," has been used in anesthesiology practice since the 1800s, but the way it works to create altered states is not well understood. In a study published this week in Clinical Neurophysiology, MIT researchers reveal some key brainwave changes among patients receiving the drug.

7 Jul 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Cognizin citicoline shows promise in patients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence

Abide Therapeutics begins Phase 1a study of ABX-1431 investigational endocannabinoid system modulator

Scientists and families to gather in The Woodlands, Texas to build up community around Christianson Syndrome

Changes in key biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease during midlife may help predict future dementia risk

Patients who receive intracranial stents at increased risk of experiencing another stroke

Allergan agrees to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to Merck's CGRP migraine development program

Commercially available headphones unlikely to interfere with programmable shunt valve settings

Mild head injury patients having lower serum S100B levels unlikely to have intracranial hemorrhage

City of Hope researchers to use patients' own modified T cells to treat advanced brain tumors

Henry Ford Hospital wins Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award

LSD1 enzyme turns off genes needed to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma

Dental pulp stem cell transplants can contribute to peripheral nerve regeneration

Bacterial biofilms play role in development of systemic lupus erythematosus

Findings reveal new pathway to develop effective treatments and therapies for asthma, allergy

Study explores link between medical marijuana ads and youth behavior

AOSSM to present awards and grants to encourage cutting-edge research in orthopaedic sports medicine

Disproportionate number of older people hospitalized in Canada with TBI

New findings can help scientists generate tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics

MIT researchers reveal key brainwave changes among patients receiving nitrous oxide

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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