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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.

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

A blood-borne molecule that increases in abundance as we age blocks regeneration of brain cells and promotes cognitive decline, suggests a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Stanford School of Medicine.

7 Jul 2015

Transitioning Infrared Imaging into Clinical Use

The CLIRSPEC network is a UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC – EP/L012952/1) funded network in clinical infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy can identify the hallmarks of disease and distinguish between diseased and non-diseased samples based upon inherent chemistry.

From Daylight Solutions Inc 7 Jul 2015

Sialic acid attached to brain cells may affect brain structure, cause neurological problems

New research from The Johns Hopkins University suggests that a molecule commonly found “decorating” brain cells in higher animals, including humans, may affect brain structure.

7 Jul 2015

ImmunoCellular, Novella partner to conduct ICT-107 phase 3 registration trial in patients with glioblastoma

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. today announced the establishment of an agreement with Novella Clinical (Novella), to conduct the phase 3 registration trial of ICT-107 in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Novella is a full-service, global clinical research organization (CRO) providing clinical trial services to small to mid-sized oncology companies.

6 Jul 2015

28th ECNP Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology to take place in Amsterdam

Europe's largest meeting for the science and treatment of disorders of the brain, the 28th ECNP Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology will take place at the Amsterdam RAI from 29 August to 1 September 2015.

6 Jul 2015

Increased sleepiness may necessitate cautious PD management

Many patients with early Parkinson’s disease develop excessive daytime sleepiness as their condition progresses, a study shows.

3 Jul 2015

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric impulses from activated neurons, but on one of their consequences. Indeed, this stimulation triggers physiological modifications in the activated cerebral region, changes that become visible by imaging.

3 Jul 2015

New AHA/ASA guidelines recommend stent retrievers to treat strokes in selected patients

New devices called stent retrievers are enabling physicians to benefit selected patients who suffer strokes caused by blood clots. The devices effectively stop strokes in their tracks.

3 Jul 2015

WATCHMAN Device helps reduce stroke risk, stop use of blood thinners in patients with atrial fibrillation

MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute now offers patients with irregular heart rhythm a minimally invasive option to reduce the risk of stroke, as well as enable stopping long-term use of blood thinning medication. Physicians at MedStar Heart at MedStar Washington Hospital Center were the first in the Washington metropolitan region to successfully implant the WATCHMAN Device on June 16 in two patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib).

3 Jul 2015

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

A new study suggests that genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura. The research is published during Headache/Migraine Awareness Month in the inaugural issue of the journal Neurology Genetics, an open access, or free to the public, online-only, peer-reviewed journal from the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2015

Research shows how prion-like proteins critical for maintaining long-term memories

Research from Eric Kandel's lab at Columbia University Medical Center has uncovered further evidence of a system in the brain that persistently maintains memories for long periods of time. And paradoxically, it works in the same way as mechanisms that cause mad cow disease, kuru, and other degenerative brain diseases.

3 Jul 2015

Biologically active molecules produced during gluten digestion can pass through gut lining

Biologically active molecules released by digesting bread and pasta can survive digestion and potentially pass through the gut lining, suggests new research.

2 Jul 2015

Study demonstrates the important role of placebo effect in medical care

The "placebo effect" is often described as events that occur when patients show improvement from treatments that contain no active ingredients.

2 Jul 2015

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

Spider-like cells inside the brain, spinal cord and eye hunt for invaders, capturing and then devouring them. These cells, called microglia, often play a beneficial role by helping to clear trash and protect the central nervous system against infection. But a new study by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that they also accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

2 Jul 2015

New UCL research reveals how past events are reconstructed in the brain

When remembering something from our past, we often vividly re-experience the whole episode in which it occurred. New UCL research funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust has now revealed how this might happen in the brain.

2 Jul 2015

1 in 4 people with histories of nicotine use, substance abuse likely to use opioid painkillers long-term

Opioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and substance abuse were likeliest to use opioid painkillers long-term.

2 Jul 2015

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Light switches for neurons have made enormous contributions to brain research by giving investigators access to "on switches" for brain cells. But, finding "off switches" has been much more challenging.

2 Jul 2015

Study sheds new light on how the brain forms memories

In the first study of its kind, UCLA and United Kingdom researchers found that neurons in a specific brain region play a key role in rapidly forming memories about every day events, a finding that may result in a better understanding of memory loss and new methods to fight it in Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

2 Jul 2015

Researchers make significant progress in improving survival of adult patients with low-grade gliomas

Using clinical data collected over the past decade through a U.S. cancer registry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine demonstrated that significant strides have been made in improving the survival of adult patients with low-grade gliomas, a slow-growing yet deadly form of primary brain cancer.

2 Jul 2015

Computer model could help develop better strategies for treating early-childhood visual disorders

When newborn babies open their eyes for the first time, they already possess nerve cells specialized in particular stimuli in the visual cortex of their brains - but these nerve cells are not systematically linked with each other.

2 Jul 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

Transitioning Infrared Imaging into Clinical Use

Sialic acid attached to brain cells may affect brain structure, cause neurological problems

ImmunoCellular, Novella partner to conduct ICT-107 phase 3 registration trial in patients with glioblastoma

28th ECNP Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology to take place in Amsterdam

Increased sleepiness may necessitate cautious PD management

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

New AHA/ASA guidelines recommend stent retrievers to treat strokes in selected patients

WATCHMAN Device helps reduce stroke risk, stop use of blood thinners in patients with atrial fibrillation

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

Research shows how prion-like proteins critical for maintaining long-term memories

Biologically active molecules produced during gluten digestion can pass through gut lining

Study demonstrates the important role of placebo effect in medical care

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

New UCL research reveals how past events are reconstructed in the brain

1 in 4 people with histories of nicotine use, substance abuse likely to use opioid painkillers long-term

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Study sheds new light on how the brain forms memories

Researchers make significant progress in improving survival of adult patients with low-grade gliomas

Computer model could help develop better strategies for treating early-childhood visual disorders

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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