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.

Malfunction of brain architecture can prompt neuron to make 'early-career' switch

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that the role of neurons -- which are responsible for specific tasks in the brain -- is much more flexible than previously believed.

12 May 2015

Special JHTR issue highlights ongoing CDC efforts to reduce population impact of TBI

Ongoing efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the population impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are documented in the May/June issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America.

12 May 2015

UC Irvine study opens door to novel treatments for people with retinal damage

Driving down a dimly lit road at midnight can tax even those with 20/20 vision, but according to a recent UC Irvine study, the brain processes the experience no differently than if it were noon. The same study also reveals how quickly the brain adapts to vision loss, contradicting earlier research and opening the door to novel treatments.

12 May 2015

Discovery paves way for developing treatments for people addicted to cocaine, amphetamines

In a major advance in the field of neuropsychiatry, researchers in the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have illuminated how cocaine and amphetamines disrupt the normal functioning of the dopamine transporter in the brain.

12 May 2015

Experimental gene therapy holds promise against metastatic prostate cancer

Even with the best available treatments, the median survival of patients with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer is only two to three years. Driven by the need for more effective therapies for these patients, researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have developed a unique approach that uses microscopic gas bubbles to deliver directly to the cancer a viral gene therapy in combination with an experimental drug that targets a specific gene driving the cancer's growth.

12 May 2015

Study sheds light on specific roles for dopamine in reward process

Dopamine is the chemical messenger in the brain most closely associated with pleasure and reward. Recent scientific advances now shed light on precise roles for dopamine in the reward process.

12 May 2015

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

New research by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests the immune system plays an unsuspected and surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder affecting children. Immune cells known as macrophages are unable to perform their normal function and are instead amplifying the disease.

11 May 2015

Dana-Farber/Boston Children's joins immunotherapy clinical trial for children with ALL

Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center has joined a clinical trial of immunotherapy for children with relapsed or treatment-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the trial is one of several nationally that are evaluating cancer immunotherapy, a treatment approach -- hailed by Science magazine as their Breakthrough of the Year in 2013 -- that triggers a patient's immune system to attack his or her cancer cells.

11 May 2015

Raising lupus awareness: an interview with Professor Ramsey-Goldman, MD

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease, with many different symptoms so it is hard to diagnose. It affects each person differently and it has an unpredictable disease course with flare ups and quiet time. Some patients describe lupus as if they are riding a roller coaster with blinders on because they cannot always tell when they will feel well or sick...

11 May 2015

New scanning methods could help predict people vulnerable to schizophrenia

New scanning methods which map the wiring of the brain could provide a valuable new tool to predict people at risk of schizophrenia, according to a new study.

11 May 2015

Small ion pump gives new hope for severe nerve pain sufferers

A small ion pump in organic electronics is giving new hope to people suffering from severe nerve pain. Researchers at Swedish Linköping University and the Karolinska Institute are the first in the world with technology that can stop pain impulses in living, freely moving rats using the body's own pain relief signals.

11 May 2015

Global survey finds gap in physicians' understanding on impact of lupus on patients' lives

As many people in the lupus community prepare to come together in support of World Lupus Day (May 10), a global survey shows that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have difficulty describing their symptoms to their physicians, which leads to a gap in physicians understanding the full impact the illness has on patients' lives.

11 May 2015

Obesity rates elevated in childhood cancer survivors who are exposed to certain treatments

Individuals who had cancer as a child may be at increased risk of being obese due to the therapies they received during their youth. The finding comes from a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest the need for effective counseling and weight loss interventions for certain childhood cancer survivors.

11 May 2015

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have gained ground toward developing more targeted therapies for the most common childhood brain tumor.

10 May 2015

Researchers identify promising combination strategy for treating glioblastomas

Therapies that specifically target mutations in a person's cancer have been much-heralded in recent years, yet cancer cells often find a way around them. To address this, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center identified a promising combinatorial approach to treating glioblastomas, the most common form of primary brain cancer.

10 May 2015

Orexigen Therapeutics provides update on business and financial results for Q1 2015

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. today announced business and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015.

8 May 2015

Experimental cancer drug shows promise against incurable paediatric brain cancer

US-Australian drug discovery company, Novogen Limited, in conjunction with Australian paediatric cancer researchers, released key pre-clinical data on experimental cancer drug-candidate, TRXE-009, confirming its potential to become an important new therapy against an incurable paediatric brain cancer called DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma).

8 May 2015

Knowing the physical structure of amyloid beta-42 offers new view on amyloid propagation in Alzheimer's

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have determined the molecular structure of one of the proteins in the fine fibers of the brain plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This molecule, called amyloid beta-42, is toxic to nerve cells and is believed to provoke the disease cascade.

8 May 2015

SLU professor reveals why women have higher rates of strokes than men, suggests steps to reduce risk

Each year, around 55,000 more women than men will have a stroke. Longer lifespans, pregnancies and hormones all contribute to the disparity, as do illnesses that tend to strike women more frequently. Crunch the numbers and the math adds up to more strokes for women, making it important for women monitor their risk.

8 May 2015

Gene therapy is key to addressing Sanfilippo Syndrome, say Ohio scientists and clinicians

Gene therapy is the delivery of DNA into a patient's cells to replace faulty or missing genes—or adds new genes—in an attempt to cure cancer or make changes so the body is better able to fight off disease. Scientists and clinicians have identified a number of different ways to do this, in an effort to correct malfunctioning or mutated genes. Many gene therapy clinical trials are ongoing to assess the safety and potential benefits in patients with rare diseases.

8 May 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Malfunction of brain architecture can prompt neuron to make 'early-career' switch

Special JHTR issue highlights ongoing CDC efforts to reduce population impact of TBI

UC Irvine study opens door to novel treatments for people with retinal damage

Discovery paves way for developing treatments for people addicted to cocaine, amphetamines

Experimental gene therapy holds promise against metastatic prostate cancer

Study sheds light on specific roles for dopamine in reward process

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

Dana-Farber/Boston Children's joins immunotherapy clinical trial for children with ALL

Raising lupus awareness: an interview with Professor Ramsey-Goldman, MD

New scanning methods could help predict people vulnerable to schizophrenia

Small ion pump gives new hope for severe nerve pain sufferers

Global survey finds gap in physicians' understanding on impact of lupus on patients' lives

Obesity rates elevated in childhood cancer survivors who are exposed to certain treatments

Study sheds light on developing more targeted therapies against medulloblastoma

Researchers identify promising combination strategy for treating glioblastomas

Orexigen Therapeutics provides update on business and financial results for Q1 2015

Experimental cancer drug shows promise against incurable paediatric brain cancer

Knowing the physical structure of amyloid beta-42 offers new view on amyloid propagation in Alzheimer's

SLU professor reveals why women have higher rates of strokes than men, suggests steps to reduce risk

Gene therapy is key to addressing Sanfilippo Syndrome, say Ohio scientists and clinicians

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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