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.

New study finds that challenging work tasks may have significant effect on brain health

Professionals whose jobs require more speaking, developing strategies, conflict resolution and managerial tasks may experience better protection against memory and thinking decline in old age than their co-workers, according to a new study published in the April 29, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Apr 2015

New technologies for preventing preterm labor, inducing labor process heading to marketplace

Preventing preterm labor with light and inducing labor using a side effect-free drug are two new technologies based on Florida State University research that are heading to the marketplace.

30 Apr 2015

Cytokine GM-CSF likely plays important role in MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune cells that activate a cascade of chemicals in the brain, attacking and degrading the insulation that keeps neuronal signals moving. These chemicals, called cytokines, drive the inflammation in the brain, attracting more immune cells, and causing the debilitating disease marked by loss of neurological function.

30 Apr 2015

Study opens door for new therapeutic approaches to treating patients with melanoma

Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have shown for the first time that a gene previously implicated in blood vessel formation during embryonic development and tumor growth also induces immune suppression during tumor development.

30 Apr 2015

Parents share arduous, circuitous journey to get referrals for childhood epilepsy surgery

Having a child diagnosed with epilepsy can be a frightening and confusing time. Now, parents share their arduous and "circuitous" journey to get referrals for pediatric epilepsy surgery once their child's disease stops responding to anti-seizure medications. The UCLA study sheds light on the difficulties parents face obtaining specialty and sub-specialty care for their children during an already stressful time.

30 Apr 2015

Study provides insight into the brain structures affected by epilepsy

Epilepsy, a disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in certain regions of the brain, leads to organizational changes that can alter brain efficiency at the level of the whole brain. This occurs across functional networks that connect different brain regions and within individual brain regions, as described in an article in Brain Connectivity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

30 Apr 2015

$Bone-marrow-derived MSCs can promote fracture healing$

Bone-marrow-derived MSCs can promote fracture healing

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been transplanted to successfully treat a variety of diseases and conditions. The benefit of using MSCs is their ability to self-renew and differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types, such as osteoblasts (cells contributing to bone formation), chondrocytes (cartilage cells), adipocytes (fat cells), myocardiocytes (the muscle cells that make up the cardiac muscle), and neurons (nervous system cells).

30 Apr 2015

Cocaine changes brain function, increases impulsive behaviors

The brain function of people addicted to cocaine is different from that of people who are not addicted and often linked to highly impulsive behavior, according to a new scientific study.

30 Apr 2015

Rudolf Jaenisch honored with 2015 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, who laid the groundwork for the development and use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - stem cells derived directly from adult tissue -- to potentially treat and cure a variety of human diseases, has received the 20th anniversary March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology.

30 Apr 2015

Patients with traumatic brain injuries need effective cognitive neuroscience-based therapies

Patients with traumatic brain injuries are not benefiting from recent advances in cognitive neuroscience research - and they should be, scientists report in a special issue of Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.

30 Apr 2015

Oncologists need to screen tumor patients for depression

Because depression in brain cancer patients is a common but often overlooked condition, oncologists should regularly screen tumor patients for depression, according to an article in the current issue of CNS Oncology. The journal is published by Future Medicine, an imprint of Future Science Group.

30 Apr 2015

Researchers discover key mechanism in neural death that causes Parkinson's disease

In studying the molecular biology of brain development, a team of researchers led by Ludwig Stockholm director Thomas Perlmann has discovered how disruption of a developmental mechanism alters the very nerve cells that are most affected in Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2015

Scripps Florida scientists uncover surprising new details of potential alzheimer’s treatment

The new study points to promising new directions using a known therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease—a disorder that will affect nearly 14 million Americans by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association...

29 Apr 2015

New TSRI study points to promising new therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

Taking a new approach, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered some surprising details of a group of compounds that have shown significant potential in stimulating the growth of brain cells and memory restoration in animal models that mimic Alzheimer's disease.

29 Apr 2015

16 California research projects selected to receive inaugural seed grants from Cal-BRAIN

Cal-BRAIN, a California research grants program that aims to revolutionize our understanding of the brain, has selected 16 projects to receive inaugural seed grants of $120,000 each. The projects represent efforts around the state to create new technologies capable of measuring brain activity in greater depth, breadth and detail than is currently possible.

29 Apr 2015

Montefiore and Einstein researchers to present data on obesity, asthma and autism at PAS 2015

Researchers from the Children's Hospital at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine will present data from more than 50 studies that explore topics including obesity, asthma and autism at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

29 Apr 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New study finds that challenging work tasks may have significant effect on brain health

New technologies for preventing preterm labor, inducing labor process heading to marketplace

Cytokine GM-CSF likely plays important role in MS

Study opens door for new therapeutic approaches to treating patients with melanoma

Parents share arduous, circuitous journey to get referrals for childhood epilepsy surgery

Study provides insight into the brain structures affected by epilepsy

Bone-marrow-derived MSCs can promote fracture healing

Cocaine changes brain function, increases impulsive behaviors

Rudolf Jaenisch honored with 2015 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Patients with traumatic brain injuries need effective cognitive neuroscience-based therapies

Oncologists need to screen tumor patients for depression

Researchers discover key mechanism in neural death that causes Parkinson's disease

Scripps Florida scientists uncover surprising new details of potential alzheimer’s treatment

New TSRI study points to promising new therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

16 California research projects selected to receive inaugural seed grants from Cal-BRAIN

Montefiore and Einstein researchers to present data on obesity, asthma and autism at PAS 2015

SLU selected to work on universal flu vaccine project

Supporting people with macular degeneration: an interview with Dennis Lewis, AMD Alliance International

Special issue of Gastroenterology highlights how food impacts health and disease

National survey shows that most women don't know risks or symptoms of stroke

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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