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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.

TSRI scientists find molecular trigger of schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain changes

According to the World Health Organization, more than 21 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder that can cause delusions and hallucinations and lead to increased risk of suicide...

8 Apr 2015

Scientists identify brain molecule that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have identified a molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

8 Apr 2015

National MS Society commits $28 million to support new MS research projects, training awards

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has committed $28 million to support an expected 84 new MS research projects and training awards. These are part of a comprehensive research strategy aimed at stopping MS, restoring function that has been lost, and ending the disease forever – for every single person with MS.

8 Apr 2015

Researchers explore influence of low-frequency magnetic fields on neurodegenerative disorders

Low-frequency alternating magnetic fields such as those generated by overhead power lines are considered a potential health risk because epidemiological studies indicate that they may aggravate, among other things, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

8 Apr 2015

New study could point to potential ways to address defects in learning, memory

Just as some people seem built to run marathons and have an easier time going for miles without tiring, others are born with a knack for memorizing things, from times tables to trivia facts. These two skills—running and memorizing—are not so different as it turns out.

8 Apr 2015

Two case studies provide potential new avenue for treatment of kidney cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center Kidney Cancer Program investigators have published what is believed to be the first reported successful use of stereotactic body radiation therapy for an often deadly complication of kidney cancer.

8 Apr 2015

Study suggests possibility of developing personalized treatments for brain cancer

DNA mutations can cause cancer but in some cases, more mutations may mean a better prognosis for patients. A Yale-led comprehensive genomic analysis of more than 700 brain tumors has revealed one such subtype of the most malignant brain tumor, called glioblastoma, or GBM. This subtype possesses thousands of tumor-specific DNA errors or mutations instead of dozens observed in most glioblastoma cases. It is also associated with longer survival.

8 Apr 2015

TOAST classification remains effective, easy-to-use system to classify strokes

In 1993, neurologists Harold P. Adams Jr., MD, and Jose Biller, MD, and colleagues proposed a new way to classify strokes. It became known as the TOAST classification. Twenty-two years later, the TOAST classification remains an effective and easy-to-use system that is routinely employed in stroke studies around the world, Drs. Adams and Biller report in the journal Stroke, published online ahead of print.

8 Apr 2015

RAND report examines sleep problems in U.S. military members

Improving the quality and quantity of U.S. military members' sleep following deployment could help reduce other health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

8 Apr 2015

Brain's primary visual cortex can drive the timing of actions

When managing, assigning each task to a specialist is often the most efficient strategy. Most researchers regard the brain as working similarly, with each region specialized to a given task. But Johns Hopkins neuroscientists have found, in rats, that the brain's primary visual cortex (VC) not only portrays the visual world but can also drive the timing of actions.

8 Apr 2015

Early neuropsychiatric symptoms prevalent in PD

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, but not cognitive impairment, are common in early untreated patients with Parkinson’s disease, suggest findings from the multicentre Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative.

7 Apr 2015

Deep brain stimulation reduces PD pain severity but does not prevent it

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation has a beneficial effect on pain severity in patients with Parkinson’s disease that persists for up to 8 years, say researchers, but new onset of musculoskeletal pain in many suggests its effects are not enduring.

7 Apr 2015

Bilirubin levels raised in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease

Bilirubin levels are upregulated in patients with early Parkinson’s disease and are associated with disease progression at 2 years, a study shows.

7 Apr 2015

New blood test may more accurately identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease

A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study published in the journal Movement Disorders.

7 Apr 2015

MGH investigators identify inflammatory molecule that plays key role in lupus

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have identified an inflammatory molecule that appears to play an essential role in the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus.

7 Apr 2015

Study: Broken communication in brain regions appears to worsen Huntington's disease

Indiana University researchers have found that broken communication in a specific part of the brain plays a role in the involuntary physical movements that affect individuals with Huntington's disease.

7 Apr 2015

UV researchers study neurobiological link between ASD and epilepsy

Researchers at the University of Veracruz (UV), in the west coast of Mexico, study the neurobiological link between the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy, in order to understand the reason why the brain of an autistic child is 20-30 percent more susceptible to seizures that an infant without this condition.

6 Apr 2015

Healthy eating, exercise, and brain-training programme results in slower mental decline for older people

1260 people from across Finland, aged 60–77 years, were included in the study, with half randomly allocated to the intervention group, and half allocated to a control group, who received regular health advice only. All of the study participants were deemed to be at risk of dementia, based on standardised test scores.

6 Apr 2015

New study sheds light on linguistic characteristic of autistic children

A new study by a linguistics professor and an alumnus from The University of Texas at Austin sheds light on a well-known linguistic characteristic of autistic children — their reluctance to use pronouns — paving the way for more accurate diagnostics.

6 Apr 2015

NTU Singapore scientists find new way to treat dementia

Pushing new frontiers in dementia research, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have found a new way to treat dementia by sending electrical impulses to specific areas of the brain to enhance the growth of new brain cells.

6 Apr 2015