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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.

One-third of US population can't be transported by ambulance to stroke center within one hour

One-third of the US population does not have access to a primary stroke center within one hour by ambulance, and even under optimal conditions, a large proportion of the US would be unable to access a stroke center within this window, according to a new study published in the March 4, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

5 Mar 2015

UIC researchers identify genetic variation that increases MS risk in women

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a genetic variation that in women significantly increases their risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

5 Mar 2015

Early symptoms of post-traumatic stress strongly predict later disability in military personnel

Evaluating military personnel with blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries, researchers have found that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as anxiety, emotional numbness, flashbacks and irritability, are the strongest predictors of later disability.

5 Mar 2015

Northwestern scientists map brain circuit that processes temperature information

Innately, we pull our hand away when we touch a hot pan on the stove, but little is known about how our brain processes temperature information. Northwestern University scientists now have discovered how a fruit fly's brain represents temperature, mapping it neuron by neuron, which has implications for understanding the much more complex human brain and how it responds to sensory stimuli.

5 Mar 2015

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

A study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital reveals for the first time exactly how mutations associated with the most common form of inherited Alzheimer's disease produce the disorder's devastating effects.

5 Mar 2015

Study highlights how obesity is linked to brain-level molecular changes

Researchers at Aalto University and University of Turku have revealed how obesity is associated with altered opioid neurotransmission in the brain.

5 Mar 2015

Researchers discover retina protein crucial for vision

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor and Director of the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence, discovered a protein in the retina that is crucial for vision. The paper reports, for the first time, the key molecular mechanisms leading to visual degeneration and blindness.

5 Mar 2015

GeneSight test better predicts antidepressant outcomes for patients with depression

The combinatorial, multi-gene GeneSight test has been found to better predict antidepressant treatment outcomes for patients with depression, and their use of health care resources, than any of the individual genes that comprise the test, according to a peer-reviewed analysis by investigators from the Mayo Clinic and Assurex Health, and published online by The Pharmacogenomics Journal.

5 Mar 2015

New approach could dramatically increase survival rate of cancer patients

Michail Sitkovsky, an immunophysiology expert at Northeastern University, and his research colleagues have made a breakthrough discovery in cancer treatment. The new approach, some 30 years in the making, could dramatically increase the survival rate of patients with cancer, which kills some 8 million people each year.

5 Mar 2015

USF researchers uncover how malaria-related parasites spread at explosive rates

A University of South Florida College of Public Health professor and his team of researchers have become the first to uncover part of the mysterious process by which malaria-related parasites spread at explosive and deadly rates inside humans and other animals.

5 Mar 2015

Oxytocin may be a potential therapeutic target for improving social function in psychiatric disorders

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have shown inducing the release of brain oxytocin may be a viable therapeutic option for enhancing social function in psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

4 Mar 2015

Lexicon updates drug development progress, reports 2014 financial results

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2014.

4 Mar 2015

Study demonstrates that activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors suppresses chronic pain

Medical marijuana is proliferating across the country due to the ability of cannabis ingestion to treat important clinical problems such as chronic pain. However, negative side effects and the development of tolerance limit the widespread therapeutic use of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the major psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

4 Mar 2015

Novogen's TRXE-009 therapy shows promise against brain cancer

Australian/US biotechnology company, Novogen Limited, today announces that it has confirmed that one of its lead candidate products, TRXE-009, is showing the potential to become an important new therapy in the fight against adult and pediatric brain cancer.

4 Mar 2015

UF researchers find that people with brain tumor fare better with personal insurance

Brain tumor patients who are uninsured or use Medicaid stay hospitalized longer and develop more medical complications than those with private insurance, University of Florida Health researchers have found.

4 Mar 2015

Children likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages post parents' divorce

Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity later in life, according to a new study from San Francisco State University.

4 Mar 2015

Study: People use touch of a handshake to sample, sniff signaling molecules

Limp or firm, your handshake conveys subliminal social cues. Now, research reveals it also transmits chemical signals that could explain why the greeting evolved in the first place.

4 Mar 2015

Novel drug mechanism shows promise against glioma cells

Researchers at UC Davis have developed and characterized a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct. This novel mechanism was found to be effective against glioma cells - responsible for a usually fatal type of brain cancer - and could be applicable to other highly aggressive cancers.

4 Mar 2015

Raising sale age for tobacco products to 21 may prevent adolescents from taking up smoking

Raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes to 21 would save lives by preventing adolescents from ever taking up smoking, a new report suggests.

4 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

One-third of US population can't be transported by ambulance to stroke center within one hour

UIC researchers identify genetic variation that increases MS risk in women

Early symptoms of post-traumatic stress strongly predict later disability in military personnel

Northwestern scientists map brain circuit that processes temperature information

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

Study highlights how obesity is linked to brain-level molecular changes

Researchers discover retina protein crucial for vision

GeneSight test better predicts antidepressant outcomes for patients with depression

New approach could dramatically increase survival rate of cancer patients

USF researchers uncover how malaria-related parasites spread at explosive rates

Oxytocin may be a potential therapeutic target for improving social function in psychiatric disorders

Lexicon updates drug development progress, reports 2014 financial results

Study demonstrates that activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors suppresses chronic pain

Novogen's TRXE-009 therapy shows promise against brain cancer

UF researchers find that people with brain tumor fare better with personal insurance

Children likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages post parents' divorce

Study: People use touch of a handshake to sample, sniff signaling molecules

Novel drug mechanism shows promise against glioma cells

Raising sale age for tobacco products to 21 may prevent adolescents from taking up smoking

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety 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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