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.

Adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk for pituitary hormone deficiencies

Decades after undergoing cranial irradiation for childhood cancer, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators found that adult survivors of pediatric cancer remain at risk for pituitary hormone deficiencies that may diminish their health and quality of life.

16 Feb 2015

Study shows that plant-based vegan diet may lower heart disease risk in obese children

Obese children who begin a low-fat, plant-based vegan diet may lower their risk of heart disease through improvements in their weight, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity, and high-sensitivity C-reactive, according to Cleveland Clinic research published online today by The Journal of Pediatrics.

16 Feb 2015

Experts discuss therapeutic potential of medical cannabis in a symposium organized by MUHC

While debate about recreational marijuana use continues, researchers are investigating the effectiveness of cannabis for treating pain, spasticity, and a host of other medical problems. In a symposium organized by the McGill University Health Centre as part of the 2015 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting held this week in San Jose, California, world-renowned experts from North America and the U.K. share their perspectives on the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis and explore the emerging science behind it.

16 Feb 2015

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

X-linked intellectual disability is a disorder that predominantly affects men and can have highly variable clinical manifestations. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have found seven new genes that can cause this genetic disease: Mutations of these genes on the X chromosome lead to various forms of intellectual disability.

15 Feb 2015

New technology can help identify patients at risk of second stroke

Risk of recurrent stroke is higher in patients who have low blood flow to the back of the brain, a six-year, multi-center trial has found, and the condition can be visualized using specialized software developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago that analyzes blood flow using standard MRI.

15 Feb 2015

Study finds link between type 2 diabetes and reduction of certain cognitive abilities

Type 2 diabetes is associated with worse performance on cognitive tests measuring abilities involved in the control of emotions, behaviours and thought, says a new study from the University of Waterloo.

15 Feb 2015

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

In what is believed to be the largest epigenetic analysis to date of cell-signaling molecules in early-stage melanoma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center have identified two tiny bits of non-coding genetic material in primary tumors that appear critical to stalling the cancer's spread -- and essentially setting the biological fate of the disease.

15 Feb 2015

New Penn Medicine study reveals how sleep deprivation increases intake of fat

Experts have warned for years that insufficient sleep can lead to weight gain. A new Penn Medicine study found that not only do we consume more food following a night of total sleep deprivation, but we also we consume more fat and less carbohydrates and a region of the brain known as the salience network is what may lead us to eat more fat.

15 Feb 2015

Mindfulness training can influence health via stress reduction pathways

Over the past decade, there have been many encouraging findings suggesting that mindfulness training can improve a broad range of mental and physical health problems. Yet, exactly how mindfulness positively impacts health is not clear.

15 Feb 2015

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a common signaling mechanism to produce interferon - one of the main proteins used to signal the immune system when the body needs to defend itself against a virus, tumor, or other diseases.

15 Feb 2015

Declarative memory helps individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders compensate for dysfunction

Individuals with five neurodevelopmental disorders -- autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, dyslexia, and Specific Language Impairment -- appear to compensate for dysfunction by relying on a single powerful and nimble system in the brain known as declarative memory.

13 Feb 2015

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

A process previously thought to be mere background noise in the brain has been found to shape the growth of neurons as the brain develops, according to research from the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (MRC CDN), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), published in Cell Reports.

13 Feb 2015

Landmark stroke studies presented at ISC, published in NEJM suggest new treatment protocol on the horizon

Research presented today at the International Stroke Conference (ISC) in Nashville, Tenn. and published online in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found that the addition of the Solitaire™ Device stent thrombectomy procedure to current pharmaceutical treatment significantly reduced disability in patients suffering stroke.

From Medtronic 13 Feb 2015

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

The new study, published recently in the journal Brain, revealed the mechanism of toxicity of a misfolded form of the protein that underlies prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

13 Feb 2015

Clinical trial proves ‘inside the artery’ therapy improves patient outcomes after stroke

"This clinical trial proves beyond any doubt that inside the artery therapy is the best possible treatment for patients suffering an acute ischemic stroke from a large artery occlusion," according to Donald Frei, MD, Neuro Interventional Surgeon at Swedish Medical Center and Radiology Imaging Associates in Englewood, CO.

13 Feb 2015

Thync electrical neurosignaling reduces brain's response to stress, shows study

Thync today announced results from a study published via bioRxiv that show electrical neurosignaling delivered by its consumer wearable device reduces the brain's response to stress in a chemical-free manner.

13 Feb 2015

Adolescents meth abusers suffer greater alterations in their brain than adult drug abusers

Adolescents who chronically use methamphetamine suffer greater and more widespread alterations in their brain than adults who chronically abuse the drug-and damage is particularly evident in a part of the brain believed to control the "executive function," researchers from the University of Utah and South Korea report.

13 Feb 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk for pituitary hormone deficiencies

Study shows that plant-based vegan diet may lower heart disease risk in obese children

Experts discuss therapeutic potential of medical cannabis in a symposium organized by MUHC

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

New technology can help identify patients at risk of second stroke

Study finds link between type 2 diabetes and reduction of certain cognitive abilities

Researchers identify two cell-signaling molecules that appear critical to stalling cancer's spread

New Penn Medicine study reveals how sleep deprivation increases intake of fat

Mindfulness training can influence health via stress reduction pathways

UT Southwestern researchers identify common signaling mechanism that controls immune system

Declarative memory helps individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders compensate for dysfunction

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

Landmark stroke studies presented at ISC, published in NEJM suggest new treatment protocol on the horizon

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

Clinical trial proves ‘inside the artery’ therapy improves patient outcomes after stroke

Thync electrical neurosignaling reduces brain's response to stress, shows study

Adolescents meth abusers suffer greater alterations in their brain than adult drug abusers

Doctor's Best adds three new sports nutrition powders to its science-based supplement portfolio

Study shows how cannabidiol works within cells

Scientists find that treating the uninjured side of brain can maximize stroke recovery

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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