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.

People who carry longevity gene variant have larger brain region

People who carry a variant of a gene that is associated with longevity also have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, according to researchers at UC San Francisco.

29 Jan 2015

Finding could improve treatment, diagnosis of common reading disorders

A neuroimaging study by a University at Buffalo psychologist suggests that phonics, a method of learning to read using knowledge of word sounds, shouldn't be overlooked in favor of a whole-language technique that focuses on visually memorizing word patterns, a finding that could help improve treatment and diagnosis of common reading disorders such as dyslexia.

29 Jan 2015

Loyola psychiatrist offers tips to cope with football withdrawal symptoms

When the football seasons with the final play of Sunday's Super Bowl, some fans may begin to feel withdrawal symptoms.

29 Jan 2015

Researchers discover novel compound that helps curtail progression of temporal lobe epilepsy

Researchers at the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence have found that a novel compound they discovered helps curtail the onset and progression of temporal lobe epilepsy.

28 Jan 2015

Promising results for stem cell therapy in MS

Preliminary findings suggest that nonmyeloablative haematopoietic stem cell transplantation may arrest, or even reverse, the progress of disease among patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.

28 Jan 2015

SRS fails to improve survival for NSCLC brain metastases patients

Phase III trial findings suggest that carrying out stereotactic radiosurgery before chemotherapy does not improve overall survival for non-small-cell lung cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases compared with chemotherapy alone.

28 Jan 2015

Brain inflammation linked to clinical depression

A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found that the measure of brain inflammation in people who were experiencing clinical depression was increased by 30 per cent. The findings, published today in JAMA Psychiatry, have important implications for developing new treatments for depression.

28 Jan 2015

Oculus Rift headset helps nursing students improve communication skills

Oculus Rift, a gaming headset, can help teach nurses how to communicate better, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found.

28 Jan 2015

Researchers advance generalized concept for future studies of mental resilience

Researchers at the Research Center Translational Neurosciences of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany have advanced a generalized concept as the basis for future studies of mental resilience. Their new approach is based on a mechanistic theory which takes as its starting point the appraisals made by the brain in response to exposure to stressful or threatening situations.

28 Jan 2015

ADDF awards grant to support initiation of AGB101 Phase 3 trial for aMCI treatment

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announced today a $900,000 grant to AgeneBio, a pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for neurologic and psychiatric diseases. The grant will support the initiation of an FDA-registered Phase 3 clinical trial of AGB101, a new therapeutic treatment for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

28 Jan 2015

Manchester researcher discover novel way to eradicate cancer stem cells

A way to eradicate cancer stem cells, using the side-effects of commonly used antibiotics, has been discovered by a University of Manchester researcher following a conversation with his young daughter.

28 Jan 2015

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists identify the brain's on-off thirst switch

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have identified a circuit in the brains of mice that regulates thirst. When a subset of cells in the circuit is switched on, mice immediately begin drinking water, even if they are fully hydrated. A second set of cells suppresses the urge to drink.

28 Jan 2015

New study shows mechanism behind tubulin transport in cilia

Defective cilia can lead to a host of diseases and conditions in the human body--from rare, inherited bone malformations to blindness, male infertility, kidney disease and obesity. Scientists knew that somehow these tiny cell organelles become deformed and cause these diseases because of a problem related to their assembly, which requires the translocation of vast quantities of the vital cell protein tubulin.

28 Jan 2015

Reducing A2A adenosine receptor levels prevents memory impairments in Alzheimer's mouse model

A study by scientists from the Gladstone Institutes shows that decreasing the number of A2A adenosine receptors in a particular type of brain cells called astrocytes improved memory in healthy mice. What's more, reducing receptor levels also prevented memory impairments in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

28 Jan 2015

Alzheimer's Association announces new research grants to study potential drug therapies

Many academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies have identified new Alzheimer's drug therapy candidates, but lack the funding to move them into human testing. At the same time, few funding sources support early-phase clinical drug trials. As a result, too many promising studies stall out early in the discovery process.

28 Jan 2015

Researchers probe possibility of reversing medications' adverse cognitive effects

Whether the adverse cognitive effects of medications can be reversed is of significant importance to an aging population, their caregivers and their families, as well as to an overburdened health care system.

28 Jan 2015

Silencing neurons in the arcopallium

New research published by the Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University has shown the effectiveness of chemogenetic inhibition used to suppress neuronal activity as well as interesting results on how vocalization is controlled through this techniques application in zebra finches.

28 Jan 2015

Infants show consistent patterns of brain activity in response to painful vaccinations

Infants show distinct, consistent patterns of brain activity in response to painful vaccinations, reports a study in the February issue of PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

28 Jan 2015

Improving prefrontal cortex activity could help autistic people regulate emotions

Tantrums, irritability, self-injury, depression, anxiety. These symptoms are associated with autism, but they're not considered core symptoms of the disorder. Researchers from the UNC School of Medicine are challenging this assertion. They have used functional MRI to show that - when it comes to the ability to regulate emotions - brain activity in autistic people is significantly different than brain activity in people without autism.

28 Jan 2015

Study provides new route for treating patients with difficult-to-treat Parkinson's symptoms

Parkinson's disease patients treated with low-frequency deep brain stimulation show significant improvements in swallowing dysfunction and freezing of gait over typical high-frequency treatment.

28 Jan 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

People who carry longevity gene variant have larger brain region

Finding could improve treatment, diagnosis of common reading disorders

Loyola psychiatrist offers tips to cope with football withdrawal symptoms

Researchers discover novel compound that helps curtail progression of temporal lobe epilepsy

Promising results for stem cell therapy in MS

SRS fails to improve survival for NSCLC brain metastases patients

Brain inflammation linked to clinical depression

Oculus Rift headset helps nursing students improve communication skills

Researchers advance generalized concept for future studies of mental resilience

ADDF awards grant to support initiation of AGB101 Phase 3 trial for aMCI treatment

Manchester researcher discover novel way to eradicate cancer stem cells

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists identify the brain's on-off thirst switch

New study shows mechanism behind tubulin transport in cilia

Reducing A2A adenosine receptor levels prevents memory impairments in Alzheimer's mouse model

Alzheimer's Association announces new research grants to study potential drug therapies

Researchers probe possibility of reversing medications' adverse cognitive effects

Silencing neurons in the arcopallium

Infants show consistent patterns of brain activity in response to painful vaccinations

Improving prefrontal cortex activity could help autistic people regulate emotions

Study provides new route for treating patients with difficult-to-treat Parkinson's symptoms

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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