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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.

Researchers identify how midbrain map remembers location of visual targets

On the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday, a lot of us will be playing arm-chair quarterback. After the snap, we might use our eyes to track a wide receiver as he runs toward an opening, all the while remembering the location of the star running back in case he breaks through on a rushing play. This natural ability to track one moving player but be ready to quickly look back toward another one sounds simple.

16 Jan 2015

New brain-imaging technique may help identify autistic children in just two minutes

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have developed a brain-imaging technique that may be able to identify children with autism spectrum disorder in just two minutes.

16 Jan 2015

First medical device approved for treatment of obesity

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved EnteroMedic's VBLOC vagal blocking therapy, delivered via the Maestro System, which is the first medical device approved for obesity treatment that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach.

15 Jan 2015

Better Eyes for Longer Life without Alzheimer's research project opens to everyone

The Alzheimer's Association puts a fine point on the truism that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or some other form of cognitive impairment increases with age: (They expect that) 7 million of those who reach 85 by 2050 will have Alzheimer's disease (AD).

15 Jan 2015

Vascular and Alzheimer's-related brain abnormalities cause dementia in older people

A growing body of research suggests that the most common cause of dementia in older people is a mix of vascular and Alzheimer's-related brain abnormalities, and that approximately half of people who die with Alzheimer's also have evidence of strokes in their brains. Furthermore, when strokes and hallmark Alzheimer's plaques and tangles are combined, it increases a person's likelihood of experiencing dementia.

15 Jan 2015

Study: Depression, behavioral changes may occur in Alzheimer's disease before memory declines

Depression and behavioral changes may occur before memory declines in people who will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

14 Jan 2015

Neurobiologists find paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in infants, adults

Neurobiologists at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere have found a surprising and paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in rat pups: those cues also can lower depressive-like behavior when the rat pups are fully grown.

14 Jan 2015

Individualized, patient-centered care needed to treat and monitor people with chronic pain

An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health concluded that individualized, patient-centered care is needed to treat and monitor the estimated 100 million Americans living with chronic pain. To achieve this aim, the panel recommends more research and development around the evidence-based, multidisciplinary approaches needed to balance patient perspectives, desired outcomes, and safety.

14 Jan 2015

Researchers identify new target that could lead to potential therapies for GBM

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute for Molecular Medicine have identified a new protein-protein interaction that could serve as a target for future therapies for the most common form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

14 Jan 2015

Research findings may lead to new treatment for hypothyroidism

An international research team led by physician-scientists at Rush University Medical Center have gained new insights into hypothyroidism - a condition affecting about 10 million people in the U.S. - that may lead to new treatment protocols for the disease, particularly among the approximately 15 percent of patients for whom standard treatments are less effective.

14 Jan 2015

Knocking down a single gene can help stop stress from causing infertility, miscarriage

Scientists from the University of California Berkeley have discovered that by knocking down a single gene, they can stop stress from causing female infertility and miscarriage - in rats.

14 Jan 2015

University of Copenhagen researchers move closer to developing antidote against cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into the mechanism behind a protein dopamine transporter that could help in the development of future medical treatment against cocaine addiction.

14 Jan 2015

Two UTHealth professors selected as AAAS Fellows for their efforts to prevent blindness

Two professors in the School of Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - Stephen Daiger, Ph.D., and Robert Hardy, Ph.D. - have been elected to the rank of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their efforts to prevent blindness.

14 Jan 2015

Genetic finding could lead to new treatments for people living with blindness, vision loss

Finding genes for retinal degenerations has immediate benefits for people living with blindness and vision loss, their families, and their physicians. Establishing a genetic cause confirms the clinical diagnosis at the molecular level, helps predict the future visual prognosis, suggests therapies, and allows some patients to join clinical trials. While more than 200 genes for retinal degenerations have been identified, approximately 40-50% of cases remain a mystery.

13 Jan 2015

Scientists find that blocking hormone reduces stress-induced infertility in female rats

University of California, Berkeley, scientists have discovered that chronic stress activates a hormone that reduces fertility long after the stress has ended, and that blocking this hormone returns female reproductive behavior to normal.

13 Jan 2015

TSRI researchers identify enzyme that produces inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified an enzyme that produces a class of inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain. Abnormally high levels of these molecules appear to cause a rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder, and that disorder now may be treatable if researchers can develop suitable drug candidates that inhibit this enzyme.

13 Jan 2015

New project explores role of gut microbiota in preventing diet- and brain-related diseases

A new project comprising thirty organisations from fifteen countries has started working together to study the microorganisms in our intestines and the role they play in health, well-being, and how they can help prevent diet- and brain-related diseases.

12 Jan 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers identify how midbrain map remembers location of visual targets

New brain-imaging technique may help identify autistic children in just two minutes

First medical device approved for treatment of obesity

Better Eyes for Longer Life without Alzheimer's research project opens to everyone

Vascular and Alzheimer's-related brain abnormalities cause dementia in older people

Study: Depression, behavioral changes may occur in Alzheimer's disease before memory declines

Neurobiologists find paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in infants, adults

Individualized, patient-centered care needed to treat and monitor people with chronic pain

Researchers identify new target that could lead to potential therapies for GBM

Research findings may lead to new treatment for hypothyroidism

Knocking down a single gene can help stop stress from causing infertility, miscarriage

University of Copenhagen researchers move closer to developing antidote against cocaine addiction

Two UTHealth professors selected as AAAS Fellows for their efforts to prevent blindness

Genetic finding could lead to new treatments for people living with blindness, vision loss

Scientists find that blocking hormone reduces stress-induced infertility in female rats

TSRI researchers identify enzyme that produces inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain

New project explores role of gut microbiota in preventing diet- and brain-related diseases

Virginia Tech scientists plan to design virus to switch wound-healing drug into cancer fighter

New UCLA study sheds light on why some people develop PTSD

Simple training exercise of catching a medicine ball may help prevent falls in the elderly

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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