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.

President orders additional mental health help for Vets

Obama signed an executive order on Friday, directing the Veterans Administration to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals and to expand the capacity of its crisis line so those who are in crisis can see a counselor within 24 hours. ... The White House says money for the additional mental health care will come from existing resources, though the president sought a 10-percent increase in overall VA funding next year.

5 Sep 2012

Chemical properties of green tea benefit memory and spatial learning

It has long been believed that drinking green tea is good for the memory. Now researchers have discovered how the chemical properties of China's favorite drink affect the generation of brain cells, providing benefits for memory and spatial learning. The research is published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

5 Sep 2012

Roadmap to areas of the brain associated with affective aggression

A North Carolina State University researcher has created a roadmap to areas of the brain associated with affective aggression in mice. This roadmap may be the first step toward finding therapies for humans suffering from affective aggression disorders that lead to impulsive violent acts.

5 Sep 2012

Scientists identify master regulator essential for progression and relapse of deadly brain cancer

A*STAR scientists have identified a biomarker of the most lethal form of brain tumours in adults- glioblastoma multiforme. The scientists found that by targeting this biomarker and depleting it with a potential drug, they were able to prevent the progression and relapse of the brain tumour.

5 Sep 2012

Democrats to spotlight health care, abortion rights support at convention

Party leaders will be touting the health overhaul passed two years ago, as well as efforts to expand contraception coverage. In addition, the platform looks ahead at issues such as health disparities, public health and HIV, Politico Pro reports.

5 Sep 2012

Green tea chemical found to boost memory

It has long been believed that drinking green tea is good for the memory. Now researchers have discovered how the chemical properties of China’s favorite drink affect the generation of brain cells, providing benefits for memory and spatial learning. The research is published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

5 Sep 2012

Brain derived neurotrophic factor level indicates childhood obesity risk

Brain derived neurotrophic factor may play an important role in the development and pathophysiology of childhood obesity, report researchers.

4 Sep 2012

Converting blood cells to a stem cell state: an interview with Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D.

The primitive stem cell state we created is called an “induced pluripotent stem cell” (iPSC). iPSC are a new, unique, and artificially-created type of stem cell that were first described in 2006 by a Japanese scientist named Shinya Yamanaka.

4 Sep 2012

Study finds 93% reduction in head injuries related to cycling among Swedish children

Since 1978 the rate of hospitalisations of Swedish children because of head injuries related to cycling has been reduced by 93%. This means that a large number of children, instead of being severely disabled, have been able to live normal lives.

4 Sep 2012

FDA approves Novartis’ Exelon Patch to treat mild to moderate AD

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a higher dose of Exelon Patch (rivastigmine transdermal system) for the treatment of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

4 Sep 2012

Posterior medial cortex more specifically engaged in recall or imagination

You already know it's hard to balance your checkbook while simultaneously reflecting on your past. Now, investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine - having done the equivalent of wire-tapping a hard-to-reach region of the brain - can tell us how this impasse arises.

4 Sep 2012

Study finds sex differences in vision between men and women

The way that the visual centers of men and women's brains works is different, finds new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Biology of Sex Differences. Men have greater sensitivity to fine detail and rapidly moving stimuli, but women are better at discriminating between colors.

4 Sep 2012

People with normal blood sugar range may be at increased risk of brain shrinkage

People whose blood sugar is on the high end of the normal range may be at greater risk of brain shrinkage that occurs with aging and diseases such as dementia, according to new research published in the September 4, 2012, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Sep 2012

Infliximab may offer new hope for people with difficult-to-treat depression

Researchers at Emory University have found that a medication that inhibits inflammation may offer new hope for people with difficult-to-treat depression. The study was published Sept. 3 in the online version of Archives of General Psychiatry.

4 Sep 2012

Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking may promote obesity in adolescents

Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking appears associated with an increased risk for adolescent obesity, and is possibly related to subtle structural variations in the brain that create a preference for eating fatty foods, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Sep 2012

Heavy alcohol use rewires brain circuitry and increases risk of PTSD

Doctors have long recognized a link between alcoholism and anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who drink heavily are at increased risk for traumatic events like car accidents and domestic violence, but that only partially explains the connection. New research using mice reveals heavy alcohol use actually rewires brain circuitry, making it harder for alcoholics to recover psychologically following a traumatic experience.

3 Sep 2012

AIDS experts develop first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects

Pooling data from thousands of tests of the antiviral activity of more than 20 commonly used anti-HIV drugs, AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities have developed what they say is the first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects. Already, the model clarifies how and why some treatment regimens fail in some patients who lack evidence of drug resistance.

3 Sep 2012

Metabolic syndrome associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine reveals for the first time that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents and calls for pediatricians to take this into account when considering the early treatment of childhood obesity.

3 Sep 2012

MDA7 compound shows promise against Alzheimer's disease

A compound developed to treat neuropathic pain has shown potential as an innovative treatment for Alzheimer's disease, according to a study by researchers at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute and Anesthesiology Institute.

3 Sep 2012

JNS announces publication of NACTN/AOSNA Focus Issue on Spinal Cord Injury

The Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS) Publishing Group is proud to announce publication of the NACTN/AOSNA Focus Issue on Spinal Cord Injury, a supplement to the September issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, which is sponsored by AOSpine North America available in print and online.

3 Sep 2012