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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.

Benvenue Medical's Luna 360 System receives FDA clearance for spinal fusion treatment of DDD

Benvenue Medical, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive solutions for spine repair, today announced that the company's Luna 360 Interbody Fusion System has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for spinal fusion treatment of symptomatic degenerative disc disease (DDD).

2 Dec 2014

Study examines rate of psychotropic medication prescribed to children in Kentucky

Researchers with the Child and Adolescent Health Research Design and Support Unit (CAHRDS Unit) at the University of Louisville have begun a study to examine one of Kentucky's most vexing children's health issues: the higher-than-average rate of psychotropic medication being prescribed to children in the Bluegrass State.

2 Dec 2014

Identifying infant and toddler injuries that require emergency medical care

Bianca Edison, MD, MS is an attending physician in the Children's Orthopaedic Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and is assistant clinical professor of Orthopaedics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Edison is a licensed, Board-Certified pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics who completed a fellowship in Primary Care SportsMedicine. Her interests and experience include orthopaedic conditions affecting young children, teens, and athletes. Here she reviews common infant and toddler injuries, and how parents can determine if emergency medical care is needed.

2 Dec 2014

Study: Heavier newborns do better in school

Birth weight makes a difference to a child's future academic performance, according to new Northwestern University research that found heavier newborns do better in elementary and middle school than infants with lower birth weights.

2 Dec 2014

Children with change in SUFU gene more likely to develop brain tumour

Gorlin syndrome causes an increased risk of developing cancers of the skin and, rarely, in the brain. Around 1 in 30,000 people has the condition.

From The University of Manchester 2 Dec 2014

UT Austin researchers identify network of genes that drives alcohol dependence

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have identified a network of genes that appear to work together in determining alcohol dependence. The findings, which could lead to future treatments and therapies for alcoholics and possibly help doctors screen for alcoholism, are being published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

2 Dec 2014

Study paves way for further research on brain evolution

The neocortex is the part of the brain that enables us to speak, dream, or think. The underlying mechanism that led to the expansion of this brain region during evolution, however, is not yet understood. A research team headed by Wieland Huttner, director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, now reports an important finding that paves the way for further research on brain evolution: The researchers analyzed the gyrencephaly index, indicating the degree of cortical folding, of 100 mammalian brains and identified a threshold value that separates mammalian species into two distinct groups: Those above the threshold have highly folded brains, whereas those below it have only slightly folded or unfolded brains.

2 Dec 2014

Alim Louis Benabid, Mahlon DeLong jointly win 2014 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award

French neurosurgeon Alim Louis Benabid and American neurologist Mahlon DeLong were recently named winners of the 2014 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their roles in developing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson disease.

2 Dec 2014

Study shows how specific trauma changes into a state of generalized fear

"I can't get the memories out of my mind!... I am right back in Vietnam, in the middle of the monsoon season at my guard post. My hands are freezing, yet sweat pours from my entire body...I smell a damp sulfur smell. Suddenly I see what's left of my buddy Troy, his head on a bamboo platter, sent back to our camp by the Viet Cong."

2 Dec 2014

University of Birmingham unveils national network of Quantum Technology Hubs

A new £120 million national network of Quantum Technology Hubs, that will explore the properties of quantum mechanics and how they can be harnessed for use in technology, has been unveiled today at the University of Birmingham.

2 Dec 2014

Ligand indazole chloride improves motor function, study shows

Multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord, affects about 2.3 million people worldwide (400,000 in the United States). Affecting more women than men, it can be seen at any age, although it is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40.

2 Dec 2014

Study provides insight into variable impact of TBI on long-term memory

Kessler Foundation researchers have authored a new article that provides insight into the variable impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on long-term memory. The article, "Working memory capacity links cognitive reserve with long-term memory in moderate to severe TBI: a translational approach," was epublished ahead of print on October 7 in the Journal of Neurology (10.1007/s00415-014-7523-4).

2 Dec 2014

New approach can prevent chronic marijuana use, relieve mood, anxiety disorders

Replenishing the supply of a molecule that normally activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain could relieve mood and anxiety disorders and enable some people to quit using marijuana, a Vanderbilt University study suggests.

2 Dec 2014

People diagnosed with diabetes in midlife experience cognitive problems later

People diagnosed with diabetes in midlife are more likely to experience significant memory and cognitive problems during the next 20 years than those with healthy blood sugar levels, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

2 Dec 2014

'Safe entry zones' for neurosurgeons who perform brainstem surgery

A study using intricate fiber dissection techniques provides new insights into the deep anatomy of the human brainstem--and helps to define "safe entry zones" for neurosurgeons performing brainstem surgery, according to a special article published in Operative Neurosurgery, a quarterly supplement to Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

2 Dec 2014

Variants of ASIC1a gene appear to be associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort. Scientists have known from studying twins that genes contribute to the risk of panic disorder, but very little is known about which specific genes are involved.

2 Dec 2014

Congenital hypothyroidism of central origin often requires treatment

Congenital hypothyroidism of central origin should not be dismissed as a mild condition and is worth screening for, say researchers.

1 Dec 2014

Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca begin AZD3293 Phase II/III study for treatment of early Alzheimer's disease

Eli Lilly and Company and AstraZeneca today announced enrollment of the first patient into AMARANTH, a Phase II/III study of an oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor currently in development as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

1 Dec 2014

Different forms of ASIC1a gene associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort.

1 Dec 2014

Bilingualism has protective effect in delaying Alzheimer's disease symptoms

A new study at Ghent University has established that the symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD) manifest themselves about four to five years later in bilinguals as opposed to monolinguals. In bilinguals, the disease onset was estimated at the age of 77, while in monolinguals, this was at the age of 73.

1 Dec 2014