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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.

Skin-to-skin contact supports breastfeeding, bonding and better health outcomes

Research during the past 30 years has found many benefits of skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns immediately after birth, particularly with aiding breastfeeding. However, in some hospitals, skin-to-skin contact following cesarean birth is not implemented, due to practices around the surgery. A recent Quality Improvement (QI) project demonstrated that women's birth experiences were improved by implementing skin-to-skin contact after cesarean surgery.

12 Nov 2014

New study reveals promising path for rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injury patients

As football players are learning, a violent blow to the head has the potential to cause mild to severe traumatic brain injury -- physical damage to the brain that can be debilitating, even fatal. The long-term effects run the gamut of human functioning, from trouble communicating to extensive cognitive and behavioral deterioration. To date, there is no effective medical or cognitive treatment for patients with traumatic brain injuries.

12 Nov 2014

Effecting changes to FosB gene could help control addiction, depression

Regulation of a single, specific gene in a brain region related to drug addiction and depression is sufficient to reduce drug and stress responses, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published October 27 online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

12 Nov 2014

Scientists identify new therapeutic targets, screening test to uncover compounds for memory disorders

In a pair of related studies, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a number of new therapeutic targets for memory disorders and have developed a new screening test to uncover compounds that may one day work against those disorders.

12 Nov 2014

Hospice care lowers hospitalization, ICU admissions and invasive procedures for Medicare patients

Medicare patients with poor prognosis cancers who received hospice care had significantly lower rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and invasive procedures at the end of life, along with significantly lower health care expenditures during the last year of life, according to a study in the November 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Nov 2014

Researchers identify key protein that can reduce severity of disease equivalent to MS in mice

In multiple sclerosis, the immune system goes rogue, improperly attacking the body's own central nervous system. Mobility problems and cognitive impairments may arise as the nerve cells become damaged.

12 Nov 2014

Researchers create microtube platform to analyze neuron growth

Tiny, thin microtubes could provide a scaffold for neuron cultures to grow so that researchers can study neural networks, their growth and repair, yielding insights into treatment for degenerative neurological conditions or restoring nerve connections after injury.

12 Nov 2014

Study reveals significant reduction in smoking following olfactory conditioning during sleep

New Weizmann Institute research may bring the idea of sleep learning one step closer to reality. The research, which appeared today in The Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that certain kinds of conditioning applied during sleep could induce us to change our behavior. The researchers exposed smokers to pairs of smells - cigarettes together with that of rotten eggs or fish - as the subjects slept, and then asked them to record how many cigarettes they smoked in the following week.

12 Nov 2014

Experts review advances in understanding, treatment of bipolar disorder

Several lines of research have opened exciting new frontiers in scientific understanding and clinical management of bipolar disorder. Recent advances in bipolar disease research are described in this month's special issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

11 Nov 2014

Stopping the death of synapses: an interview with Dr Soledad Galli

Synapses are the sites that connect neurons – sites where information is passed from one neuron to another. They are highly specialized structures and synaptic function is crucial for normal brain function.

11 Nov 2014

Leading causes of blindness can be detected by looking at how eyes respond to watching TV

One of the leading causes of blindness worldwide could be detected by how our eyes respond to watching TV according to a new study from researchers at City University London.

11 Nov 2014

UCSD researchers implicate new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism

With the help of mouse models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the "tooth fairy," researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have implicated a new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism. The gene is associated with Rett syndrome, a syndromic form of autism, suggesting that different types of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may share similar molecular pathways.

11 Nov 2014

Anxiety can accelerate conversion to Alzheimer's disease for people with mild cognitive impairment

People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at increased risk of converting to Alzheimer's disease within a few years, but a new study warns the risk increases significantly if they suffer from anxiety.

11 Nov 2014

Endothelin gene expression linked to vision loss in premature babies

A gene known to play a major role in constricting blood vessels also appears to be a major player in the aberrant blood vessel growth that can destroy the vision of premature babies.

11 Nov 2014

Mice may hold clues in development of ADHD, autism and bipolar disorder

A darting mouse may hold an important clue in the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism and bipolar disorder, according to a study by a Vanderbilt University-led research team recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Nov 2014

U of T, Chematria and IBM partner to find new treatments for Ebola virus

The University of Toronto, Chematria and IBM are combining forces in a quest to find new treatments for the Ebola virus.

11 Nov 2014

Olympus to host fifth annual neuroimaging symposium in conjunction with 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

Olympus is hosting its fifth annual neuroimaging symposium in conjunction with the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) on Monday, November 17 at 6:30pm in Washington DC. The Olympus Neuroimaging Symposium and reception will be held at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in the Capitol and Congress ballrooms. It is open to all media and registered SfN attendees.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 10 Nov 2014

Effective treatment for phantom limb pain continues to be elusive

Army doctors in the First World War were helpless to stop soldiers who lost limbs from suffering in pain, according to researchers.

10 Nov 2014

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS): an interview with Gretchen Rubin and Megan Weigel

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe, ranging from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision. Approximately 400,000 Americans are living with MS.

9 Nov 2014

Induced neural stem cells hold promise for therapeutic transplantation

Induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) created from adult cells hold promise for therapeutic transplantation, but their potential in this capacity has been limited by failed efforts to maintain such cells in the desirable multi-potent NSC state without continuous expression of the transcription factors used initially to reprogram them.

7 Nov 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Skin-to-skin contact supports breastfeeding, bonding and better health outcomes

New study reveals promising path for rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injury patients

Effecting changes to FosB gene could help control addiction, depression

Scientists identify new therapeutic targets, screening test to uncover compounds for memory disorders

Hospice care lowers hospitalization, ICU admissions and invasive procedures for Medicare patients

Researchers identify key protein that can reduce severity of disease equivalent to MS in mice

Researchers create microtube platform to analyze neuron growth

Study reveals significant reduction in smoking following olfactory conditioning during sleep

Experts review advances in understanding, treatment of bipolar disorder

Stopping the death of synapses: an interview with Dr Soledad Galli

Leading causes of blindness can be detected by looking at how eyes respond to watching TV

UCSD researchers implicate new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism

Anxiety can accelerate conversion to Alzheimer's disease for people with mild cognitive impairment

Endothelin gene expression linked to vision loss in premature babies

Mice may hold clues in development of ADHD, autism and bipolar disorder

U of T, Chematria and IBM partner to find new treatments for Ebola virus

Olympus to host fifth annual neuroimaging symposium in conjunction with 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

Effective treatment for phantom limb pain continues to be elusive

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS): an interview with Gretchen Rubin and Megan Weigel

Induced neural stem cells hold promise for therapeutic transplantation

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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